The Kaiser Permanente Northern California Nurse Residency Program supports newly licensed registered nurses (RNs) as they transition to practice to one of our 21 Northern California medical centers. The program consists of a comprehensive evidence-based clinical orientation in addition to nursing professional development transition to practice curriculum.
Important dates
| Process Step | March 2025 Cohort | July 2025 Cohort | November 2025 Cohort |
|---|---|---|---|
| Application Available | November 3rd, 2024-November 7th, 2024 | March 30th, 2025-April 3rd, 2025 | July 6th, 2025-July 10th, 2025 |
| Information Session | October 18th, 2024, at 9:00 AM PT October 22nd, 2024, at 2:00 PM PT October 23rd, 2024, at 12:00 PM PT | March 14th, 2025, at 9:00 AM PT March 19th, 2025, at 12:00 PM PT March 25th, 2025, at 2:00 PM PT | June 20th, 2025, at 9:00 AM PT June 26th, 2025, at 12:00 PM PT June 30th, 2025, at 2:00 PM PT |
| California RN License Deadline | March 2nd, 2025 | July 20th, 2025 | October 26th, 2025 |
| Start Date | March 10th, 2025 | July 28th, 2025 | November 3rd, 2025 |
Informational sessions materials
Eligibility
Applicants must have:
- An active California RN license (interim permits cannot be accepted) by the start date.
- Completion of an accredited pre-licensure nursing program (prefer within the last 12 months) by the start date.
- BLS by hire date.
- No prior inpatient (acute care) RN experience.
- Not currently in another residency program.
- Does not require visa sponsorship.
Program details
- Nurse residents are trained in our inpatient Medical/Surgical and Telemetry units.
- Nurse residents will be required to complete each of the components of the program (including didactic, skills enhancement, simulation, and an EBP project) and attend all 12 monthly transition-to-practice program courses to graduate.
Employment
- Nurse residents are hired as a Staff Nurse I into a benefited position at one of our 21 medical centers.
- After the initial precepted period (first 12 weeks), residents will be placed into a regular benefited Staff Nurse position on day, evening, or night shift in the medical center where they trained, and complete the remainder of their transition-to-practice program including completion of an evidence-based practice project by the end of their first year of employment.
Compensation and Benefits
- Starting pay in 2024 is $77.16/hr and increases to $81.02 after six months of employment.
- Earn industry-leading salary and benefits including full health, dental, vision, 401k, pension, health care retirement fund, and more.
Application and Interview Process
- We hire about 100 candidates for each cohort.
- Considerations are given to eligible KP employees who apply to the program as well as external candidates based on their academic background, KP internship/externship/clinical rotation experience, and their passion to work in a health care system that respects diversity with an emphasis on patient-focused care.
- Based on competitiveness of the application cycle, we also consider the following factors:
- Completion of an EKG class that is designed for registered nurses and/or healthcare professionals
- A current AHA-ACLS certification
- Letter of recommendation with a focus on clinical competencies and professionalism
Top candidates will be invited to a virtual group interview where they will be required to answer a combination of behavioral, situational, and clinical competency questions.
Make your application more competitive
Consider working at Kaiser Permanente as a Patient Care Technician (PCT) as you complete nursing school.
- Learn more about our PCT opportunities.
- Available PCT jobs (posted weekly).
Contact
After reviewing our FAQ page carefully, if you still have questions (unrelated to timing), please email NCAL-Residency-Program@kp.org.