Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) - Statewide Transition to Practice Program Utilizing Federal and State Funding
.jpeg?width=2000&name=AdobeStock_539146188%20(1).jpeg)
Description
The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) provides a voice to Arizona healthcare organizations from large systems to rural and critical access hospitals to behavioral health centers and more to collectively build better healthcare and health outcomes for Arizonans. AzHHA and its members explore ideas and take collaborative action at the state capitol, in healthcare settings and at home to attain the best care and health outcomes for Arizonans.
The Challenge
Arizona was facing a severe nursing shortage, with a predicted deficit of 30,000 nurses by 2025. While increasing the number of new nurses was important, retaining the current nurses already recruited into practice across the state was essential. National nursing turnover reports indicated 23.8% of all newly hired RNs left within a year, with first-year turnover accounting for a third (34.0%) of all RN separations due to burnout and job dissatisfaction.
AzHHA recognized that many healthcare organizations, especially rural and independent facilities, lacked the infrastructure and resources to implement effective transition-to-practice programs. Without a comprehensive and consistent approach to new graduate and preceptor training designed for the populations they serve, new nurses often felt unprepared, and preceptors faced burnout, leading to higher turnover and increased costs tied to temporary staffing and onboarding. The lack of structured support weakened team collaboration and clinical readiness, increasing the risk of inconsistent patient outcomes and impacting patient safety overall.
"When evaluating transition-to-practice programs, nurse leaders across the industry emphasize the need for flexibility to meet the diverse needs of hospitals and care environments — whether smaller facilities with limited resources or larger systems serving higher patient volumes. Equally important is the ability to provide strong reporting to measure outcomes, demonstrate impact and ensure accountability, especially with government funding supporting these initiatives. By focusing on adaptability and measurable results, healthcare organizations can strengthen the nursing workforce, improve care delivery and address the needs of the communities they serve."
- Vicki Buchda MS, RN, NEA-BC, Senior Vice President of Care Improvement, Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association
How We Did It
To address these challenges, AzHHA launched the Arizona Transition to Practice Program for New Graduate Registered Nurses through HB2691 (an Arizona House Bill designating funds to health workforce training programs) to provide a structured Transition to Practice and preceptor training. AzHHA conducted a full RFP process to evaluate multiple potential partners to fill this need and selected OpusVi as its vendor of choice based on four key factors:
- Proven success outcomes in nurse retention and preceptor training – OpusVi’s data-backed approach and previous increases in retention and corresponding cost savings demonstrated the ability to deliver results and clear ROI.
- Scalability and adaptability – OpusVi’s phased, competency-based model was not limited to a one-size-fits-all and could be customized to scale up to support large health systems and scale down for smaller, rural organizations where required.
- Real-time tracking and accountability – OpusVi’s Impact Dashboard provided the visibility needed to track program engagement, competency validation and retention trends in real-time across the state, broken down by each system, location or even each individual nurse.
- Instructor-led course delivery by nursing subject matter experts and competency-based curricula to create a comprehensive pathway to safe, independent practice.
AzHHA partnered with OpusVi to launch a statewide Transition to Practice Program funded through HB2691. The program was designed to provide a structured, scalable competency-based solution that could be implemented across both large health systems and smaller rural or independent hospitals to drive significant retention increases and organizational efficiencies.
OpusVi delivered a phased, competency-based program tailored to the specific needs of the populations Arizona’s healthcare organizations serve. The program included:
- Specialized content for five practice areas, developed and facilitated by subject matter experts
- Live instructor-led training in addition to online didactic learning to strengthen clinical readiness and build nurse confidence and competence
- Direct learning management system (LMS) integration for easy access to training across locations and real-time user support
- Nightingale Reflections to foster connection and peer support among new nurses across the state
- Preceptor and site coordinator support to ensure consistent guidance and mentorship at each facility
- Data reporting capabilities to track program engagement and competency validation to help streamline reporting for the government program and demonstrate funding impact and ROI as well as delivering early drop-out detection alerts to managers and administrators to support greater retention effortss
"As an experienced Clinical Educator, I am deeply impressed by the carefully curated content included in the Transition To Practice preceptor training. I wish I had access to this content as a novice Clinical Educator several years ago. It would have allowed me to develop my skills as an educator sooner and saved me from learning via trial and error. I believe our preceptors are very fortunate to have the content and the ability to have peers and mentors share their questions, concerns and ideas as they prepare to help initiate their novice peers on their professional journey.”
- Erick Bautista, Clinical Educator at Fort Defiance Indian Hospital
Results
The Arizona Transition to Practice Program has delivered measurable results, strengthening nurse retention and improving workforce stability across the state. In its first year, the program achieved:
94%
Retention Rate
14
Healthcare Organizations
156
Program Participants
The combination of specialized content, live training and peer engagement created a more cohesive and prepared nursing workforce. At Onvida Health, an AzHHA member hospital in Yuma, Arizona, the program reshaped the culture around preceptor training, turning it from an obligation into an opportunity for growth as nurses actively sought out participation and volunteered to enroll in preceptor training to strengthen their skills and support their teams. Preceptors reported greater confidence in guiding new nurses, while new graduate nurses felt more supported and better equipped to handle the challenges of patient care.
In addition to the statewide impact, OpusVi is proud to celebrate individual nurse accomplishments, including John Leahy III, RN at La Paz Regional Hospital who was recognized as the 2024 Clinical Employee of the Year and also awarded Meditech Superstar, and new graduate, Tiffany Shaddy, RN at Onvida Health who was awarded the DAISY Award for the fourth quarter of 2024. This prestigious award recognizes nurses who go above and beyond to provide patients and families with competent and compassionate clinical care. OpusVi has partnered with the DAISY Foundation to streamline and integrate the award application process into the Transition to Practice online learning environment so preceptors can be recognized for the caring compassionate support they provide their preceptee.
"OpusVi’s Preceptor Program transformed how we evaluate and support our team. The detailed insights allowed us to identify and address performance risks before they could impact patient safety. With this level of clarity, we’re now confident that our preceptors are equipped to provide exceptional care and guidance, safeguarding both our patients and our nursing teams."
- Margaret “Maggie” Werner MSN, RN, Transition to Practice Coordinator, Onvida Health
To learn more about the legislative impact and implementation strategies behind the Arizona Transition to Practice Program, read the two recent peer-reviewed Nursing Administration Quarterly articles authored by leaders from OpusVi and AzHHA: "Leveraging State Legislation to Impact Workforce Shortages" and "Addressing the Unique Challenges of a Statewide Nurse Transition to Practice Program".
Next Steps
Both OpusVi and AzHHA firmly believe the positive impact this program has made on the Arizona nursing workforce will lead to improved patient care and greater health across the state. Having a strong and sustainable workforce is the first step in ensuring better care, better health and lower costs.
OpusVi looks forward to supporting the AzHHA team in its efforts to secure ongoing funding to keep this successful program running and also encourage other states across the country to take the lead from Arizona’s success and consider implementing similar programs to support the critical nurse workforce.
"We are incredibly proud of the design and implementation of the Arizona Transition to Practice Program, but this is just the beginning. Through analysis of the qualitative and quantitative data we've gathered since launching in 2024, we’re identifying opportunities to enhance capability, new nurse retention and participant engagement. Partnerships with organizations like the DAISY Foundation and Laerdal open the door to exciting new initiatives in recognition, rewards, and competency validation."
- Dawna Cato, RN, NPD-BC, Director of Nurse Residencies at OpusVi
About Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA)
AzHHA is the association giving Arizona hospitals a voice to collectively build better healthcare and health for Arizonans. As the champion for healthcare leadership in Arizona, AzHHA and its member hospitals explore ideas and take collaborative action at the state capitol, in hospitals and at home to attain the best healthcare outcomes for our community. Above all else, we put people and patients first through Better Care, Better Health and Lower Costs. Visit www.azhha.org for more information.