Nursing Transition to Practice Program Coordinator

Cottage Health • Santa Barbara, CA

1d • $132,392 - $201,905

About The Position

This role provides leadership and oversight for Cottage Health's nationally accredited RN Residency Program, preceptor and mentor development initiatives, and academic partnerships. The coordinator will work closely with nursing leaders, educators, and academic institutions to foster clinical excellence, professional growth, and workforce retention, while ensuring compliance with ANCC PTAP standards. The ideal candidate is an innovative and inspiring nurse leader passionate about professional development, advancing nursing practice, and creating exceptional transition-to-practice experiences that build confidence, competence, and resilience in nurses.

Requirements

• Bachelor's Degree in Nursing, Education, Healthcare Administration, or a related field required.
• California Registered Nurse (RN)
• Basic understanding of Microsoft Suite and presentation platforms.
• Five (5) years of experience in clinical nursing.
• Knowledge of adult learning theories and psychological safety for the learner.

Nice To Haves

• Master's degree in Nursing, Education, Healthcare Administration, or a related field
• Nursing Professional Development Certification within 2 Years
• Experience in nursing professional development, transition-to-practice programs, residency programs or academic partnerships.
• Experience leading educational programs or complex projects.
• Experience with ANCC PTAP accreditation standards and residency program accreditation processes preferred.

Responsibilities

• Provides strategic leadership, operational oversight, and continuous evaluation of the ANCC PTAP-accredited Cottage Health RN Residency Program, ensuring consistent implementation across practice settings and alignment with organizational workforce goals.
• Leads ANCC PTAP accreditation and re-accreditation activities, including self-study preparation and submission, annual reporting, quality assurance monitoring, regulatory compliance, stakeholder engagement, and continuous quality improvement initiatives.
• Oversees curriculum design, program structure, organizational enculturation, goal development, and outcome evaluation to support successful transition to independent nursing practice.
• Directs practice-based learning experiences, including competency validation, preceptor and mentor programs, simulation activities, residency seminars, and awareness of specialty training scope and standards of practice.
• Collaborates with nursing leaders, practice setting coordinators, and NPD practitioners to ensure program alignment with clinical practice standards, organizational priorities, and workforce needs.
• Designs, implements, and evaluates comprehensive preceptor and mentorship programs that support clinical excellence, professional development, engagement, and retention.
• Establishes standards and processes for preceptor selection, preparation, competency validation, evaluation, recognition, and ongoing development.
• Provides consultation, coaching, and guidance to preceptors, residency facilitators, and NPD practitioners regarding learner assessment, feedback, and development strategies.
• Partners with nursing leadership to ensure adequate preceptor and mentor capacity, succession planning, program sustainability, and incorporation of evidence-based educational practices.
• Establishes and maintains strategic partnerships with academic institutions and workforce development stakeholders to strengthen healthcare workforce pipelines and recruitment efforts.
• Collaborates with Academic Clinical Coordination to support clinical placements, affiliation agreements, onboarding processes, and compliance with organizational, contractual, and regulatory requirements.
• Serves as a liaison among Cottage Health workforce development teams, nursing leaders, faculty and students to align educational experiences with workforce priorities and employment pathways.
• Evaluates partnership effectiveness and identifies opportunities to expand student engagement, academic collaborations, and workforce development initiatives.
• Contributes to budget oversight and designated resources supporting transition-to-practice, preceptor and mentorship programs.
• Evaluates and projects full time equivalent (FTE) expenses related to residency, preceptorship and mentorship programs.
• Utilizes data analytics, outcome measures, and strategic planning processes to assess program effectiveness, support workforce planning, and drive continuous improvement.
• Develops reports, recommendations, and presentations for executive leadership and key stakeholders while ensuring compliance with organizational, accreditation, and regulatory requirements.
• Contributes to policy development and represents Cottage Health through professional organizations, academic partnerships, advisory councils, and workforce development initiatives at local, regional, and national levels.
• Participates in centralized education initiatives including central nursing orientation, simulation offerings, and life support training.
• Contributes to dissemination of information regarding new products and policies.
• Maintains internal websites for RN Residency, Preceptor and Mentor Programs.
• Assumes lead role in review and revision of initial competency documentation.

Benefits

• Eligible employees may also receive additional forms of compensation, including shift differentials, on-call pay, incentive pay, and bonus opportunities, where applicable.
• Manager and above positions may participate in Cottage Health’s annual management incentive program.
• For more information on our comprehensive Total Rewards offerings, please visit https://cottagehealth.org/careers/total-rewards

What This Job Offers

• Job Type: Full-time
• Career Level: Senior