CNO Roundtable 2026
Q5. What skills are hardest to find in nurse applicants? How are you supporting new hires?
CLINICAL PIPELINE
Danielle Gabele • Ventura County Medical Center and Santa Paula Hospital
Critical thinking, innovation, and interpersonal communication are hardest to find. We recently updated our nurse residency content to include more simulation, virtual reality, and experiential learning, to foster these skills in ways that are stimulating for new grads.
Derrek Hidalgo • California Rehabilitation Institute
There’s a real need for transition-to-practice programs that give new graduates thorough guidance, clear direction, and strong supervision. We’ve recently reinstated our new grad program, which has been very successful. We also have a strong preceptor training program.
Katie Hughes • Casa Colina Hospital
We love our new grads — they bring fresh eyes and new skills that help us all grow. Our new grad program bolsters clinical expertise and vital soft skills, including confidence, prioritization, and navigating difficult conversations.
Jaime Reiter • USC Care Medical Group
Many new graduates arrive with limited exposure to ambulatory care workflows like triage, care coordination, and virtual care. We need more infrastructure for outpatient settings, such as ambulatory-specific nurse residency programs, enhanced preceptor training, and mentorship.
Helen Staples-Evans • Loma Linda University Health
Really stellar people are joining us. Our RN residency programs help new grads better understand the clinical environment and the career pathways available. We now offer residencies in various service areas, and successful residents can also explore other areas.
Joyce Volsch • Redlands Community Hospital
The hardest qualities to find are flexibility, reliability, and the ability to engage with patients face-to-face. We’ve made connection and feedback formal parts of the onboarding process, and launched a new grad support group with nurses who’ve recently completed the same journey.
Lesley Wininger • Glendale Memorial Hospital
The qualities that have been hardest to find are proactiveness and problem-solving. We encourage nurses to practice anticipatory thinking and propose solutions to problems. Our leaders have focused on supporting those decisions and providing development opportunities.
Alexis Zamarripa • PIH Health Downey Hospital
Supporting new graduate nurses requires attention to both professional development and mental wellbeing. Our new graduate residency program emphasizes clinical reasoning, critical thinking, sound clinical judgment, and structured mentorship throughout the first year. ■
View this article in the May 2026 Flip Mag.
In this Article: Leadership and Management, New Grads, Nursing Workforce
