Kaleida Health nurses graduate from residency program

Updated: Thursday, October 1, 2026 2:43 PM

Kaleida Health nurses graduate from residency program

Earlier this month, Kaleida Health proudly celebrated the graduation of 53 nurses from the Vizient/AACN Nurse Residency Program TM (NRP). This one-year program for new graduate nurses supports grads with knowledge and psychological support throughout their first year, helping them transition into an independent, confident RN.

"I believe this [program] provides the nurse the opportunity to recognize their ability to lead from the bedside, to be empowered, to know how important evidence-based practice is and to know how much their voice matters," says Michele Natwora, MS, BSN, RN, NPD-BC, nurse residency program coordinator. "It also opens them up and introduces them to many opportunities within the career of nursing, particularly here at Kaleida Health."

New nurses at Kaleida Health with minimal experience in a non-acute healthcare setting and newly licensed nurses are automatically enrolled in NRP, providing them with extra support in their first year.

Throughout the year, nurse graduates work together and with experienced nurse preceptors, easing them into the workforce and establishing relationships with their peers. These educators also provide tools and resources to help the new grads build resiliency, manage stress and prevent burnout. For this year's grads, the benefits were evident.

"Having this program gives you the tools, the support and the confidence to recognize that we can be successful and that what we've learned in school can be applied into the job," says Holly Petritz, RN, Millard Fillmore Suburban Hospital (MFSH) Intensive Care Unit nurse and graduate from the program. "I think the constant education we're getting here helps us with critical thinking and becoming more well-rounded, well-versed nurses."

"This program really helped solidify what it means to be a new grad nurse," says Erik Miller, RN, MFSH. "We come into it blind and this helps us all come together and kind of go over the good and the bad that happens. It really helped me enjoy my job more and it gets you to reflect on everything that's going on since you've started."

For many graduates, the program helps them find passion right where they're training. Katie Krawczyk, RN, Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo, knows exactly what her future looks like, thanks to the past year. "I am going to stay on my floor," says Krawcyzk. "I'm on the pediatric medical surgical floor at Golisano Children's Hospital of Buffalo. I got a day shift position so I am just going to continue to grow and grow my experience."

Congratulations to this graduating class on a phenomenal first year!

Interested in beginning your career at Kaleida Health as a graduate nurse? Visit our page for more information and registration.