OGH celebrates 21 nurse residency graduates in third cohort

OGH celebrates 21 nurse residency graduates in third cohort

OLEAN, NY - Olean General Hospital (OGH), a Kaleida Health facility, celebrated the completion of the third cohort of the OGH nurse residency program. The year-long program celebrated the graduation of 21 nurses at a pinning ceremony held at the end of April.

The nurses that graduated from the residency program included Larissa Bailey, RN, Cailey Barnett, RN, Nicole Bennett, RN, Samantha Clarke, RN, Grace Derr, RN, Moriah Dick, RN, Nathan Douglas, RN, Brianna Fields, RN, Julia Grandinetti, RN, Abigail Hill, RN, Derek Hittle, RN, Sydney Kellogg, RN, Mindy Music, RN, Terra Nolan, RN, Morgan Putt, RN, Marcy Pomeyie, RN, Samantha Proctor, RN, Karsen Rees, RN, Rosemary Rodgers, RN, Nathaniel Vos, RN and Tonie Westlake, RN.

OGH launched the first nurse residency program 2023. This third cohort of 21 nurses started the residency program after being onboarded as a graduate nurse in 2025. The one-year program was created in effort to improve retention of nurses, create a sense of community through mentorship and develop a connection to resources throughout the organization, as well as support the new nurses to continue to be life-long learners as they prepare to earn their bachelor's degree. The program provides the graduate nurses with monthly hands-on training in addition to each participant having to develop an evidence-based research project specific to a unit, department or hospital wide at OGH.

Prior to the pinning ceremony each group were able to present their evidence-based projects. There were ten evidence-based projects that was presented on various subjects relevant to OGH procedures and patient experiences.

"We are incredibly proud of our nurse residency graduates for their dedication and growth over the past year. Their hard work and resilience have been inspiring, and we're confident they will continue to make a lasting impact in patient care," said Jennifer Ruggles, MSN, RN, chief nursing officer, OGH. "We are also proud to provide ongoing educational and clinical advancement opportunities that help our team members feel confident and supported in their roles. The future is bright, and we're excited to see all they will accomplish."

In 2025, OGH hired a record-number of 28 graduate nurses who started the program last summer. Nurse retention also saw a record high in 2025 with 85.8%. OGH continues to recruit nurses and graduate nurses to meet the goal of displacing high-cost agency staff throughout the organization and keep the heart of healthcare local.

"We're committed to recruiting talented nurses who want to live, work and make a real difference in our community. By nurturing a supportive environment, we empower our nurses to thrive while delivering exceptional care to our patients."