The July 2025 cohort started on Monday, July 7, 2025.

The Arizona Hospital and Healthcare Association (AzHHA) is proud to announce that the fifth cohort of the Arizona Transition to Practice Program for New Graduate Registered Nurses has commenced.

The program supports and develops new nurses, provides evidence-based professional development, accelerates the novice nurse to a competent nurse more rapidly and addresses resilience and emergency preparedness.

“We’re thrilled to start our fifth cohort as we work to provide new nurses with structure and support beyond their clinical immersion needed to facilitate their transition into the workforce,” shares Karen Ofafa, EdD, MPH, BSN, RN, director, Transition to Practice Program at AzHHA. “One of the goals of the Arizona Transition to Practice Program for New Graduate Registered Nurses is to expand our state’s pool of new graduate nurses with a focus on critical access and rural areas in Arizona where they need this support the most.”

The fifth cohort of the program includes:

• 33 new graduate nurses
• 34 preceptors
• 20 mentors
• 13 participating facilities

The Arizona Transition to Practice Program for New Graduate Registered Nurses is a 12-month program, and it is the first program that promotes the overall retention of registered nurses statewide. AzHHA works with a national curriculum vendor, OpusVi (Latin for workforce), to deliver this program. The Arizona Transition to Practice Program is made possible by funding and support provided by the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System (AHCCCS) and the Governor’s Office.