Registered Nurse (RN) Residency Program - (Inpatient Behavioral Health - Psych)

Overview

REGISTERED NURSE RESIDENCY PROGRAM

August 2026

Behavioral Health - Inpatient Psych

 

 

The RN Residency Program is designed for the soon-to-be or newly licensed or an RN with less than one year of experience.

 

Our  mission is to prepare RNs to successfully transition to practice by strengthening clinical skills and establishing a shared knowledge base that bridges the classroom academic experience with the hands-on clinical hospital experience.  

 

The Behavioral Health Unit at CentraState Medical Center offers a deeply rewarding opportunity for those looking to begin, transition, or advance a career in behavioral health nursing. This acute general unit features nineteen blended beds—twelve for voluntary patients and seven for involuntary patients—and serves adults aged 18 and older experiencing acute psychiatric conditions. These include schizophrenia and psychotic spectrum disorders, depressive and obsessive-compulsive disorders, trauma-related illnesses, and co-occurring substance use disorders. 

CentraState Medical Center currently has an employment opportunity available for an RN Resident in the Behavioral Health Unit. The RN Residency Program at CentraState is designed to provide a structured transition into practice for newly licensed Registered Nurses at CentraState Healthcare System. The program includes preceptorship, progressive clinical experience, didactic, and simulation experience. This twelve-month orientation offers great flexibility in meeting your individual needs.  It is a time for continued learning, as well as an opportunity to develop the confidence and comfort to work independently in the hospital setting.

Responsibilities

As a Resident, you will:

• Completed over the course of 12 months, our program is focused on giving the newly licensed RN a strong foundation of key elements in the nursing profession such as:
  • Leadership
  • Critical Thinking
  • Professional Development
• Our goal is to provide a supportive environment that builds confidence and competence through:
  • Structured didactic content and curriculum
  • Simulated lab experiences led by committed staff
  • Informal mentoring and coaching
  • Dedicated clinical preceptors who guide learning to ensure you progress at your own pace and acquire skills necessary to establish clinical competency and independent practice
• Be hired as a full-time, benefit eligible employee
• Competitive starting pay and total rewards package
• Balance between classroom learning and on-the-floor exposure
• Be paired with a trained and experienced preceptor on your unit
• Given a gradual increase in responsibility over time
• Will receive off-unit experience with the Wound Care Team and Respiratory Therapy Department.
• Build on your clinical, technical, and critical thinking skills
• Learn effective delegation and organizational skills
• Constant engagement with assigned nurse educator, nurse manager  and preceptor to ensure clinical skill & critical thinking development 
• Supports operations by demonstrating ability and willingness to float between units as an RN and provides 1:1 patient observation when deemed necessary

Qualifications

• Must be a soon-to-be or newly licensed RN or have less than one year of working RN experience.
• Must have a BSN or ASN degree, passed the NCLEX and have a NJ RN license before the employment start date.
• Must have BLS certification.
• Starting salary $44.00 hr.
• All offers will be for Full Time only.   No guarantee of shift (may be selected to work day or night shift upon completion of orientation)
• Start date will be August 24th (must be licensed by the start date).

About Us

CentraState Healthcare System, in partnership with Atlantic Health System, is a fully accredited, not-for-profit, community-based health system dedicated to providing comprehensive health services in central New Jersey. Beyond offering a wide range of advanced diagnostic and treatment options, CentraState is committed to being a valuable health partner, focusing on disease prevention, promoting healthy behaviors, and helping individuals of all ages live well.

 

Located in Freehold, CentraState includes a 284-bed acute-care hospital, a dynamic health and wellness campus, two award-winning senior living communities, a charitable foundation, and convenient satellite health pavilions. These pavilions offer primary care, specialty physician practices, and access to outpatient services such as lab work and physical therapy.

 

CentraSta