Staff Impact

Newly Hired Nurses Benefit from Orientation Peer Support Program

Nurses newly hired by Perley Health benefit from an ongoing orientation program that goes beyond the “buddy” or “shadow” shifts commonly used by LTC homes. Under the program, the new hires are paired with more experienced colleagues (orientation partners) for their first six weeks of independent practice.

“The practice of nursing in a long-term care home like the Perley differs in important ways from nursing in hospitals and other environments,” says Rachel de Kemp, Perley Health's Vice-President of Nursing. “The orientation peer support program helps new hires to adapt and thrive.”

Originally launched as a pilot project several years ago, the program has evolved significantly. Its roots lie in Perley Health's role as a Best Practices Spotlight Organization, an initiative of the Registered Nurses Association of Ontario. Today, the peer support program is fully integrated into Perley Health's onboarding process for newly hired nurses. Perley Health developed a four-hour training course for orientation partners—to date, 20 have completed the training.

In 2025, the Centre of Excellence in Frailty-Informed Care™ evaluated the program thanks to a Nurse Innovator Grant from the Registered Nurses Foundation of Ontario, a nurse philanthropy organization focused on innovation. The evaluation determined that that the program inspires greater feelings of confidence, competence and integration among both new hires and orientation partners.

Perley Health shared lessons learned from the program at the April, 2026 conference of AdvantAGE Ontario, the provincial association for non-profit LTC homes. To further support homes interested in adopting the program, the Centre of Excellence plans to create and share practical tools and resources.

“Nurse peer orientation training enables an incoming nurse to quickly learn about the unique characteristics of their new workplace,” says Daniela Acosta, Perley's Manager of Knowledge Translation. “It also develops the leadership skills of orientation partners. Both outcomes contribute to better care for residents.”