This quantitative non-experimental descriptive correlational design sought to answer the question if there was a difference in newly licensed RN (NLRN) performance at one-year post hire after participation in a nurse residency program that offers a formalized curriculum that extends throughout the entire year, one that offers a formalized curriculum that does not extend throughout the entire year, or one that does not provide a formalized curriculum. The study utilized the Six Dimension Scale of Nursing Performance (SDNP) and evaluated NLRN performance on six subscales: leadership, critical care, teaching/collaboration, planning/evaluation, interpersonal relations/communication, and professional development at one-year post hire. Benner’s novice-to-expert model served as the theoretical framework for this study. The results of the Mann-Whitney U test revealed there was not a statistically significant difference between the type of nurse residency the NLRN participated in and his or her self-reported performance on the individual subscale scores of the SDNP. The results of the point-biserial correlation based on how well the NLRN performed the task did not reveal any significant correlations between the nurse residency and performance. However, a negative correlation was noted within the critical care (r = -.052) and the planning/evaluation (r = -.050) subscale scores. Results from this study corroborate what the literature has previously noted. NLRNs need an experiential opportunity to transition into the practice environment and progress on the novice-to-expert continuum.