I interviewed today and was offered one of six resident positions. I lost it. The panel laughed and said my reaction was the best one so far. ?
I was asked nine questions. They were along the lines of "Tell me about yourself; How will you contribute to VA care; Flexibility and describe a time when it was required; Career goals; Rate yourself 0 - 10 in the following aspects, etc.". I was sweating the whole time, but displayed a cool (I think) exterior.
It starts towards the end of September, so plenty of time for me to go over all my material from school and beef up my knowledge so I don't look like a total dunce.
I will periodically update this thread with all my trials and tribulations for those who are interested in applying for a spot in the future and want to know what the year will look like.
You didn't ask me but I think I can answer this. Yes I think if you are willing to relocate you can absolutely find a job. I wanted something very specific and wasn't willing to relocate because we've already moved a million times with the military......
@momathoner09 Just out of curiosity, did you end up, or are still working within the VA? Or did you decide to go to the private sector?
Looking back at where you were after you got out of school and now, do you feel more confident? Has the past 6 months really made a big difference for you?
A night and day difference in my confidence and knowledge. The clinical rotations during grad school do not adequately prepare you for independent practice. Ideally, all new graduate NPs should do at least a year of residency; it's protected time to further learn and grow.
I'd bet that at the end of my one year primary care residency, I will be clinically stronger and much more well-rounded than a primary care NP who went straight into a new job and has been practicing for one year. That NP hasn't had the opportunity to train with pulmonary and sleep fellows like I did. I spent time learning from a neurologist who specializes in ALS. He let me interview and physically assess his patients on my own. I reported to him and then he followed up. Under the supervision of a fellow, I did the same in pulmonary. I was allowed to interview patients on my own in sleep clinic and then report to the attending. I'm sure it'll be the same for the rest of my specialty rotations.
I'll carry all that knowledge with me and that gives me great comfort. I won't feel like an inadequate provider who is unsure of myself or my decisions. I will feel comfortable stepping into a new clinic and acquiring a panel of patients.
A night and day difference in my confidence and knowledge. .....
I'll carry all that knowledge with me and that gives me great comfort. I won't feel like an inadequate provider who is unsure of myself or my decisions. I will feel comfortable stepping into a new clinic and acquiring a panel of patients.......
I'm really happy for you to get this wonderful experience. Who wouldn't want to know more about specialities such as cardiology and pulmonary!! These two areas are probably more than 1/2 of the issues which we deal with on a regular basis in the primary care setting; especially when you have many geriatric patients.
What I really like about this type of residency is the exposure to the different specialities. I can only imagine when you decide to pursue a job after you're done, you'll have knowledge/experience in different fields which will open doors for you as a potential job candidate. Some exposure/experience is better than none.
Specializes in Former NP now Internal medicine PGY-3.
Freckledkorican said:
UPDATE:
Hello all! I just finished my third week in pulmonary. I have learned how to read and interpret PFTs, CT scans, and spent time in the ILD, sleep, and ALS clinics. The fellows love to teach and ask me questions to make sure I understand. At times, it can be terrifying, but that's how they learn, hence how they teach.
Next week will be my last week before I move on to GI for a month. After that, I have month long rotations in the ED, cardiology, geriatrics, dermatology, urology, women's health, and home based primary care. I'll spend one week with heme/onc.
One of the residents has already been offered a VA job in pain management and urology is looking to hire one of us as well. I don't live in this area, otherwise I would definitely end up with a job at the end of the residency. I reached out to the VA back home and if a position opens up sometime this year, I will hopefully be a direct hire. We shall see.
You learned to read CT scans in three weeks? Something that takes radiologists years to do? Sure
You learned to read CT scans in three weeks? Something that takes radiologists years to do? Sure
@Tegridy, appreciate you pointing it out, so I can correctly explain my experience and not mislead people. Gotta keep the expectations real.
Of course, not at the level of the pulmonary fellows or radiologists. It is difficult and I can identify some lung abnormalities better than when I started four weeks ago; that was the attending's expectation and I met it.
The OP has a way of putting down people who feel good about their educational achievements:
You say: "I got water out of the Fawcett!"
Tegridy says: " you didn't combine hydrogen and water?"
I noticed that pattern with their postings. I am unsure of why a former NP now an IM PGY-3 is here so often. Reminds me of a stray who repeatedly returns to sniff around.
So I just spent 2 months with a primary care and functional medicine MD. It was cool to learn from her . Now I am back to primary care with the primary geriatricians. I don't think we are going to get to go to any specialty clinics and that really sucks. I have 6 months left so they want us to focus on geriatrics but most of the vets are geriatric.. and after this 2 months then off to the VA nursing home.
So I just spent 2 months with a primary care and functional medicine MD. It was cool to learn from her . Now I am back to primary care with the primary geriatricians. I don't think we are going to get to go to any specialty clinics and that really sucks. I have 6 months left so they want us to focus on geriatrics but most of the vets are geriatric.. and after this 2 months then off to the VA nursing home.
Thank you for sharing!
It really does go to show each VA Residency can vary in what they offer. It's unfortunate they all do not follow one general plan where you are able to go into a minimum number of specialties regardless of location.
May I please ask, which state (or location, if you feel like disclosing) you are in residency at?
It really does go to show each VA Residency can vary in what they offer. It's unfortunate they all do not follow one general plan where you are able to go into a minimum number of specialties regardless of location.
May I please ask, which state (or location, if you feel like disclosing) you are in residency at?
I am in Georgia and my program is brand new. The VA where I am also has a regular primary care residency and we join them for didactics. They have been to specialty clinics, and have a set rotation.
@momathoner09 Just out of curiosity, did you end up, or are still working within the VA? Or did you decide to go to the private sector?
I just finished the 6 month mark yesterday! So glad to be done with all of the required rotations. I was offered a job within the VA a few months ago. So far only 2 of us out of 9 (PCP, MH, and Geri) have jobs. The other person worked at this VA before as a nurse. This was always what I wanted to do and why I went back to NP school. I did 4 rotations at the VA in school. I have been networking and working towards this goal for some time.
People say there is such a learning curve to working with Veterans and working for the govt. But being married to a Vet for 15 years and life as a military spouse none of this is new to me. It's very familiar and I think that has been to my advantage. I'm used to the hurry up and wait and rules making no sense. Some people have lost their minds over little changes. I'm like chill out it's not that big of a deal. You have to be flexible.
Hoping somebody could answer a quick question. If you work Primary Care at the VA, would you still be seeing women for Ob/Gyn issues or regular exams/PAPs?
I know in the private sector, many offices will still take care of Ob/Gyn issues and if it's something which needs further investigation, they are referred to an Ob/Gyn clinic. Just curious if the VA already has a specialty clinic for that, would females just automatically go there first.
Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP
732 Posts
@momathoner09 Just out of curiosity, did you end up, or are still working within the VA? Or did you decide to go to the private sector?