Chronicles of a VA APRN Resident

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.

[Freckledkorican, MSN, APRN]

2 hours ago, Gulfberg said:

Congrats on your success! May I ask what your background consisted of?

I desperately want to do a residency before practice. My only concern is my mediocre resume; limited RN experience, "diploma mill" grad school, no publications or direct experience in leadership... feeling discouraged and unsure of where to look. I can't seem to find much on the discussion of NP residency, either. 

Thank you! My RN experience consisted of being an American Red Cross RN volunteer at a military hospital, volunteering at a free clinic, and working at an urgent care. I attended a hybrid NP Program at a private university in Washington, D.C. Don’t worry about not having any publications or direct experience in leadership.

As far as the rest of my cohort, they all went to state universities. One just finished her DNP, one just started it, and one has a year left. Another resident and I are the only ones who do not have or are not in a DNP program. In a few years, I plan on starting one at a state university.

Do not despair! If I were you, I’d actually include my “diploma mill” grad school experience in the personal statement. Lay it all out. Explain why you want to attend the residency. How the program did not adequately prepare you for practice and so forth.

Unless you live close to where the residency will be, be prepared to relocate. Thankfully, I only had to move three hours away from my family, so I can visit them once a month. Also, if you are selected for an interview, make sure you are comfortable and confident. There were supposed to be six of us, but one dropped out the night before the start of the program, so they had to pick an alternate on the first day of orientation. I happen to overhear a conversation about which one to pick. One mentioned one of the alternates and the other said the interview was terrible with that one. Interviews do carry quite a bit of weight.

If you have any other questions or just need someone to talk to, reach out at any time. Check out the NP residencies below.

https://www.VA.gov/oaa/nursingprograms/nursing-programs.asp

https://atriumhealth.org/education/center-for-advanced-practice/fellowships

https://www.carilionclinic.org/fellowships/np_pa#programs

[MentalKlarity, BSN, NP]

Is there a way we could possibly get a “NP Residency & Fellowship” - they are becoming more popular and I feel a dedicated sub forum on here could be useful. 

[Jazzy MSN APRN NP]

Have you tried reaching out to the HR rep that has been involved in your onboarding process or the director of your residency? The director of my residency was in close contact with us prior to us starting. Maybe try there.

[Hotlando, MSN, APRN]

I have done both. The director states HR will be in contact and HR person's mailbox is full, I have emailed her with no result. I had spoke to her prior and she started crying because another candidate had yelled at her about not starting on 9/12. I just feel like it is a circle and wondering if it will ever start.

[prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP]

Hey yall! Its been 2 weeks and we are basically going by the seat of her pants. We don't have a schedule, she told us we might get one on  this Tuesday. But the geriatric program is brand new so its just her to handled everything for us. We have badges finally and will start training for CPRS this coming week. We have met NP residents in the primary care(6) and they lost 2 and fostering programs(5) and lost one. The primary care NPs said they must dress casual at all times. 

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

11 minutes ago, prettymica said:

Hey yall! Its been 2 weeks and we are basically going by the seat of her pants. We don't have a schedule, she told us we might get one on  this Tuesday. But the geriatric program is brand new so its just her to handled everything for us. We have badges finally and will start training for CPRS this coming week. We have met NP residents in the primary care(6) and they lost 2 and fostering programs(5) and lost one. The primary care NPs said they must dress casual at all times. 

I don't know if you'll know the answer to my question, but is this pretty common to lose 2 NP residents so quickly?  It seems that at two weeks, there really is no way to judge whether it's going to work out or not. Or maybe I'm wrong?

Any idea why these two NPs left?  Do you think it might be due to the disorganization?  Or maybe they found jobs outside of the VA?

[prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP]

I think one left during orientation and the other just never showed up, and im sure found jobs outside of the VA. They started months before we did like July and August. There program has more structure, and they have schedule. During orientation, a nurse was saying how it took her a year to get in the VA system due to the previous HR person she worked was disgruntled and didn't forward her information and allegedly threw it in the trash. Since my program is a pilot program, it will be disorganized but I have worked at other established places with the same thing. I have met several of the NPs and MDs that will be training us and they are happy to have us on board and ready to get us up to par.

[Hotlando, MSN, APRN]

OK I guess the only thing I have left is a background check. How long did it take you guys to get it? HR stated it can take from a day to 6 months.

[Mergirlc, MSN, APRN, NP]

This might be too early to ask, but I'll ask anyway.  ?

Does this residency count as "service, " in the sense that if you choose to apply to the VA after residency for a NP position, you will start at a higher pay grade level?  I think the entry grade is a V00, so do you qualify for the next step?

[prettymica, ASN, BSN, MSN, LPN, RN, APRN, NP]

Yes. Also, If you leave and come back; you can buy back your time, not quite sure how that works. I don't know about what step on the pay scale, but they did get a new payscale for NPs.

[Jazzy MSN APRN NP]

I was told nurse level III step I, just from completing the residency program, that doesn't factor in years experience etc...

[Hotlando, MSN, APRN]

That is awesome! Still nothing from Orlando. Finally got a hold of someone in HR. They now claim all I have is to finish my background check. I got an offer from another company and will probably take it. I cant keep waiting on the VA and I have not been working.