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.
I have been working on completing HR paperwork. Also, trainees have to complete an online course to access the VA system.
Nothing exciting, but I am still on cloud 9. My end goal was acceptance into a residency program, specifically VA, before being set loose as an independent NP and I reached it?.
Sending out good vibes to all who have a similar goal. Don't give up!
Today, we had a virtual meet and greet/Q&A with my cohort, some preceptors, director of the program, and current residents. Essentially:
- HR will email us our official employee packet soon (hopefully). I guess they move at glacial speed.
- The first three days of the residency will be orientation at the hospital; learning how to navigate the EMR, etc. After that, we head to our respective home sites.
- Each of us are assigned a home site with a 1:1 dedicated preceptor. We will each travel to different outpatient clinics and the hospital for our specialty rotations throughout the year.
- We will not be thrown into a full patient panel. We will shadow for a long minute and then slowly build our patient load. We will start with one patient per hour and then slowly add more patients (max two per hour) as we build experience and confidence.
- Mondays through Thursdays are clinical days. Fridays are dedicated to didactics.
- We will rotate through specialty clinics, such as cardiology and GI. We will even participate in an ER rotation!
- We are expected to present a QI project at the end of residency.
I still cannot believe my good fortune! Blessed! I told my fellow residents I must’ve been a pity pick. On of them said, “Doubtful, but who cares. Take advantage of it.” I agree.
Does the VA help with relocation? Or are you totally on your own if you decide to apply out of state? Also, you stated you're assigned to a home site and then farmed out to various other clinics or hospitals for your training. How far are these other locations? I guess I'm wondering if you're traveling 100+ miles away or are most of these other locations within 10-15 miles or so.
Unfortunately, you are on your own if you apply from out of state. One of the current residents moved from New Jersey and is moving again to Kentucky next month to work for a VA.
My home site is in a little town. The sticks. The hospital is 45 miles west. The other clinics are about 45 to 50 miles north. Good thing is that I get gas mileage reimbursement.
No matter. I will enjoy and take full advantage of each second. The training will place me head and shoulders above NPs who have no experience when I start job hunting. I will be able to easily step in and work to my fullest ability with minimal hand-holding.
At what point of the process did you know your home site? I'm thinking it would be nice to know, in advance, to find housing either in the middle of the general area of where you are assigned or at least close enough to the home site.
I found out six weeks ahead of time. Good thing I live in the state (approximately 4 hours away), so my family and I made it a mini vacation and spent a few days exploring the area. I found a cheap and safe place for me to rent for the year. Close enough for me to walk to the clinic. Save gas and mileage.
Today, I finally received the tentative job offer, accepted it, and officially started the onboarding process. I imagine it won’t take more than two weeks(?).
No. Gainesville. I interviewed for the Orlando residency as well, but they never did reach out again. I made it clear during the interview that I will not stay in Orlando after residency, which is what they wanted me to do.
I was told during the Q&A that sometimes HR will do everything last minute, literally days before the first day of residency. Hopefully, your HR will get moving soon.
Thank you for starting this post as there isn't much information out there about the VA NP residency experience. I was also selected and started this week. I am just getting through the orientation process so haven't had much information as to how the program is structured. I am so eager to get started. I would love to hear how your experience is. Are your doing the primary care or geriatric extended care residency?
Congratulations! I received the official formal offer today and my orientation starts at the end of September. I am doing the primary care residency.
Please, post your experiences throughout the year. It will help those who are considering applying in the future. Each residency is slightly different and it would be good information to share.
Freckledkorican, MSN, APRN
122 Posts
UPDATE:
I have been working on completing HR paperwork. Also, trainees have to complete an online course to access the VA system.
Nothing exciting, but I am still on cloud 9. My end goal was acceptance into a residency program, specifically VA, before being set loose as an independent NP and I reached it?.
Sending out good vibes to all who have a similar goal. Don't give up!