CVS Minute Clinic

I would not recommend this for a brand new FNP. You will be working alone as the solo provider? Urgent care/walk in can be fast paced. And it is not all sore throats & UTIs. People come in to urgent care with all types of problems. Since you want to get supplemental job, try getting one in urgent care where there are other providers to guide you. Usually there is a 2 year learning curve for new NPs/RNs.

Agree completely with Sailornurse. You will have limited opportunities to learn at CVS. It is a great job for an experienced NP who does not want a lot of challenge and wants regular hours. It is not a good job for a new FNP at all.

Are you comfortable seeing infants & toddlers all by yourself? I remember when I started writing pediatric antibiotics, I would calculated 3 times I was so scared of overdosing a kiddo.

And yes you will be limiting yourself to opportunities to fine tune everything you just learned. After a couple years in primary care, then the minute clinic/urgent care jobs are fine.

I will disagree with the others, my good friend has been at a minute clinic for a few years now and started as a new grad. They can see patients 24 months + so no infants as PP mentioned.

She's been happy, well-paid and has grown to become confident in treating these types of patients.

I would definitely keep it to just the MC job at least for the first year though.

CSWGIRL what is the virtual tryout?

I am a clinical instructor on the side....

I agree- completely. thank u

I am going to be starting my ARNP program this fall and had goals to work in the minute clinic as well. Ive been an ER nurse for 8 years. I have not entered the role of mid level yet but I think I CVS would be a good place to start if you had previous experience with a myriad of ailments and age groups.

If not, I could see where it would be daunting as a first job. Urgent care might be a better place for a new grad who had very little multigenerational care prior.

I'm a former ER nurse and it's quite different being the only provider in urgent care/minute clinic type settings. Completely different ballgame being an ER RN vs FNP. One urgent care we do everything from X-rays/casting/ sutures etcetc just me and a MA. It's not as simple as it sounds. Almost anything walks in from kids with rashes, abd pain, mva, etcetc, but well I've only been a nurse for almost 40 years& only an NP for 15 so what do I know. Lanscottrn you say you've been Er nurse for 8 years and just starting your NP studies so have not yet started clinicals? Curious what you are basing your opinions on.

I think you should re-read my post. I said, "I think" it might be a good place or it could be "daunting." I based my opinion on what the FNPs I work with have told me, if that differs from your experience, that is totally fine. There was no need to get snippy.

You said you work in Urgent Care. That's infinitely busier with sicker people than a CVS minute clinic. I imagine the learning curve would be a lot easier in a minute clinic setting.

You being a nurse for 39 years means you have a lot more experience than myself. That being said, eight years in a very busy ER in a city isn't anything to write off as easily as you did. I respect your experience and definitely your opinion so thank you.

I agree with a previous poster that you should wait until you are comfortable with your new job before looking for supplemental income. I started at CVS Minute Clinic as a new grad and have found it to be a great starting place. Yes, there are clinical guidelines that we have in place to guide our care, but these guidelines that "guide" us are just that. We are expected to treat within them as they are made from evidence based practice, but we still have autonomy and can treat outside the guideline too as long as we are appropriately documenting and including rationale.

I have seen a lot of providers comes and go (experienced and new grads). Just like any job, not everyone is cut out for this type of job. People sink or swim. I know some providers who have left MC only to try out a different job, and then return. I have also had many coworkers who start here as a new grad and then after getting experience, have found other great jobs (hospital, private practice, etc) and have been very successful.

While we do not treat everything an urgent care setting can, we do see more critical conditions. The provider works alone so must know when a more appropriate referral is needed. Sometimes patients come here because they simply don't know where to go.

Good luck with your new job! If you have any questions about MC feel free to message me. There is also a 'Nurse Practitioners in retail health" that you can join to connect with your peers.

I have coworkers that get supplemental income by picking up extra shifts with different MC locations. I also have some that work PT for other companies/practices. If you are worried about losing skills, then I think picking up extra hours somewhere once comfortable with your FT work as a new grad would be a good idea.