Ideal first NP position?

[tejon, DNP, NP]

I'm graduating as a DNP-FNP this May and am starting to look at potential jobs. I don't feel especially drawn to any specialty but keep hearing from many NPs and MDs that family practice can be difficult and draining. I'm currently working with a preceptor in Urgent Care, which has been pretty interesting so far, and there might be a kind of residency position available here in the near future. I'm wondering if urgent care experience would narrow my choices in the future. Is family practice somewhat like doing Med-Surg as a new grad? Not that it's necessary, but a lot of people are telling me it's an important starting point to gain experience as a new grad.

Thoughts?

[FullGlass, BSN, MSN, NP]

You don't have to take a general primary care position as your first job. Take the job you are most interested in. If you like Urgent Care and can get a residency in it, then by all means go for it. Urgent Care will be very useful should you decide to take a general primary care role later on. Just about any specialty experience will be useful in general primary care.

For first role, here is what is most important IMHO:

1. You are truly interested in the work

2. A good training/ramping up program with realistic expectations of a new grad

I work in general primary care and about 50% of my patients would be typical Urgent Care patients. The other 50% are chronic conditions like diabetes, HTN, heart disease, pulmonary conditions, pain, mental health, etc.

Good luck.