New NP job

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I was wanting any advice from NP's out there regarding a new job. I am newly graduated and haven't taken my boards yet. In my small town a pharmacist and three doctors are opening up an urgent care and called me wanting me to work for them. I went in and talked and basically was offered the job up front. I haven't even researched anything regarding jobs because I was waiting until I passed my boards.

It is for an urgent care. They are willing to help me train with the stuff that I don't 100% know or feel confident such as reading x-rays, dealing with broken bones and suturing. I am an FNP and didn't have any experience with this in any of the family practice offices I did clinicals with. I am confident in my ability and know all the doctors involved and know they would be very willing to help with anything and everything. The catcher is that I have no ER/urgent care experience at all. After I get certified I will be the only provider in there unless it gets busy enough to need more than one at a time. I didn't know if anyone had any experience like this and any recommendations anyone has regarding this.

He offered 50$ hour which seems really good for new grad in Oklahoma. They will pay for health insurance for myself which its only me. Malpractice and CEU's will be paid as well. No retirement benefits though. It seems like a great job but I am just worried about my lack of experience in this setting.

Thanks for any input.

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Specializes in Critical Care, Orthopedics, Hospitalists.

I wouldn't worry about that - you'll do a lot of primary care, which you are familiar with, along with the suturing and the occasional fracture. Those are more likely to be the exception rather than the rule. You really can't beat starting off with a supportive team that you like!

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Specializes in Critical Care, Orthopedics, Hospitalists.

Make sure you read your state laws regarding protocols and interpreting radiological studies to make sure you are practicing within your scope when you read cxr's and the like. My state requires special paperwork and training for that.

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Thank you so much. I know I can't always rely on the support that I would love to have and need to learn sometime. I know mistakes will be made but hopefully I will learn from them with no consequences. Thanks for the input on the laws regarding xrays I haven't looked into this and I know the doctors overseeing the urgent care have had experience with PA's only so I definitely need to look into my scope with these particular skills they will want me to see. I do think most of the cases will be primary care cases but do know that exception is out there. I am hoping since the town still has an ER people will be smart enough to know when to go there (even though I know its impossible) it will still be nice knowing that its not too small of a town that we won't be getting all the urgent care needs since there is still the ER.

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Specializes in private practice, corporate.

I think it sounds promising. You know the docs, which is always an advantage. They called YOU, so this is an advantage.

Make sure you know how to contact them at any time you are at work. Set aside some of the $ for your IRA religiously.

I have heard that the urgent cares can be pretty routine cough/colds type stuff, but in a small town, it could become more. I assume you would refer any chronic care patients with new onset problems to your collaborating physicians, and those with chronic conditions who want to see someone outside of office hours could be referred to your care. Since it is not associated with a set company like Take Care (no negatives meant here) you can parlay this into whatever you like.

Do not count on patients knowing whether to go ER or see you- that will probably be for you to decide, and that is a good thing, because you know your own limitations (I hope) and can direct them according to your resources, knowledge base and the intensity of the problem. And it's good that you have that resource readily available. This is a tough time to find a job, and this job sounds pretty good, go get your written contract set and have fun. Good luck.

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I work in an urgent care PT and love it, your offer sounds like an ideal setting to me. Where I work, the occasional person who is beyond my care gets sent to the er. The Dr who owns the clinic and I difer as to who this is, but it has not become an issue yet.

I would make sure there is a radiologist who overreads all xrays, this is the biggest liability issue in this type of practice.

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wow that sounds like an amazing offer. it's great training for a new grad NP. you have the MDs all at your disposal. take the job!

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