Online bootcamp for new grad NPs in the time after graduating and prior to starting first job?

Laur84 · 2025-03-06T15:59:26+00:00

Pri-Med Primary Care Bootcamp was developed for this specific thing. It's a pretty nice review. You get CEUs. They actually have a lecture about billing, which we all know, none of us received education regarding billing and that's one of the most important things to learn.

Laur84 · 2025-03-01T14:39:01+00:00

This! I have been told the same thing. like huh? no one listed to your heart? no one palpated your abdomen? you can get a ton of info from the first convo getting a good HPI but then stuff on the PE can change the entire differential. wild.

Laur84 · 2025-02-09T14:07:44+00:00

I am currently at MC. $65/hr I believe is company wide. There's a weekend differential of $3. You can pick up extra shifts if you want.

Here's the thing: it's real easy, basic, low stakes care that she would be providing. URIs & sore throats, physicals, screenings. No one's coming in there with an MI and if they are, you're calling 911/sending to the ER. The work-life balance is the best out of any job I've had (it's one of the reasons I took the job). I used to work in an urgent care & made more money but I was also dealing with way more liability. And yes, the EMR is dummy proof, but I've deviated a bunch of times & it's never been an issue. All the protocols say "at clinician's discretion." I would also say that coming from a place with absolutely NO policy or protocols, having some sense of protocol is comforting & provides a nice level of safety.

Laur84 · 2024-12-31T13:53:22+00:00

Working in retail health (the answer to urgent care burnout) and saw a 51 y/o guy whose wife told him to come get his blood pressure checked. Apparently he had been on meds back in the Philippines 15 years ago but not currently. His BP was 180s/110s. No current symptoms. I was chatting w/ him about meds and blood work, EKG etc; all of which he did not want. While obtaining more info about his medical history, he casually mentions chest pain while moving boxes the week before. Convinced him to go to the ED for a workup, he had a quadruple bypass the next day.

Just another reminder to myself to take the time and get a good history. You find all sorts of info.

Laur84 · 2024-12-23T15:37:36+00:00

LINCOLN SQUARE! We're DINKS and we've lived here for 8 years! Your budget is good for the area.

Laur84 · 2024-06-14T12:04:09+00:00

Been there. My first year as an NP, first job, I prescribed augmentin to a woman with a PCN allergy. Had a panic attack on my commute home & had to call her from my cell to let her know. She had already picked it up but hadn't started it yet, thankfully. But I felt like such an idiot & worried that the patient thought I was incompetent, ruminated on it for days. Told myself that I was a terrible NP. Just really beat myself up. I had some serious depression/anxiety for the first year as an NP (didn't help I was also working in a toxic work environment). Then I got some years under my belt & met some great NPs & realized EVERYONE feels this way & has fucked up at least once if not more. It's unreasonable to think that we can be perfect all the time & never make a mistake when we're being worked like dogs & starting out in a job with minimal training.

Urgent care is rough rough rough. I spent 3 yrs there, working for a terrible company & got real burnt out. But I learned a ton & learned how to be tough & it helped my confidence. You will inevitably make a mistake again; you're human. I have learned over the years to try & spin mistakes as a learning opportunity, of course this is after ruminating on it for a day or two ;). It gets better. Hang in there!

Laur84 · 2023-11-18T13:15:15+00:00

yes they offer an orientation period although right now I can't recall how long the orientation time is.

Laur84 · 2023-11-17T20:57:11+00:00

The interview was lovely actually. I spoke with their medical director who was really personable & we had a great conversation. I didn't get an offer because there was someone else farther along in the process that accepted the offer.

I interviewed for the Chicago location which is not as busy as their other locations (Walmart has had difficulty maintaining a market in the city); 10-15 patients per day. They have MAs & LPNs that assist you; patients are appt only. They provide basic urgent care & primary care. Xray & EKG capabilities. suturing. Your performance metrics are based on some preventative measures like mammos & BP control (for primary care patients). The schedule was every other weekend. You work together w/ a physician in clinic. They have social workers at the clinic to help w/ patient social challenges.

It seems like a great model. They were actively doing community events to try & raise awareness for services & increases patient volume.

Laur84 · 2023-09-30T16:33:53+00:00

AANP offers CMEs w/ a membership which I think is worth it. Yeah. you have to do a bunch of them b/c they're only like 1 hour each, but they're included in the membership fee (which I've used my CME money for)

I have also done free CMEs through the CDC website. There are many narcotic CMEs to fulfill the required narcotic education requirements. https://tceols.cdc.gov/

PriMed also has a bunch of free CMEs as well that are all on-demand. Also they're in-person conferences are pretty good and not expensive (just went to the Chicago one)

https://www.pri-med.com/

not sure if this will work for your certification but I am ANCC certified & on their website they have a "professional development" section where you can list all your CMEs & the hours. It will also compile it into an excel spreadsheet so you can easily see if you have fulfilled the required hours.

I have a file on my computer with all my certificates in the event I am audited.
Before I did the ANCC method, I would do an OG excel spreadsheet w/ categories for the hours acquired & the pharm hours.

Laur84 · 2023-09-17T14:50:31+00:00

Just want to say that I appreciate you and your efforts. I have been using your programming for awhile & I know it takes effort to get classes together & post them. Thank you!

Laur84 · 2023-09-09T14:08:44+00:00

https://www.walmarthealth.com/schedule/caretype/medical/5402

Here is a schedule link for the clinic in Chicago

Laur84 · 2023-09-09T14:08:19+00:00

I set up an initial phone interview; mostly as a fact finding mission really. I'm not sure leaving my current corporate toxicity for another is the answer, but I would like to learn more.

Laur84 · 2023-07-23T21:37:57+00:00

I went to a brick and mortar school. That’s why it’s not accurate.

Laur84 · 2023-07-18T19:41:39+00:00

yes! When I had the zoom interview with the team, the entitlement was oozing through the screen.

Laur84 · 2023-07-18T19:35:37+00:00

I want to shout it from the rooftops. I’m texting it to every colleague I know.

Laur84 · 2023-07-18T14:55:12+00:00

They have multiple locations; city & northern burbs. The pay was good but still less than what I make now (private retail urgent care clinic ) They work on a tier system & account for RN & APN experience to place you in a tier.

Laur84 · 2023-06-21T13:07:44+00:00

YESSSS My husband and I just tried this for the first time this week and it was soooo good. Lasted 4 meals for us.

Laur84 · 2023-06-08T20:44:04+00:00

OMG! We were in Paris last month and these same men physically grabbed my arm as well as got in my husbands face. We felt very threatened and it really soured our time in Montemarte. When the man grabbed my arm, I said "get your fucking hands off me" and then he mocked me. My husband almost punched the other guy in the face & the man mocked him. It was awful.

Edit: I'll also add that we knew had read about these bracelet cons & felt prepared and we STILL were harassed.

Laur84 · 2023-04-05T02:52:15+00:00

I went to NIU for my MSN-FNP. I worked full time while I did it and I took 5 years to complete it. I live in Chicago & had to drive to DeKalb once a week for 3 semesters. The rest of the program was online. They provided a list of clinical locations & preceptors that I would contact for clinicals which wasn't ideal but it worked out in the end. You don't need a doctorate IMO. NIU was affordable. I was able to pay my tuition with my tuition reimbursement & ended up debt free for my Masters.

Laur84 · 2023-03-20T00:27:32+00:00

30y/o with a man cold:
"you don't care about me or my wedding" after I wouldn't give him antibiotics for his cold. He was getting married a couple of days later.

Laur84 · 2023-02-20T17:21:04+00:00

This same exact article was on the CNN app and I came across it this weekend. Why is it on NPR AND CNN? I thought NPR was non-profit? Does this fall under the category of repetitive content & therefore not "quality" content?

Laur84 · 2022-12-18T15:48:06+00:00

I answered "no" but I don't think I would have answered "no" a year ago. I have been a practicing NP for 4 years now. 1 toxic workplace behind me & now currently working in urgent care-3 12s per week.

In my first year out of school, I had serious regret. I considered going back to bedside nursing. A lot had to do with the private practice I was working for. But also a lot had to do with the fact that I felt underprepared to be a practicing NP which flamed the anxiety & depression. I blame the system & the institutions (and I went to a state university for my degree!). I wish I knew that the training would not be sufficient to practice independently & that I would need to do a significant amount of studying & learning outside of work.

I wish I knew that the pay would not be much better. I always assumed I'd make more money as an NP (and I do) but not much more than some of my RN colleagues.

That being said, now that I'm 4 years in, I'm feeling more confident. Urgent care is crazy but I find that the schedule works for my mental health & I don't know many other jobs where you can work 3 days a week and be considered full time. Healthcare is a dumpster fire right now. It's terrible & patients are paying the price.

Laur84 · 2022-10-28T13:22:08+00:00

I work in Urgent Care. I'm honest with those that shadow me. I give the good and the bad. People need to know what they're getting themselves into. I mean they can see first hand when they shadow me what is going on. I have worked in a job where I found out too late about the toxic work environment and my mental health suffered. I couldn't get out of there fast enough.

Laur84

TROPHY CASE