A Bridge to Practice
As the country prepares for big changes in healthcare reform nurse practitioners (NPs) have entered uncharted territory for their field. Upon review standard residency programs are established for dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and nursing (Sargent & Olemdo, 2013). Yet, no standard residency program for nurse practitioners has been reported. As NPs begin to take on their new roles within healthcare organizations many admit to being poorly equipped to care for the complex populations they serve (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). As patient care demands increase, NPs and their employers must acknowledge that the future holds significant challenges both in practice and in access to care. Implementing a residency program that best serves …show more content…
Mock codes and other high intensity situations that provoke stressful responses in order to develop functional clinical proficiency are also positive features of a residency program (Yeager, 2010). These charged situations endorse continuity of care by the hospital as a whole as all new staff must participate.
Exposing NPs to evidence-based practice, simulation experience, support, and congruent orientation are all factors that positively promote the use of a NP residency program (Yeager, 2010). In this supportive environment NPs are encouraged to build their skills systematically and by repetition (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). This allows them to increase patient volumes naturally, building self-confidence and cost effective care which are two features that help define an excellent NP (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013).
Problems with a Residency …show more content…
However, even in densely populated areas physicians have reported the lack of proper time to support and mentor NPs (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). Either way when limited support is available NPs describe feelings of being ill prepared for the expectations of their new role, inadequacy, and role isolation (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). This can lead to intense scrutiny both externally and internally for the NP. These feelings result in a phenomenon described as the imposter syndrome (Yeager, 2010). It is used to describe feelings of self-doubt, intellectual dishonesty, anxiety, depression, and the failure to meet standards set for oneself (Yeager, 2010). Some physicians and medical directors also feel that there isn’t a need for NP residency programs. Many physicians and medical directors do not feel that NPs require such support, and believe that they should be able to provide autonomous patient care at the time of hire (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). Part of this opinion stems from the idea that NPs take their board certification exam prior to being hired, while physicians take their board certification exam post residency. The thought here is that NPs are prepared for autonomous patient care during their academic years, and have learned enough to pass certification thus should be able to provide care. This mismatch of expectations and assumptions can be a source of aggravation
As the country prepares for big changes in healthcare reform nurse practitioners (NPs) have entered uncharted territory for their field. Upon review standard residency programs are established for dentistry, medicine, pharmacy, and nursing (Sargent & Olemdo, 2013). Yet, no standard residency program for nurse practitioners has been reported. As NPs begin to take on their new roles within healthcare organizations many admit to being poorly equipped to care for the complex populations they serve (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). As patient care demands increase, NPs and their employers must acknowledge that the future holds significant challenges both in practice and in access to care. Implementing a residency program that best serves …show more content…
Mock codes and other high intensity situations that provoke stressful responses in order to develop functional clinical proficiency are also positive features of a residency program (Yeager, 2010). These charged situations endorse continuity of care by the hospital as a whole as all new staff must participate.
Exposing NPs to evidence-based practice, simulation experience, support, and congruent orientation are all factors that positively promote the use of a NP residency program (Yeager, 2010). In this supportive environment NPs are encouraged to build their skills systematically and by repetition (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). This allows them to increase patient volumes naturally, building self-confidence and cost effective care which are two features that help define an excellent NP (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013).
Problems with a Residency …show more content…
However, even in densely populated areas physicians have reported the lack of proper time to support and mentor NPs (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). Either way when limited support is available NPs describe feelings of being ill prepared for the expectations of their new role, inadequacy, and role isolation (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). This can lead to intense scrutiny both externally and internally for the NP. These feelings result in a phenomenon described as the imposter syndrome (Yeager, 2010). It is used to describe feelings of self-doubt, intellectual dishonesty, anxiety, depression, and the failure to meet standards set for oneself (Yeager, 2010). Some physicians and medical directors also feel that there isn’t a need for NP residency programs. Many physicians and medical directors do not feel that NPs require such support, and believe that they should be able to provide autonomous patient care at the time of hire (Sargent & Olmedo, 2013). Part of this opinion stems from the idea that NPs take their board certification exam prior to being hired, while physicians take their board certification exam post residency. The thought here is that NPs are prepared for autonomous patient care during their academic years, and have learned enough to pass certification thus should be able to provide care. This mismatch of expectations and assumptions can be a source of aggravation