Hear from our Residents...

Monica O'Reilly, BA, MSN, FNP-BC, (2007-2008)
"When I stumbled upon the residency on Google, it seemed like a miracle with impeccable timing. It promised to provide me with additional clinical support IN a clinical setting. It wasn't more theory, or research, or more case studies... it was real patients, in a real community.

With only one year of extra support and mentorship, we can prepare nurse practitioners to thrive in community health centers. As we all know, there is a shortage of primary care providers in this country. Nurse practitioners bring a unique philosophy and tradition to the frontlines of community health. We excel in disease prevention and health promotion, empowering our patients to make lifestyle changes before the development of chronic diseases that expend an enormous amount of health care dollars. Founded in holism and compassion, we approach our patients with a special kind of care... a nurse's care... one that addresses the human experience of illness... one that understands the profound impact of poverty on wellness. People like and trust nurses... we are an invaluable and complementary asset to the world of primary care.

We need to provide the tools and skills to new nurse practitioners who desire to serve in community health, but are thwarted by fear of patient complexity and inadequacy. A year of extra training to these committed NPs may yield decades of high-quality care in an underserved area. It was an honor to be part of the first residency class... through the program I established a solid foundation of skills that remain the backbone of my clinical practice. My continued commitment to community health and my sense of professional confidence and fulfillment speak to the value of this program... and the role it could serve in nurse practitioner education and improved access to health care. I am a primary care provider and I love it."

Laura Schwartz, BSN, MSN, FNP-BC, (2008-2009)
"The Nurse Practitioner Residency has been an incredible opportunity. I feel very fortunate to have aligned myself with such an extraordinarily innovative and forward thinking organization and group of individuals. I would like to thank the entire staff for their time and patience but especially our preceptors; Nwando, Dan, Veena, and Ivelisse "We've come a long way baby" thanks to you! I have come away with the confidence to know that there is no perfect answer in primary care but rather a preferred approach. I have really enjoyed being a primary care provider, taking care of people across the lifespan in the entirety of their complexities. Hearing from the other residents as they made their job searches across the U.S, I realized nurse practitioners are not always utilized in this role and that in many clinics they are seeing only acute visits or serving a more supportive role. This deepened my appreciation for the opportunity I have been given at CHC and has informed my definition of the NP role. It is this definition of the nurse practitioner role as a PCP that I will take forward with me in my career and onto new frontiers."

Sarah Faith, BSN, MSN, FNP-BC, (2009-2010)
"Let me describe my day: Throughout the day, I could see a 78-year-old with DM, HTN, COPD, back pain and hyperlipidemia. However, the next patient is a newborn follow-up visit from the hospital who appears jaundice. Then a 60-year-old follow-up visit with osteoarthritis in her left knee who needs a knee injection, followed by a well woman pap; follow by a 12-year-old with a rash; followed by a 62-year-old female with abnormal liver labs. HOW is ONE ever prepared for this challenge? The Nurse Practitioner Residency Training Program is preparing me. I can't believe there is a waiting list of providers wanting to precept me!