A couple of months ago, I shared my experience training one of the new nurse practitioners in the Chicago Market. We’ve kept in touch since then. She reaches out to me when she has a clinical question or just to say hi. Reminder: we do not work in the same clinic.
She voiced her frustration with the Assistant Medical Director (AMD) at her clinic, who is supposed to be her mentor. Instead, the new nurse practitioner feels bullied by the AMD. Apparently, the AMD told her she should consider quitting and working at CVS minute clinic instead because it would be much easier.
Fortunately, the Chief Medical Officer (in charge of all physicians and nurse practitioners, including the AMD) said he didn’t agree with this statement and the AMD had no right to say that. He met with the AMD and told her that it is her responsibility to make sure the new nurse practitioner is successful.
I was recently able to spend a day shadowing the new nurse practitioner and have noticed she has improved a lot. She has become more familiar with the electronic medical record system and is quite thorough with her patients. She has also gained more confidence in her medical knowledge, which is a result from her studying for hours each day after work.
We discussed ways she could improve such as trying alternative treatments prior to referring to a specialist for any little thing. She also needs to work on multitasking, such as typing and placing orders while patients are talking.
The most important thing I noticed was that her patients love her. Her patient panel is mostly Polish speaking patients since she is the only Polish speaking provider in the clinic. I think that’s enough reason in itself for the company to continue investing in molding her into a better provider.
I just wanted to give an update and let you know that the new nurse practitioner is doing just fine. A little reminder for you new providers out there – don’t give up and be sure to find a mentor!
