Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency
Our post-graduate Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency (PC-NPR) prepares candidates to become passionate, highly competent and autonomous primary care providers through an interprofessional clinical experience to increase access to quality primary care for Veterans.
The PC-NPR at Minneapolis VA is designed to provide a wide variety of clinical experiences focused on evidence based and whole person, Veteran-centric health care.
About the program
Dates
- Application deadline: April 5, 2024
- Application review: April 10-19, 2024
- Interviews: April 24-May 3, 2024
- Offers for placement: May 15-17, 2024
- Candidate acceptance by: May 23, 2024
- Residency fall cohort start date: September 9, 2024
Stipend
- Competitive stipend
- Optional enrollment in federal health and dental insurance
- Paid leave for 13 vacation days, 13 sick days and 11 federal holidays
- Free parking
Benefits
- Elective rotations
- Assigned mentor
- Opportunities for conference attendance
- Opportunity for professional presentations, research/QI project leadership
- Access to our digital library with subscriptions to UpToDate, AAFP and more
- Access to a nurse scientist for support with research, publishing and professional presentations
- No weekend, holiday or on-call hours
- Medical center is a stop on the Minneapolis light rail system
- Hiring preference for open positions at any VA nationally
How to apply
Eligibility
Candidates for the Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency must be a graduate of a masters or doctoral level nurse practitioner program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) within the past 12 months.
Additionally, they must meet the following criteria:
- Serving in their first nurse practitioner role
- Minimum 3.0 GPA
- U.S. citizen
- Proficient in written and spoken English
- Hold current board certification in the same specialty area as the program’s focus:
- The primary care NP residents must hold either an Adult-Gerontological Nurse Practitioner or Family Nurse Practitioner board certification
- Current, full, active and unrestricted registration as a nurse practitioner in a state, commonwealth or territory of the United States, or the District of Columbia, prior to the start of the PC-NPR program
- Active BLS certification
Candidates must pass:
- A background security investigation (required by the Minneapolis VA Health Care System)
- A pre-trainee physical examination
- Any randomly assigned drug testing
Application process
Please submit all application materials in one email by April 5, 2024:
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Curriculum vitae
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Unofficial graduate school transcripts
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Personal statement (1-2 pages) including:
- Describe what interests you about being a primary care NP and how have your personal/occupational/educational experiences prepared you to work in the primary care setting. Describe specifically why you would like to work in primary care.
- What are your short and long-term goals for this residency program and how do they fit with your early-late career goals?
- Discuss your interest in working with Veterans at the Minneapolis VA Medical Center. What challenges do you anticipate? What do you hope to gain from experience in a Veteran focused primary care clinic?
- Describe how your career and/or educational journey has been enhanced by exposure to diverse people, places, or experiences. Please provide a specific example(s).
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Letters of recommendation:
- 1 from faculty or program director
- 1 from employment supervisor within 5 years of graduation
- 1 from a source that you choose
Note: Three letters of recommendation are required.
Submit application materials to: vhamin.PC.NPR@va.gov
For more information about the Minneapolis VA Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency, email:
Kim Heckmann, MSN, CNP, SCRN, PHN
Nurse Practitioner Residency Director
Kimberly.Heckmann@va.gov