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Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency Training

VA Salt Lake City Healthcare System offers an innovative 12-month Post-Graduate Primary Care Nurse Practitioner (PC NP) Residency training.

This one-year post-graduate NP residency is designed for new nurse practitioners with a commitment to serve the Veteran population. The program supports and nurtures the transition to practice for newly graduated NPs to help them become confident and competent primary care providers.  Residency training includes didactic seminars, grand rounds, supervised primary care clinical and specialty care clinical rotations with growing levels of autonomy as the year progresses, leadership training and projects, and inter-professional experiences during the 12 months of the residency.  Residents will also attend didactic seminars. Topics will be primary care focused including HTN, Diabetes, COPD, CKD, thyroid disease, dementia, depression, among others and including perspectives and interdisciplinary experiences.

Competency-based curriculum

The VA OAA NP competency-based curriculum is based on an 80/20 model with 80 percent of the training time focused on the advancement of clinical skills and 20 percent on the enhancement of clinical knowledge, focusing on Veteran-centric topics and principles of assessment, diagnostics, and treatment of complex clinical cases that incorporate the bio-psycho-social aspects of the whole person and evidence-based practice. The unique VA OAA NPR training is delivered in the interprofessional learning environment in which NP residents work collaboratively with the physician, psychology, pharmacy, social work, and other health professions resident trainees. Evidence-based practice is a central tenet of the program and residents are deeply engaged in quality enhancement and system redesign projects during their training at the VA medical centers, leading to improved patient and organizational outcomes as well as providing opportunities for scholarly presentations and publications.

PC NP Residency salary and benefits

Residents in our program are considered federal trainees with a competitive salary and benefit package. Salary is based on the current year’s allocation rate. In addition, residents accrue annual/sick leave and other benefits listed below: 

  • Salary (Stipend +FICA): Competitive
  • Health benefits: Information about Federal Employment Benefits can be accessed from the following link: https://www.opm.gov/healthcare-insurance/Guide-Me/New-Prospective-Employees/
  • These benefits include:
  • Government Health Care Medical Plan
  • Option for dental and life insurance
  • Residents are not vested and do not have a 401K or matching fund benefit during the residency year
  • 10 paid holidays
  • Annual/Sick Leave

Apply Now

Current VA Employees

Please note, if you are currently a VA employee, please contact Stacey Shaffer, PC NP Residency Program Director prior to completing your application. A status change from employee to trainee, including changes in benefits, will be required for participation in this residency program.

For additional information contact Stacey Shaffer, MSN, APRN, AGPCNP-BC.  Stacey.shaffer2@va.gov 

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