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Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency

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Our post-graduate Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency prepares candidates to become passionate, highly competent and autonomous primary care providers.
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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.
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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 16, 2023

  • Application review: April 17-21, 2023

  • Interviews: April 27-May 12, 2023

  • Offers for placement: Week of May 15, 2023

  • Confirmed acceptance by candidate due by: May 30, 2023

  • Residency fall cohort start date: September 11, 2023
     

Stipend
  • Competitive stipend
  • Optional enrollment in federal health insurance
  • Paid leave for 13 vacation days, 13 sick days and 11 federal holidays
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 master's 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
    • The mental health NP residents must hold a Psychiatric Mental Health 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 the following materials by April 16, 2023:

Steps

  1. Curriculum vitae

  2. Official graduate school transcripts

  3. Personal statement (1-2 pages) including:

    • What experiences (professional, personal, educational and clinical) led to your choice of nursing as a career within the primary care specialty?
    • 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?

  4. Letters of recommendation:

    • 1 from faculty or program director
    • 1 from employment supervisor within 5 years of graduation
    • Optional source

Submit application materials to: Kimberly.Heckmann@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

Related Links
Additional resources
Internships and fellowships
Minneapolis VA health care provides training programs for students at the college, university, and postgraduate levels.
Registration and application materials
Registration instructions and forms for residents, students and trainees.
Education program coordinators
Minneapolis VA education program coordinators will help you navigate the VA internship and fellowship application process.
Jobs and careers
Visit our jobs and careers page to learn more about the application process.