Experience You Can Trust
“I am now in my seventh year of practice, and I still draw daily on the knowledge and experience that I gained during my residency year.”
As a new graduate family nurse practitioner, the residency program at PCHC provided me with invaluable experience in clinical practice and further prepared me to be an effective and competent medical provider. Working with a variety of different preceptors was so crucial in helping me improve my diagnostic skills and helped shape the way that I communicate with patients and families. After completion of the residency program I stayed in primary care at PCHC for an additional two years and now work in specialty practice managing adults with chronic disease. I am now in my seventh year of practice, and I still draw daily on the knowledge and experience that I gained during my residency year. I highly recommend this program to any new graduate interested in primary care.
Emily Snow, FNP – Maine Nephrology Associates
“I was prepared to hit the ground running when I began my career in primary care after the residency…”
I do not recall what motivated me to consider an NP residency, but I am glad that I did. The camaraderie among my fellow NP residents was a treasured rarity, as I learned from classmates who chose a different way to begin their career. The feedback I received from the diverse group of preceptors was more in-depth than what I had received in graduate school. I continue to praise the dedication and passion that I observed from the multitude of preceptors I worked with, whether in dermatology, behavioral health, or home health. There was a rare opportunity to participate in a monthly Balint group that helped develop a greater understanding of how the patient perceives the health care experience. This fostered a truly patient-centered approach. More than anything, I was prepared to hit the ground running when I began my career in primary care after the residency and I continue to practice in primary care 7 years later. I encourage other NP graduate students to consider a residency program, particularly if their intention is to pursue a career in primary care.
Jordan Albair, Cohort 2012–2013
“…Gaining more knowledge and experience than I was able to get from the limited clinical hours we receive in graduate school training.”
My residency at Penobscot Community Health Center was invaluable to me as a new nurse practitioner. Having my own panel of patients to manage, while also having the support and mentorship of George and Meghan, and the other preceptors, was incredibly helpful in the development of my clinical competence and confidence. I was dedicated to the idea of serving in community and public health, but knew the complexity of the job would be best served by gaining more knowledge and experience than I was able to get from the limited clinical hours we receive in graduate school training. To that end, I am forever grateful for the opportunity that the PCHC team provided for me, with their generosity of time, thoughtful development of a program to give us a well-rounded experience, and again, their unfailing support. That year of residency was also directly responsible for helping me to land my next job with a community health clinic that was otherwise wary of hiring new nurse practitioners, and was key to my success there. I cannot think of a better way to have started my community health career!
Laura Rishel, Cohort 2012–2013
“…the skills I gained at PCHC allowed me to provide safe and quality care to the patients from day one.”
I had a great nurse practitioner education with rotations in a variety of community health centers and emergency rooms. I learned best practices to treat common acute and chronic conditions in Connecticut, a state with an at-most thirty-minute drive to a major medical center. I knew I needed mentored exposure to rural patients and rural situations before returning to Alaska. Weather, geographics, lack of reliable internet/phone connections, supply issues, prolonged time for diagnostics to result and understanding how to be a patient-centered provider with the often unusual treatment choices made by people who elect to live very self-reliant, remote lifestyles requires a very different way of thinking and medical decision-making. I left my PCHC residency with a framework on how to do just that. The rotation to rural Jackman, Maine, time spent doing rural hospice and all the extra exposure to medical specialties translated well. Incredibly I was able to go directly into practice in small-town Alaska in a tribal operated community health center where I covered three clinics. One of which is only accessible by boat/plane and one of which had been closed due to lack of a provider until I arrived. I worked most of the time by myself except for one medical assistant. While it was a huge challenge and terrifying at times, the skills I gained at PCHC allowed me to provide safe and quality care to the patients from day one. The greatest compliment to PCHC residency came one month into practice when a locum nurse practitioner from the rural Carolinas arrived to help. She stated that in her over 30 years of practice and teaching I was the most prepared and capable new grad she had ever seen. Thank you PCHC and all the preceptors that gave of their time and wisdom. It resulted in rural people getting regular access, many for the first time in their lives, to healthcare.
Christine Brubaker, Cohort 2013–2014
Accreditation
This health center is a Health Center Program grantee under 42 U.S.C. 254b, and a deemed Public Health Service employer under 42 U.S.C. 233(g)-(n). PCHC is a FTCA Deemed Facility.