Bridging the Gap: Primary Care and Specialty Care Courses for Nurse Practitioners - Need Your Input!

clinical topics on the job learning Jul 11, 2024

Even though we learn so much in school, our learning in medicine never stops. Resources like Up-to-Date and Dynamed can be helpful, but sometimes we need specific courses for nurse practitioners in primary care. I don’t know about you, but often continuing education programs that are made for “everyone” (physicians, PAs, NPs practicing in the clinic, hospital, etc) can feel like we’re wading through lots of irrelevant fluff or topics that aren’t pertinent to our clinical practice.

Supporting the Transition to Practice

Becoming a new NP is a steep learning curve. Even though we pass our boards and get our licenses, the transition to practice usually takes about three years for most NPs to feel fully competent and confident our their roles. It’s hard enough to navigate, so having the right kind of support means everything. Team Real World NP and I want to help bridge the gap between graduation and feeling competent as a clinician.

Expanding the Course Catalog: A Collaborative Approach

Part of bridging that gap is expanding the course catalog at Real World NP! We started with the first courses— the Lab Interpretation Crash Course and Diabetes, Hypertension & CKD Management Course— based on the needs and requests of the new NPs in our community and across the internet. Over the last 5 years we’ve supported around 10,000+ students!

The vision for our next phase, is to develop a more comprehensive course catalog by collaborating with specialists from various fields. By working with specialists in areas like cardiology, pulmonology, infectious disease (we want them all, of course!), we’re going to develop courses that are built on their clinical expertise, but tailored to what nurse practitioners in primary care need— comprehensive, concise, practical, without the fluff (as always).

Why This Matters

As primary care providers, we often act as the first point of contact for patients— as a Jack, Jill, Jae of all trades, but masters of none. We need a broad knowledge base, the ability to triage and manage a wide range of conditions. I know I’ve felt frustrated and overwhelmed by the pressure, especially when it comes to knowing when and how to refer patients to specialists — and most other clinicians I know feel the same. Hearing directly from them and translated into what’s relevant to primary care providers will help us take the best care of our patients and work together better!

We Need Your Input!

We absolutely value the input of the Real World NP community NPs, PAs and students. As the course catalog expands, I want you to share what you’d like to see most first. Whether you’re struggling with cardiology, dermatology, or another specialty, your feedback will help prioritize which new courses matter to you most.