The VA Nurse Practitioner "Residency"

A nurse practitioner "residency"? Sponsored by a federal organization, no less? What a fucking joke. This is just wrong, on so many levels. For starters, is nothing sacred anymore? The term "resident" has always a meant a physician who is still in training. Not a midlevel. Not a nurse practitioner. Not a physician assistant. If you thought the midlevel scourge and the corresponding push to blur the lines between physicians and non-physicians was limited to the private sector, I'm sorry to inform you that you are sorely mistaken.

Why does a program like this exist, anyway? Aren't nurse practitioners supposed to be ready to practice independently by the time they graduate, as so many people (especially in states that have full practice authority or are actively pushing for it) seem to claim? The presence of this NP "residency" would suggest otherwise. In any case, I don't see how this one-year program adds any value, especially when compared to the gold standard of physician residency (god, I hate that I even have to specify that now). After the standard four years of medical school, newly graduated physicians need to complete at least three years (or more, depending on specialty) training in an ACGME-accredited categorical residency program in order to become board-eligible/board-certified in their chosen specialty.

Graduate medical education for physicians is not only much longer, but substantially more rigorous. It's not even in the same galaxy. I mean, just look at some of the requirements for this VA program. A 3.0 GPA? Jesus fucking christ, I needed that just to have a shot at interviewing for medical school. (Cue all the midlevels coming out of the woodwork claiming how hard is it to get a 3.0 GPA from community college.) And just look at some of these "benefits". Primarily day shifts, with mostly no weekends or holidays? Hahaha, 80+ hour resident work week goes brrrr. And 10 paid holidays? LMFAO, I think most residents would be lucky to get that many during their entire residency. And of course these NP "residents" get to enjoy the perks and benefits of a government job while not working anywhere as hard as an actual resident.

At least we physicians can take some comfort in the fact that these NP "residents" will be paid less than their full-fledged NP counterparts, right? And definitely less than physicians in training? Haha, you wish! At least some of these programs are paying their NP "residents" $75,000 a year!

No wonder the US healthcare system is going to shit. And unfortunately, it looks like our veterans are going to be the first to suffer the consequences. How long will it be before these types of midlevel pseudo-residencies start becoming commonplace in the private sector too?