Nurse practitioner resident training

At the New Mexico VA Healthcare System, nurse practitioner (NP) residents are receiving training for skills that will not only help them in their future profession but will provide Veterans improved access to quality care at VA.

One of those training programs is called "Scrub 101," and it teaches NP residents how to assist providers in a sterile environment, such as in an operating room.

The program started after leaders came up with a plan to teach nurses how to scrub into operating room cases, and it expanded to NP residents.

"The goal of education for these residents and having them rotate to these surgical specialties is to get them interested and excited about working in VA and working in surgical services," said Dr. Lorene Valdez-Boyle, chief of surgical services. "It increases the knowledge base and the skill sets, and then they become a really valuable tool to our team."

"So much more helpful to have the in-person face-to-face training."

For Operating Room Nurse Educator Susan Wisdom, the training will give these residents the skills needed to be successful in their future as nurses.

"At some point in their career they may be asked to help a provider in a sterile environment, and we wanted to give them an introduction to that so they wouldn't be at such risk for sharps injuries. Also, if the nurse practitioner comes into the operating room without the training, they have an increased chance of contaminating the surgical environment," Wisdom shared.

The trainees enjoy the hands-on training and seeing an environment they typically do not get to see. For former resident and plastic surgery nurse practitioner Hae-Na Chung, the training was beneficial and gave her assurance in her skills.

"I thought the training was helpful for someone like me who didn't come from a surgical background. I had watched videos to try and familiarize myself with surgical instruments, but it was so much more helpful to have the in-person face-to-face training. It helped my confidence for sure," Chung said.

Chung also believed the training was unique and would not be offered in training programs outside VA. "I don't think I would have been able to have this experience anywhere else. There are not a whole lot of places I could have gone where all these specialties were available to us. I really feel like I hit the jackpot with this residency for my career."

"We want to make sure our Veterans are getting seen in a timely manner."

Program Director for Primary Care NP Residency Erin Baragiola believes the training program benefits everyone, including Veterans.

"This program improves access. We always want to make sure our Veterans are getting appointments and getting seen in a timely manner. And I don't think we could do what we do without residents because it offers more appointments, more opportunities, more training and more expertise in all areas. It greatly affects Veterans because they get improved access to quality care at VA," Baragiola said.

Residents in training programs like these are among the 120,000 health professions trainees in 60 disciplines training in VA health care training programs across the country. The Office of Academic Affiliations oversees partnerships with over 1,500 academic institutions throughout the nation, making VA's health professions education program the largest in the United States.

For more information on VA's education mission, visit OAA.

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