Introduction

Open Door’s 13-month Advanced Practice Clinician (APC) Residency program was established in 2016. The program provides intensive training in the clinical complexity of family practice both in the safety-net setting and in a high-performance, patient-centered medical home (PCMH) model of primary care.

The program is specifically intended for new family nurse practitioners (FNP) and physician assistants (PA) who are committed to practicing as primary care providers (PCP) in the challenging setting of community health centers and other safety-net settings.

Statement of purpose:

We aim to create a unique and comprehensive primary care postgraduate training year for Advanced Practice Clinicians interested in working in rural, low resource areas, and equip them with the necessary skills to provide compassionate, evidence-based care to an underserved, medically complex patient population such as that of Humboldt County.

Commitment to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion:

We are dedicated to recruiting and retaining a diverse group of faculty and residents committed to maintaining a high standard of excellence and cultivating an environment of ongoing learning and growth; building a workforce that is inclusive and representative of the wonderful communities we serve.

Qualifications

Applicants must be recent graduates (less than 18 months) from an accredited master’s or DNP program, licensed (CA APRN) and credentialed (FNP-C) or license/credential-eligible as an FNP with a stated commitment to practice as a primary care provider in Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) or other safety-net settings upon completion of the residency.

The residency is a full-time, 13-month salaried position with benefits. The program structure includes precepted primary care sessions, speciality rotations, mentored independent clinics, and didactic sessions.

The APC Residency Program has the following goals:

• Increase access to quality primary care for underserved and special populations by training family practice nurse practitioners in a FQHC
• Prepare residents for full and autonomous expert care of complex underserved populations across all life cycles and in multiple settings
• Provide new nurse practitioners (FNPs) and Physician Assistants (PAs) with a depth, breadth, volume, and intensity of clinical training necessary to serve as primary care providers in the complex setting of the country’s FQHCs
• Train new FNPs and PAs in a model of primary care consistent with the Institute of Medicine (IOM) principles of health care and the needs of vulnerable populations
• Improve the clinical skills, confidence, productivity, and job satisfaction of new FNPs and PAs who choose to work in underserved community settings, as well as contribute to their employer satisfaction and workforce retention
• Increase the number of FNPs and PAS ready to serve in leadership roles within community health settings

About the Program

We’re training the residents in Open Door’s model of high-performance health care: advanced access scheduling, planned care, the chronic care model, integrated behavioral health and primary care, team-based, with expert use of health information technology and the electronic health record (EPIC).

The residency year begins with intensive orientation to Open Door Community Health Centers, the neighborhoods in which the training sites are located, and the health problems of the target population, and includes walking tours of neighborhoods, tours of Open Door sites statewide, meetings with community leaders, technical training on the electronic health record, and orientation by our chief medical officer to the responsibilities and privileges of medical staff participation at Open Door.

Evaluations:

The Open Door APC Residency program includes an ongoing, multi-input evaluation component, using qualitative and quantitative measures.