We are gonna kick-off our career insights series on this blog with an interview with Zach Meyer, CNP – who just started working as a nurse practitioner at a specialized cardiology hospital in the South Dakotan midwest.
So Zach, tell us about your journey from RN to NP !
I started my career as a bedside RN in a large hospital system around 8 years ago on a cardiopulmonary floor unit with ICU step-down beds. After 6.5 years I worked my way up to a resource nurse. Eventually, I took a part-time triage nurse position with our Hospitalist group, which gave me good insight into the clinical management side of things which I really enjoyed. Nurse Practitioner seemed like a natural next step for me – so after encouragement from my lovely wife & family, friends, co-workers, and providers who knew me, I applied to a FNP Master’s degree. I completed the Clarkson College FNP program over 2.5 years while staying full-time as RN. I adjusted my RN shifts to do straight nights on weekends so I could do NP clinicals during the week. I made it a point to make time for my wife and little kids – we also built a new house through all of this. Needless to say, my plate was quite full but a very strong goal-oriented commitment and family support helped me power through it and do very well at school and work.
What do you think helped land you your first NP job?
The experience and knowledge I gained from my Hospitalist Triage nurse role gave me a distinct advantage. It gave me insights into how a healthcare provider thinks. In that role, I helped our physicians with cross-covers for bedside issues which was very educational. The hospitalist service typically had 180-200 patients on their service and it was my responsibility to ask the right questions to determine the exact clinical problem, do a chart review, relay digested information to our hospitalist doc, and then assist in placing orders at the attending provider’s request and follow-up on labs and imaging results. You can see why this role helped me build critical thinking skills as a provider long before I became an NP.
What does your typical workday as NP look like?
It varies on the role I am assigned that day. I either work with the general cardiology or surgical/vascular providers on rounding shifts, or I am on admissions. During rounds, I get to visit with each patient, develop the plan for the day and stay, out in progress notes after discussions with the cardiologist. On the admissions role, I take phone calls from outlying facilities to consult on their potential transfers, make recommendations, and then decide to accept after discussions with our on-call cardiologist. I complete the admission orders and clinical documentation after they arrive. On night shifts, I am also responsible for addressing bedside nurse concerns and any emergencies that might arise.
Was day one a nervous day?
I had slight nerves being on my own for my first day but since it was day-shift I knew that I had a lot of support from my veteran NP co-workers who were always ready to help. Also the orientation process before I started was extensive and helped me feel prepared.
What do you value most in this job?
I value the challenge each day brings intellectually and the chance to learn so much even if it sometimes puts me out of my comfort zone. I am enjoying my cardiology life and it is adding new feathers to my cap of experience daily.
Any advice for future NPs?
Gain as much provider-side experience as you can in whatever role you are in. Seek opportunities for new roles that you can for growth and expertise. Network with others within your health care system – be it nurses, techs, providers, managers, ancillary departments, or environmental staff. Network with anyone that you come in contact with because somewhere down the line, you can open the next door to your future.
If you were the president, what is one thing you would change about US healthcare?
Too difficult to answer 😉
If not healthcare, what profession would you be in?
I would most likely be farming or working in construction. I enjoy manual labor from growing
up on the farm and have accumulated many different skills.
Any fun side-gigs or side-hustles?
None at the moment. Life is too busy with kids
Anything you claim bragging rights on?
I have worked with my best friends in making the world’s smoothest ice cream using a patented ice
cream machine that freezes ice cream mix into a solid in under 0.7 milliseconds for the past 16
years. We call it Nitro Ice-Cream – the smoothest and best-tasting ice cream in the world!
Are you a coffee person or a tea person?
Coffee !!!! 100% !!!!
Don’t miss these fun posts! Subscribe via email 📩 | |
