How do I find an acute care nurse practitioner to shadow?

July 19, 2014 6:31 PM

I'm applying to a graduate entry nurse practitioner program this summer (application due Oct 12). I know that this is what I want to do. I know the program I want, but I'd really like to see an ACNP in action. The trouble: I just moved to Columbus, OH and I don't really know anyone.
posted by shesdeadimalive to Education (2 answers total)

Go to one of the provider rating sites, like Healthgrades, and do a search for acute care nurse practitioner. When I just did this using Columbus as the location it pulled up 595 results.
posted by lharmon at 7:31 PM on July 19, 2014

Best answer: IDK if you have done other shadowing or if this is your first time, so apologies if this is too basic advice for your situation, but it's perfectly fine to call health care offices and say you are a pre-health student interested in shadowing and ask if they have a particular application process or person to email to ask. Some places you can just arrange over the phone, some places want you to send a letter or email explaining who you are, etc. There are lots and lots of pre-health students who do shadowing, so most places are used to it and some will have a procedure in place. You don't need to know anyone in the practice or hospital, you just need to ask politely and professionally.

If you need a script when you call, I usually say something like, "Hi, my name is Snarl Furillo and I am a pre-health sciences student interested in shadowing a [role] in a [setting]. Is that something I might be able to arrange at your office, and is there a particular procedure I should follow to get everything in motion?"

If you get an office that acts snippy, just move on to the next one. No big deal as long as you are polite and follow their procedures.
posted by Snarl Furillo at 6:53 PM on July 20, 2014 [1 favorite]