Nurse practitioner program begins in Othello

OTHELLO - The Columbia Basin Health Association will start a training program for nurse practitioners, beginning in September. The program's application deadline is May 15.

The Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is one year, according to a press release from CBHA. Nurse practitioner programs are open only to registered nurses, according to the Washington Department of Health website.

Graduates aren't required to commit to working for CBHA, Director Greg Brandenburg said. "We look at this as a 12-month interview process. Our goal will be to attract the best and the brightest to work for us," he said.

The students work in all three of CBHA clinics, in Othello, Connell and Mattawa, the press release said. The idea behind the program is to increase the number of nurse practitioners available to work in community health clinics, he said.

"The residency program is specifically intended for family nurse practitioners who are committed to developing careers as primary care providers in community health centers and other safety net settings," the press release said.

Brandenburg said the program is a response to an anticipated shortage of primary care doctors. The clinic leadership "shares a common belief that the near and long term shortage of primary care providers, coupled with the predicted aging of the current physician workforce and the increasing demands for primary care by newly insured patients under the Affordable Care Act, calls for new and innovative approaches to filling this shortage," he wrote.

"We recognize that primary care nurse practitioners are ideal candidates to serve as primary care providers in the complex setting of a community health center," he said.

Unlike a physician's assistant, a nurse practitioner doesn't need to work under the supervision of a physician, he said. During training the students will work with the clinic's doctors and other providers, as well as consulting with patients in supervised settings, according to the press release.

People who want more information can find it at the CBHA website, www.cbha.org.