Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Patrice Little.
Hi Dr. Little, so excited to have you on the platform. So, before we get into questions about your work-life, maybe you can bring our readers up to speed on your story and how you got to where you are today?
Do you believe in what frustrates you the most is where you are called to serve? What started off as a platform to give a voice to the most underrepresented group in the nursing discipline blossomed into the nation’s leading lifestyle and educational resource Nurse Practitioner students. In order for you to understand we have to first ask, what are Nurse Practitioners (NPs)? NPs are masters or doctorate prepared Registered Nurses who are trained to diagnose, prescribe, interpret some diagnostic tests and perform some procedures in some states under a physician (medical doctor). Nurse Practitioners have been around since the late 1960s and started off as extenders to a pediatric provide gap shortage in rural communities.
Today, NPs have evolved into the Primary Care Provider of Choice and you may have even been treated by one if you’ve been to a medical doctor’s office or retail clinic such as CVS’ Minute Clinic. When I first became an NP, I was turned away from my first job after the first day because I wasn’t strong enough clinically to work autonomously. This was embarrassing because I performed well in school and passed the national certification on the first try. Fast forward to five years later, I was advocating for NPs in the state of Georgia to be authorized to practice independently without being under a physician. The problem was that not all NP training is created equal, and some NP students would benefit from support as they transition from RN to NP so that no new NP has to be sent home from their first job and are prepared to practice confidently and safely. This is where my company comes in. I stopped getting frustrated of trying to express my concerns to the higher ups and created an opportunity to support folks like me.
Alright, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
It’s never a smooth road when you are creating something without a roadmap. It practically took me two years to build the foundation in the midst of being a mother and a wife while working in practice. The biggest challenge was shifting my mindset from working within a system, healthcare to running a system. When you work for companies they already have their protocols and workflow in place. I had to create these tools for my business so that I could prepare to hire staff. Another common challenge is that people who are watching you may criticize from time to time because things do not take off right away. This is when I had to remind myself that they were not given the vision and remember my “why” understanding that empires are not built overnight. Things got better when I connected with like-minded people and invested in a coach who introduce me to different tools and resources to support me along the way.
Thanks for sharing that. So, maybe next you can tell us a bit more about your work?
NP Student is the premier lifestyle and educational resource that provides services to support NPs throughout their career life-cycle. They start with us from the time they aspire to be an NP to they are ready to transition in the NP workforce or business. We do this by providing a membership (community) via NP Student University, Back to School events through NP Student Magazine, and consulting for NP professionals. We are always seeking contributors for our online magazine and welcome sponsors to support our events.
We are most proud of our graduates. Take Marsha, she is a 2021 graduate of Simmons University in Boston, MA. She participated in one of our quarterly 5-Day Challenges during the pandemic which was a major life shift for everyone. She applied the strategies we recommended after completing her life matrix. This reposition her to complete her program and passed her national exam on the first try. Now for the big bonus, she launched a business a couple of months before graduating, and I am happy to share she is trending in the right direction as a NP professional and business owner. You see, we believe in embracing are tribe holistically. We understand that when one of the seven areas of life is out of sync it impacts the other areas which includes patient care.
Is there any advice you’d like to share with our readers who might just be starting out?
If I only knew then what I know now, I would have invested in a business coach sooner. Specifically, I encourage those who are interested in starting a business to seek out a coach that is a visionary who has a profitable business and has helped more than one business be profitable. I invested in a membership through TSP in 2020. They helped me turn my frustration into a profitable business. These types of coaches have already experience the pain and can better equipped you to minimize the pains that come with entrepreneurship. I also ,would encourage individuals to collaborate wisely. You first have to be clear on what it is you are doing and who you are doing it for so when you collaborate your mission will not be watered down. In the beginning, I was very territorial with my business, I do not regret the offers I have declined because they would have put me out of business if I didn’t follow my intuition.
Pricing:
- $997 per year NP Student University (NPU)
- $497 NP Student Bootcamp
Contact Info:
- Email: hello@npstudentmagazine.com
- Website: npstudentuniversity.com, jumpstartmynpeducation.com
- Instagram: @npstudentmag
- Facebook: @npstudentmg
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCvfyKg6FdbXGS-tKJr0jnMQ/featured
Image Credits
Professional Headshot in White Coat – Jason Grindle Photography
