Doctor Nurse Podcast: The NP Career Resource

When charting, inbox messages, refills, and lab reviews regularly follow you home, is the problem your workflow—or the workload?Dr. Sandra Pagenta welcomes Dr. Candice Elam, DNP, FNP-C, a practicing family nurse practitioner and founder of SignTheChart, for a conversation about the work that happens beyond the patient visit.Candice shares her perspective on how primary care positions can become difficult to sustain, why salary alone doesn’t tell the whole story, and what nurse practitioners should examine before accepting a role or taking on additional responsibilities.In Part 1, we look at the work a patient visit creates, what happens when the schedule leaves no time for it, and how those extra hours affect what your salary pays you.In Part 2, we turn to action: what to look for in a job offer, why protected administrative time matters, and what to ask when new responsibilities land on your plate.Meet CandiceCandice Elam, DNP, FNP-C, practices at a federally qualified health center in New York City and precepts NP residents and students. Through SignTheChart, she helps nurse practitioners examine workload expectations, employment terms, and career sustainability.Connect with Candice​Website: SignTheChart​Free contract guide: Get It In Writing​Free resource: NP Workflow & Survival Guide​Facebook community: Beyond the Chart​Social media: @signthechartYour next stepCalculate your effective hourly rate: divide your weekly gross pay by the hours you actually work—including work completed at home. Use that number to begin evaluating whether your compensation and workload align.Follow the Doctor Nurse Podcast for more conversations that help nurse practitioners build clinical confidence, recognize their value, and take ownership of their careers.Follow Doctor Nurse Sandra on Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doctornursesandra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Go to Doctor Nurse Sandra and support an NP business!

After an unexpected eight-month pause, I’m back behind the microphone—and there couldn’t be a more fitting episode to return with than one about confidence.In Part 2 of How to Build Confidence Without Years of Experience as an NP, we’re talking about what confidence actually looks like when you’re still learning, still questioning yourself, and sometimes getting things wrong.But this conversation goes deeper than clinical confidence.Over the last eight months, my own confidence has been challenged through health struggles, career changes, the closing of a business, and the realization that we have far less control over the journey than we sometimes think.So what happens when things don't go according to plan?You keep learning.In this episode, we talk about:​Why new NPs can strategically borrow confidence while gaining experience​Using mentors, evidence-based resources, checklists, and clinical systems​Why saying “I don’t know—let me look that up” can actually demonstrate confidence​Turning mistakes into data instead of identity​Why confidence comes from action, support, reflection, and repetition—not perfection​Building systems that support you when your confidence feels shaky​Why your NP career is part of your life—but it is not your entire life​Learning to redefine success when life doesn't follow your plan​The difference between controlling the journey and trusting yourself to take the next step​Why sometimes getting back up is successA question for you:What does success look like to you right now?Not what it was supposed to look like.Not what social media says it should look like.Not what someone else chose.What does it look like for you in this season of your life?Because your answer is allowed to change.Mine did.Doctor Nurse Clinical ResourcesLooking for practical support during your NP clinical journey?The Doctor Nurse Clinical Resources were created to help NP students feel more prepared and supported as they move from the classroom into clinical practice.And through our Buy One, Give Back mission, 10% of booklet proceeds are dedicated to NP scholarships and educational opportunities.When you invest in your own learning, you're helping another future NP continue theirs.Stay ConnectedSubscribe to the Doctor Nurse Podcast so you don't miss upcoming conversations about clinical practice, career growth, entrepreneurship, and all the different directions your nursing and NP career can take you.Because you don't need to have the entire journey figured out.You just need to keep taking the next step.Follow Doctor Nurse Sandra on Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doctornursesandra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Keep learning. Keep asking questions. Keep becoming.And, as my kids would say...“Never stop learning, Mom!”

Confidence doesn’t magically appear with time — especially for Nurse Practitioners early in their careers. In this episode, we break down how NPs can build real clinical confidence without years of experience.You’ll learn why confidence isn’t about knowing everything, how to trust your clinical thinking, and practical ways to reduce self-doubt, imposter syndrome, and anxiety in practice.In this episode, we cover:Why experience alone doesn’t create confidenceWhat clinical confidence actually looks likeHow to build confidence without memorizationStay Tuned for next week to hear about: The role of systems in building confidenceHow new and early-career NPs can grow fasterWhether you’re a new grad NP, NP student, or early-career Nurse Practitioner, this episode will help you feel more grounded, capable, and confident in your role.🎧 Share this episode with a fellow NP who needs reassurance today.Sponsors:⁠Goby Meds⁠; SUCCESSNPS to get $50 off.⁠LaSara⁠Follow Doctor Nurse Sandra on Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doctornursesandra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Go to the Doctor Nurse Sandra website:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.doctornursesandra.com⁠⁠⁠

The first year as a Nurse Practitioner can feel overwhelming, isolating, and nothing like what school prepared you for. In this episode, Sandra discusses openly the biggest challenges new NPs face—from confidence and decision-making to documentation, expectations, and burnout—and what actually helps during the transition from NP student to provider. If you’re a new nurse practitioner or preparing to start your first NP job, this episode will give you clarity, reassurance, and a realistic roadmap forward.Absolutely—let’s switch angles so it doesn’t feel repetitive and hits a different emotional + practical nerve. This one leans into career protection, confidence, and long-term success, not just “new NP overwhelm.”Sponsors:⁠⁠Goby Meds⁠⁠; SUCCESSNPS to get $50 off.⁠⁠LaSara⁠⁠Follow Doctor Nurse Sandra on Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doctornursesandra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Go to the Doctor Nurse Sandra website:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.doctornursesandra.com⁠⁠⁠

In today’s episode, we’re breaking down what your first 90 days as a brand-new NP will really look like, even if it means fighting for an office space. From documentation and coding surprises to the emotional shift of becoming a provider, this episode gives you the roadmap you never got in school. If you want to feel confident and prepared before day one, check out my new course designed specifically for new NPs entering the workforce. Sponsors:⁠Goby Meds⁠; SUCCESSNPS to get $50 off.⁠LaSara⁠Follow Doctor Nurse Sandra on Instagram:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠@doctornursesandra⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠Go to the Doctor Nurse Sandra website:⁠ ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠www.doctornursesandra.com⁠⁠⁠