A Day in the Life of an NP: Disability Assessments

Have you ever wondered what it’s like to be a nurse practitioner that does disability assessments? Or thought it would be rewarding to work with veterans? Then be sure to check out this video, in which Brittney Olson MSN, APRN, FNP-C describes her role working with veterans who were injured or developed a condition while serving in the armed forces. It’ll give you a great understanding of what she does on a daily basis!

Let’s have a quick look at some of the things Brittney discusses in the video, so you can see if this career path is a good option for you!

A Day in the Life of an NP: Disability Assessments

First, a quick definition:

Veteran disability assessment = “assessing disability claims for an injury or a condition associated with military service.”

When it comes to Brittney’s daily work, many of the claims she sees are musculoskeletal, but she encounters all sorts of injuries and conditions. This has honed her ability to do a wide range of physical assessments.

On a typical day, she sees between one and five patients. While that may not seem like a lot, each appointment may take several hours! This is vastly different from how much time an NP spends with patients in the typical clinical setting.

Each disability assessment appointment may involve:
💡 A review of the patient’s medical history
💡 A head-to-toe assessment
💡 Diagnostic testing/labs

Meet the Medical Team

Brittney says she gets to work with a GREAT medical team, which consists of:
⭐ Three medical assistants
⭐ Office staff
⭐ Other NPs
⭐ PAs
⭐ Mental health professionals
⭐ An X-ray technician
⭐ A dentist

She says one of her goals is to keep adding people to the staff so they can provide a sort of “one-stop shop” experience for the veterans under her care. This will make things a lot easier for them when it comes to appointments and scheduling!

Benefits/Challenges

Brittney loves many aspects of her job. She particularly enjoys working with veterans, getting to talk to them, and hearing their stories. And because she only sees between one and five patients a day, she gets to spend extended periods time with them and get to know them better. Spending more time together also allows her to do a thorough assessment and get a full picture of a patient’s situation.

She also likes how flexible her schedule can be. While she has to be available from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. every day, very often she’s done before 5 p.m.

As for the challenges she faces at her job, Brittney mentions that her job deals with assessment and testing, and that while she does order imaging and lab work, it’s not a prescribing position. They also don’t complete any procedures in her office. In her view, it may not be the best position for a newly graduated NP.

Final Thoughts

We’ve barely scratched the surface here! Be sure to watch the video and subscribe to the SMNP YouTube channel, where you’ll find lots of great tips on how to get through NP school, crush your boards, and kickstart your NP career!

And for more “day in the life” content, check out these other posts on the blog!

• A Day in the Life of a Nurse Practitioner: Adult-Gerontology Primary Care (AGPCNP)
• A Day in the Life of a Nurse Practitioner: Primary Care Pediatrics
• A Day in the Life of a Nurse Practitioner: Interventional Radiology