Fellowship Program

Vanderbilt University School of Nursing (VUSN) is pleased to implement a HRSA-funded Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency (NPR) program. The purpose of the project is to prepare APRNs to work in rural and underserved communities. 

Our NPR program will increase the APRN primary care workforce in rural and underserved communities through collaboration with partner community-based health clinics (CBHCs). The program will provide funding and support for five fellows (3 FNPs/AGPCNPs, 1 PMHNP, and 1 CNM or WHNP) each year.

• FNPs, AGPCNPs, CNMs, WHNPs, PMHNPs, or NP students in those specialties are eligible to apply.
• All applicants must be within 18 months of graduation.
• Applicants must demonstrate a strong desire to work with rural or urban underserved populations.
• VUSN screens applicants and recommends candidates for interview; CBHCs hire fellows as full-time employees of their organization.  
• CBHC Fellows complete a structured 12-month residency program with guidance from a clinical mentor at the CBHC. The program includes continuing education tailored to post-graduate NPs in rural practice, monthly group debrief conferences, and ongoing coaching and support from VUSN faculty.
• CBHC Fellows receive additional psych/mental health content and gain valuable experience applying this knowledge through integrated behavioral health care in their CBHC site. 
• CBHC Fellows and their CBHC have access to consults with behavioral health experts via telehealth. 

Application

Fellows agree to 12 months of full-time employment at the CBHC. Participation in the additional didactic and focused experiences involving social determinants of health, psychopharmacology, and telehealth in the context of a rural or medically underserved clinic is required.

Applications for the 2024/2025 Fellowship year are expected to open around 06/01/24. The anticipated start date for the new cohort is 11/01/24.

 

Current Community-Based Health Clinics (CBHCs) 

• Hardeman County Community Health Center, Bolivar, TN
• Neighborhood Health, Nashville, TN
• Vanderbilt University Medical Center, Vanderbilt Primary Care West End, and Vanderbilt Midwives Melrose, Nashville, TN

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Project Team

For further information, contact vusn.npr@vanderbilt.edu.

This website is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $700,000 with 0% financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS, or the U.S. Government. For more information, please visit HRSA.gov.