Community-Based Nurse Practitioner Fellowship

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 funding will support FNP and WHNP fellows during the 2025 cohort year.

  • NPs within 18 months of graduation are eligible to apply.
  • 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.

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

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.

The application for the 2025-2026 NPR Fellowship is now open. We are currently finalizing the placement sites in collaboration with our community partners and will share additional details in the coming weeks. Fellowship offers are expected to be extended by 10/1/2025. Please note that fellows will be employed by the partner clinics, who will issue formal offers of employment by this date. The fellowship will begin on 10/31/2025.

To apply, please use this REDCap link. If you have any questions about the application process or the fellowship, feel free to reach out to natasha.j.mcclure@vanderbilt.edu.

Current Community-Based Health Clinics (CBHCs)

Project Team

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 $323,566.00 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.