Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs (2023-2024)
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Nurse practitioner residency programs, sometimes called fellowship programs, are postgraduate programs designed to help NPs transition to practice, particularly in specialty areas. Many residency programs are geared towards Advanced Practice Providers (APPs), a group that includes NPs and physician assistants (PAs), reinforcing the growing trend of interprofessional collaboration in care teams.
Residency programs are often one year long and contain a mix of clinical experience and didactic instruction (typically in a 75-25 or 80-20 split). In many ways, they resemble a full-time job, requiring a commitment of 40 to 50 hours a week, but they also provide NPs with dedicated mentorship and a planned curriculum.
Most residency programs will offer NPs a salary (which varies, but most commonly falls in the $55,000 to $65,000 per year range) along with a wide range of benefits (e.g., malpractice insurance, health insurance, vacation time). Additional benefits will depend on the fellowship and the applicant. Some residency programs also require that residents stay on as staff for a year after completion of the program.
The rapid proliferation of residency programs in a wide range of specialty areas is a sign of the continued maturation of the NP role. They offer some of the best training for niche specialties for NPs. But even for NPs going into more traditional practices, they can be an important step between school and career, giving residents the skills, experience, and confidence they need to take on leadership positions.
Admissions Requirements for Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs
The admissions process for an NP residency program will vary from setting to setting and specialty to specialty. But it often entails submitting an application, followed by candidate interviews, and finally leading to offers of acceptance.
Typical admissions requirements can include:
- Graduation from an accredited NP program in the 18 months before the fellowship start date
- A competitive graduate GPA (3.2 or greater)
- Current RN and NP licensure by the board of nursing in the state where the fellowship is located (Note: some programs simply require licensure eligibility, to be obtained upon acceptance)
- Board certification from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) or the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)
- DEA license
Additional admissions requirements can include:
- Successful background check
- Personal statement
- Letters of recommendation
- A negative substance abuse screening test
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Acute Care
The postgraduate acute care fellowship at Atrium Health gives NPs the skills and experience they need to perform life-saving interventions in high-acuity patient populations and clinical scenarios.
The curriculum targets common areas of difficulty in the transition from training to practice, while also allowing for specialized rotations. Acute care tracks include medical critical care; surgical critical care; cardiology; cardiothoracic surgery; adult hospitalist; pediatric hospitalist; emergency medicine; and neonatal ICU.
- Location: Charlotte, NC
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: March 15
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Adult-Gerontology
Durham Veterans Affairs Health Care System
Affiliated with the Duke University School of Nursing, the Geriatric and Extended Care Nurse Practitioner Residency (GEC-NPR) Program is available at eight sites, including the Durham VA. In an 80-20 experiential-didactic split, novice NPs will gain expertise in caring for aging veterans with multimorbidity and frailty.
Clinical rotations include Geri-PACT; home-based primary care; hospice and palliative care; and dementia care. NPs who complete the program can apply for positions in the VA Health System at sites across the country.
- Location: Durham, NC
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: April 29
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Cardiology
Emory University School of Medicine
The Emory APP Fellowship in Cardiac Critical Care Medicine equips NPs with the knowledge and skills they need for the subspecialty of cardiac critical care medicine. Fellows will attend didactic lectures, practice in simulation labs, and rotate through clinical settings.
Rotations in cardiology include heart failure; cardiology consults; electrophysiology; congenital heart disease; and LVAD. Fellows will also gain exposure to mechanical cardiac support devices, including intra-aortic balloon pumps, ventricular assist devices, and extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
- Location: Atlanta, GA
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: March 15 (for fall); September 15 (for spring)
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Critical Care
Saint Luke’s University Health Network
NPs in St. Luke’s Advanced Practice Fellowship can specialize in critical care or emergency medicine. Through the program, fellows will gain expert specialty training in managing critically ill patients in the emergency department, intensive care units, and the trauma bay.
Critical care rotations include medical critical care; surgical critical care; neurocritical care; cardiothoracic critical care; trauma; and emergency medicine.
- Location: Bethlehem, PA
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: March 15
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Dermatology
Lahey Hospital & Medical Center
The Lahey Dermatology Nurse Practitioner Training Program is a two-year fellowship for NPs who have significant clinical experience but wish to focus more specifically on dermatology. Lahey’s Department of Dermatology is affiliated with Harvard Medical School’s Dermatology Residency Program, allowing fellows to participate in Grand Rounds and other didactic sessions sponsored by the residency.
The fellowship covers the full spectrum of dermatology, and gives fellows experience in areas such as dermoscopy; phototherapy; cryotherapy; wound care; pharmacology; surgical procedures; biopsies; and excisions.
- Location: Burlington, MA
- Duration: 24 months
- Application Deadline: March 1 (even-numbered years only)
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Emergency Medicine
The NP Residency in Emergency Medicine at Weill Cornell encompasses approximately 3,000 clinical hours of patient contact, giving fellows added proficiency in caring for patients with acute, emergent, or critical illness. Fellows will work and learn at an internationally-recognized teaching hospital and medical center that provides advanced clinical care and research in all major medical and surgical specialties.
Clinical rotations include anesthesia; general surgery/burn; orthopedics; radiology; pediatric emergency medicine; medical ICU; ophthalmology; neurology; and internal medicine.
- Location: New York, NY
- Duration: 15 months
- Application Deadline: April 30
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Gastroenterology
Johns Hopkins School of Medicine
Administered by the Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology of the Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, this fellowship offers recent NP graduates the opportunity to direct their career toward gastroenterology and hepatology. Fellows will gain experience in both inpatient and outpatient settings.
They can also gain experience in subspecialty areas such as inflammatory bowel disease; pancreatic diseases; gastrointestinal oncology; and transplant hepatology.
- Location: Baltimore, MD
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: March 1
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Hospice and Palliative Care
The Hospice and Palliative Medicine Fellowship at Mayo Clinic is an interprofessional postgraduate program for NPs and PAs. Each fellowship class contains three physicians and two advanced practice providers. The academic year is divided into 13 four-week rotations in various areas, including inpatient palliative care; outpatient hospice care; pediatrics; and pain clinic.
Upon completion of the program, NPs will have the skills and knowledge necessary to pass the Hospice and Palliative Nurses Association (HPNA) Advanced Certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse exam.
- Location: Rochester, MN
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: January 15
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Neonatal Care
University of Rochester Medical College
The APP Fellowship in Neonatology at URMC is designed for NPs and PAs with interest in neonatal medicine but no prior experience in the field. The program is 75 percent clinical and 25 percent didactic, with specialty rotations that include areas such as neonatal nutrition; pediatric cardiac intensive care unit (PCICU); perinatal supportive care clinical (PSCC); and neonatal respiratory therapy.
Fellows who complete the program will have a solid foundation in providing comprehensive care to complex and critically-ill newborns and healthy newborns.
- Location: Rochester, NY
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: March 1
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Oncology
University of California, San Francisco
The UCSF Cancer Services NP Fellowship is an opportunity for two novice NPs to gain over 2,000 hours of cancer-based training. Across multiple UCSF locations, fellows will complete eight five-week specialty rotations, customized for each resident, with options that include: hematology, medical oncology, surgical oncology; and inpatient and ambulatory settings, including infusion. The final rotation will be based on a specialty area of long-term interest.
- Location: San Francisco, CA
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: March 31
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Orthopedics
The NP and PA postgraduate orthopedic fellowship at MCW teaches participants to become skilled, well-rounded surgical and non-operative orthopedic medicine professionals. They accept one candidate per year. Fellows will work with over 35 staff NPs and PAs, as well as with orthopedic residents and board-certified orthopedic attendings.
Mentored learning in clinical rotations includes topics such as trauma; total joints; sports; foot and ankle; hand and upper extremity; spine; oncology; musculoskeletal/urgent care; and pediatrics.
- Location: Milwaukee, WI
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: January 31
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Pediatric Care
The Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Fellowship at Community Health Center, Inc provides continuous training in a high-performance health system. NPs will develop their own patient panel, working with the dedicated support of an expert preceptor. Specialty rotations include dermatology; child and adolescent behavioral health; newborn nursery; genetics; and school-based health.
Upon completion of the program, fellows are expected to work in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) for an additional year.
- Location: Middletown, CT
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: August 1
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Primary Care
Family Health Center of Worcester
Since 2009, the Family Health Center of Worcester’s family nurse practitioner (FNP) residency has offered new NPs the opportunity to expand their clinical skills while serving a large and diverse patient population. Residents will attend six precepted clinical sessions a week, in addition to weekly didactic lectures, seminars, and workshops. Specialty clinics include sports medicine; prenatal clinic; newborn and postpartum care; school-based health; office procedure clinic; colposcopy; and HIV and hepatitis care.
Upon completion of the program, fellows are expected to remain employed at Family Health Center for an additional year.
- Location: Worcester, MA
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: February 28
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Psychiatric-Mental Health
University of California, San Diego
The Child-Adolescent Psychiatric (CAP) Fellowship Program at UCSD is designed to build on the knowledge and skills learned in PMHNP graduate programs. Fellows will work at training sites across the San Diego area with youth and families suffering from severe mental illnesses in underserved communities. Each fellow will carry a small caseload of patients and provide ongoing care throughout the course of a year; the curriculum allows for a gradual start for incoming fellows.
- Location: La Jolla, CA
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: March 10
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Surgical Care
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
The APP Surgical Critical Care Fellowship at the University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus educates and trains NPs to integrate into a career in surgery or critical care.
In the surgical track, clinical rotations include trauma and acute care; surgical oncology; breast; endocrine; urology; transplant; and intensive care. The program is ideal for new NPs and NPs wishing to change career focus.
- Location: Aurora, CO
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: October 31
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Transplant Services
Duke University Medical Center
The Abdominal Transplant Fellowship for APPs is designed for recent graduates and experienced acute care NPs. Fellows will work as a member of the Abdominal Transplant Team at Duke University Medical Center, working alongside experienced transplant NPs, PAs, surgeons, physicians, and other multidisciplinary healthcare team members.
Clinical rotations include the medical and surgical aspects of liver, kidney, pancreas, and small intestine transplantation.
- Location: Durham, NC
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: April 1
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Urology
Vanderbilt University Medical Center
The Vanderbilt Urology NP Fellowship exposes NP fellows to all areas of urology, including inpatient and outpatient clinics and procedures, inpatient services, and the operating room.
Training areas include general urology; endourology; men’s health; voiding dysfunction; pelvic floor medicine; reconstructive urology; neuro-urology; and oncology. The program’s first eight months are spent rotating through different specialties, while the last four months see the fellow in their own independent clinic, with mentored oversight.
- Location: Nashville, TN
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: TBD
Nurse Practitioner Residencies in Women’s Health
The Atrium Health APP Fellowship in Women’s Health provides general obstetrics and gynecology training for women’s health nurse practitioners (WHNPs), family nurse practitioners (FNPs), and certified nurse midwives.
The curriculum offers NPs diverse experiences in inpatient and outpatient care as well as operative and perioperative environments. Fellows will also receive exposure to subspecialty care in reproductive endocrinology, maternal-fetal medicine, urogynecology, and gynecologic oncology.
- Location: Charlotte, NC
- Duration: 12 months
- Application Deadline: March 15
Matt Zbrog
WriterMatt Zbrog is a writer and researcher from Southern California. Since 2018, he’s written extensively about the modern nursing workforce, conducting hundreds of interviews with nurse leaders, nurse educators, and nurse advocates to explore the issues that matter to them most. His Advocates to Know series focuses on nurse practitioners (NPs) who go above and beyond in changing policy and practice in important areas like veteran’s care, human trafficking prevention, and telehealth access. He regularly collaborates with subject matter experts from the American Nurses Association (ANA) and the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP) to elevate issues that empower nurses everywhere.