Fellowship Programs

In an effort to increase the workforce of specialty trained practitioners providing high quality, evidence-based safe patient care, post-graduate training programs for Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are gaining momentum. While not required for practice, post-graduate programs build upon the entry-level competencies and national certifications to provide clinicians with additional management strategies.

The terms “residency” and “fellowship” have been used to describe these programs which are gaining popularity not only for new graduates, but for practicing clinicians who desire additional specialty training in various areas of medicine including emergency and critical care. Based upon current evidence, the national NP community has suggested that the term “fellowship” is best used to describe these programs which are offered as an optional post-graduate training and not required for certification or licensure.