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Located within Peak Vista Community Health Centers, the Primary Care Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) Fellowship offers five full-time employed positions for transitioning or recently graduated licensed Family Nurse Practitioners (FNP) who desire to increase their practice competence and confidence in a progressive, collaborative learning environment.
The 12-month program combines mentorship, problem-based learning, and hands-on clinical experience.
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To provide exceptional health care to people facing access barriers and to provide exceptional opportunities for recently graduated Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN) to transition seamlessly from the academic to the clinical setting, and to facilitate the transition to practice for experienced Nurse Practitioners who have been out of the workforce or in another specialty.
Peak Vista Community Health Centers' APRN Fellowships are focused on enhancing the health of people and the community-at-large through a professional, caring staff who are motivated, enthusiastic, respectful, energetic and committed to strategic partnerships and a team approach to health care.
Postgraduate APRN Fellowships have been recommended by the Future of Nursing Report (2020) as a method to seamlessly transition recently graduated APRNs into the clinical setting. Peak Vista offers an accredited outpatient Primary Care APRN Fellowship as part of an effort to improve health care access for people facing barriers to care. The Fellowship provides mentored guidance, practice oversight, and a gradual increase in daily patient encounters, which allows Fellows to improve their confidence and competence in a supportive environment. Problem-based learning in the clinical setting is the cornerstone of the Fellowship program.
Didactic sessions are diverse and focus on professional and clinical issues pertinent to the family practice setting. Content is provided in a variety of ways including lectures, workshops, case studies, and round table discussions. Fellows complete a group QI project focused on improving clinical practice.
Didactic sessions are diverse and focus on professional and clinical issues pertinent to the family practice setting. Content is provided in a variety of ways including lectures, workshops, case studies, and round table discussions. Fellows complete a group QI project focused on improving clinical practice.
As licensed and certified FNPs in the state of Colorado, all new learners at Fellowship possess a full and independent scope of practice to provide care for patients across the lifespan. The Fellowship is philosophically oriented around Benner’s Novice to Expert Model and draws from three main sources to help describe the standards of family practice for new learners: the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP, 2022) Standards of Practice, the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality definition of the Patient Centered Medical Home (PCMH, 2021), and finally family practice standards that are adapted from the American Council for Graduate Medical Education (ACGME) competencies. Self-evaluated and preceptor-evaluated competencies are derived from modified ACGME Family Medicine Milestone competencies (2019) which align with the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) Graduate level competencies (2012), and the National Academy of Medicine Committee on The Future of Nursing 2020-2030.
The Primary Care Fellowship combines precepted interdisciplinary clinical immersion, relevant post-graduate didactics and self-directed, population management QI activities.
The goals of the Fellowship programs are:
Increase access to quality health care for communities by assisting recently graduated APRNs to transition seamlessly to the practice setting.
Nurture the confidence of transitioning APRNs in the primary care setting, thereby improving APRN and employer satisfaction.
Successfully integrate skills in clinical practice and professionalism to become exceptional primary care providers in the community health setting.
Improve APRN retention in the primary care setting.
Facilitate professional development and life-long learning through interdisciplinary/continuing education, quality improvement (QI project) appropriate to the primary care setting and professional memberships.
Provide mandated hours of precepted prescriptive practice experience as required by the Colorado Board of Nursing and Department of Regulatory Agencies.
The APRN Fellowships are a 12-month, full-time salaried position with a competitive benefits package.
When do the APRN Fellowships begin?
Generally, the Fellowship begins in early September. The Fellows spend 12-months in an immersive, supportive, clinical environment.
How many Fellows will be in the program?
The Fellowship accepts 5 Fellows per program every year.
Who can apply for the Fellowship?
The APRN Fellowship is designed for transitioning or recently graduated FNPs who will be certified and licensed by the start of the program.
Will APRN Fellows see patients while in this program?
Yes, as licensed medical professionals, the APRN Fellows will see Peak Vista patients seeking primary medical care for acute and chronic needs.
Where is the APRN Fellowship located?
The APRN Fellowship is based in the Health Center located at 340 Printers Pkwy, Colorado Springs, CO 80910
How do I learn more about the program?
To learn more about the Primary Care Fellowship program, please e-mail APRNFellowship@peakvista.org