What We Know About Postgraduate Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Programs

Little is known about the potential of nurse practitioner (NP) residency and fellowship programs in preparing NPs for the future of the health care system. We describe NP residency and fellowship programs in terms of their number and general characteristics. We found nearly 70 residency and fellowship programs across the country. The programs are geographically dispersed and diverse in terms of the specialty area, type of organization overseeing the program, and program length. Our study is the first to describe these programs, but a more in-depth investigation is necessary to understand the role that these programs can play in the future.