A Pediatric Primary Care Fellowship for Advanced Clinical Practitioners

Daniel Neuspiel, R.^1*, Cragin Greene, W.² & Jennifer Baxley, C.¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, Atrium Health, USA
²Center for Advanced Practice, Atrium Health, USA

Dr. Daniel Neuspiel, R., Department of Pediatrics, Atrium Health, USA.

Keywords: Postgraduate Training; Nurse Practitioner; Physician Assistant

Abstract

Purpose
New advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs = nurse practitioners and physician assistants) seeking positions in pediatric primary care have been hampered by lack of clinical experience.
Methods
A 12-month postgraduate fellowship program in primary care pediatrics was initiated for new ACPs to improve their readiness for independent practice. Fellows participated in weekly team learning discussions, monthly case presentations, quality improvement activities and supervised pediatric office care.
Results
From 2014-2017, 11 fellows completed the program and 2 are currently enrolled. All graduated U.S. physician assistant (N=5), pediatric nurse practitioner (N=5), or family nurse practitioner programs (N=3). All fellow graduates received job offers.
Conclusion
This fellowship program has been effective in moving ACP graduates into busy pediatric practices. Future goals include competency-based fellow evaluations, assessing the impact of training on patient outcomes, improved clinical site recruitment and implementing pre- and post-test knowledge inventories that reflect the current fellowship curriculum.

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