Fellowships are a great way to learn the critical skills to prepare you for a transition into practice. They serve as an immersion into your specialty and prepare you for the critical thinking, basic research techniques, and knowledge of evidence-based practice necessary for practice.

Here we take a look at three dermatology fellowships that are offered to nurse practitioners and physician assistants.

 

Advanced Practice Clinician Dermatology Fellowship at Penn State Health Milton S. Hershey Medical Center

Located in Hershey, PA, Penn State College of Medicine offers a postgraduate fellowship that is designed for NPs and PAs who have recently graduated or seasoned advanced practice practitioners who have limited experience in dermatology wishing to switch specialties. Fellows are hired as full-time employees, with a CME education allowance. The fellowship lasts 12 months. Days are a combination of daily lectures and experience with direct patient care. Completed applications will be accepted until Jan. 31, 2020, unless otherwise specified.

For complete information: https://residency.med.psu.edu/programs/apc-dermatology-fellowship/

Lahey Dermatology Nurse Practitioner Fellowship

Lahey Hospital and Medical Center in Burlington, MA has the original nurse practitioner fellowship and until recently used to be the only one in the US. Fellows are hired as full-time employees with full benefits and is a 40-hour week residency style program. The also offers a combination of didactic and clinical learning, with Grand Rounds and lectures being held at Mass General Hospital, Beth Israel, and Brigham and Women’s Hospital. Applications are accepted from January 1 until March 1 of even-numbered years (2020, 2022, 2024, etc).

For complete information: https://www.lahey.org/lhmc/research-residencies/fellowships/dermatology-nurse-practitioner-fellowship/

UC Davis Advanced Practice Dermatology Fellowship

UC Davis has a 12-month fellowship open to NPs and PAs. Again, it has both direct patient care experience along with didactic leaning, which along with classroom lectures includes journal clubs, external speaker lectures, and workshops. Intermittent testing is used to asses knowledge. Both nurse practitioners and physicians’ assistants are paid a $90,000 stipend for the year. The deadline for submission is August 31st of each year.

For complete information: https://health.ucdavis.edu/nurse/advancedpractice/ap_fellowship_overview.html

 

Fellowships are not required for NPs and PAs to go into specialty practice, but some decide on this route to gain the experience, professional development, and confidence that they offer. If you think this might be your goal, there are more available to consider as well. Check them all out to find one that fits the bill for you.