Nurse Practitioner Fellowship

Overview

The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Nurse Practitioner Orthopaedic fellowship is an intensive 12-month program administered by the Department of Orthopedics at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine. NP fellows are members of the orthopaedic team and are involved in inpatient and ambulatory care. Training is focused on sports medicine and primary care orthopaedics with opportunities for intra-operative and peri-operative patient care across all orthopaedic subspecialties. The fellowship is designed to provide advanced didactic education and a focused orthopaedic clinical experience so that graduates have the skills and knowledge to provide high quality musculoskeletal care across the life span. The fellowship is attractive for recent NP graduates who are planning a career in musculoskeletal care and for practicing nurse practitioners who wish to redirect their careers toward orthopaedics.

The ideal candidate is a registered nurse with a master’s degree, certification as a family nurse practitioner and a strong interest in a career in musculoskeletal care. Fellows are employees of the University of North Carolina Hospitals with training salaries and full benefits.

Curriculum

The didactic curriculum includes weekly post op conferences, monthly Grand rounds and M&M conferences. There is an additional core curriculum to include all orthopedic subspecialties with opportunities for basic science, research and musculoskeletal seminars.

Clinical

Fellows will have experience in outpatient clinics in the area of sports medicine throughout the one-year program. Fellows will have additional clinical rotations in orthopaedic subspecialties, including trauma, hand, and pediatrics, with electives chosen from spine, total joint and tumor services.

University Affiliation

All clinical rotations are at University of North Carolina Hospitals in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Faculty of the University of North Carolina School of Medicine provide instruction.

UNC Hospitals includes North Carolina Children's Hospital, North Carolina Memorial Hospital, North Carolina Neurosciences Hospital, and North Carolina Women's Hospital. In 2002, the N.C. Children's and Women's Hospitals moved to new state-of-the-art facilities designed to offer high-quality health care in a comfortable, family-friendly environment. The UNC Department of Orthopaedics operates a newly-renovated state-of-the art outpatient facility at the Ambulatory Care Center on the UNC Hospitals campus.

UNC Hospitals is a public, academic medical center operated by and for the people of North Carolina. The Hospitals' mission is to: provide high quality patient care; educate health care professionals; advance research; and provide community service.

Admission Prerequisites

• Master’s degree or higher in nursing.
• Graduation from an accredited institution granting graduate-level academic credit for all course work that includes both didactic and clinical components.
• National certification as family nurse practitioner
• Hold an unrestricted license to practice as a registered nurse in North Carolina.

Application Process

• The following documents are required:

• One page narrative stating why you are interested in postgraduate training.
• Current resume including any orthopaedic experience.
• Three (3) letters of recommendation, at least one from a physician or nurse practitioner with whom you have worked.

Send to:

Tom Bush, NP
Clinical Assistant Professor
Schools of Nursing and Medicine
Department of Orthopaedics
CB#7055, Bioinformatics Building
Chapel Hill, NC 27599-7055
npfellowship@med.unc.edu

 Timeline

• January 15, 2010: Applications must be postmarked
• February 2010: Interviews
• July 1, 2010: Fellowship start date

Credential Awarded

Certificate of completion is awarded from the Department of Orthopaedics, University of North Carolina School of Medicine.

Financial Information/Benefits

• Stipend- $40,000 paid over 12 months
• 20 days paid vacation
• Health insurance
• Disability insurance
• Professional liability insurance