Nurse Practitioner Residency in Family Practice and Community Health

Community Health Center Inc.

Middletown, CT

This database is no longer actively maintained and is here for archival purposes only

Organization Type: 
Not For Profit
Program Type: 
Standing Program
Education Level: 
Postgraduate (e.g., residency, fellowship)
Educational Elements: 
Lecture/Didactic
Independent Study
Self Reflection Activities
Experiential not including services to patients
Experiential including clinical contact with patients
Other
Other Element(s): 
Precepted sessions; formal orientation including intensive community orientation; interprofessional networking and mapping of community needs. Minimum of three episodes of community services per year; formal case presentations; national conferences.
Program Description: 

Community Health Center’s (CHC) Nurse Practitioner Residency Training Program is a 12 month, full-time salaried position.  The goal of this program is to provide new nurse practitioners (recent graduates of Master and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs) with the depth, breadth, volume, and intensity of clinical training necessary for them to serve as primary care providers in complex environments such as Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHC) and other safety net settings.

The program structure includes several components such as:

  • Precepted Clinics where residents develop their own patient panel while having a primary care provider (MD or Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRN)) exclusively assigned during precepted sessions.
  • Specialty Rotations: Ten rotations in areas of high volume and clinical complexity that are most commonly encountered in FQHCs.
  • Didactic Education Sessions: Scheduled learning sessions on a variety of complex, clinical challenges commonly encountered in FQHCs/Nurse-Managed Health Clinics (NMHC).
  • Independent Clinic Sessions: During independent sessions, nurse practitioner residents work as a member of a team and sees patients at the delegation of the primary care providers, who remain available for consultations. Independent sessions are also a time when residents can see their own patients in follow-up.

This program is training new nurse practitioners who are committed to practice as primary care providers in safety net settings and CHC’s model of high performance health systems.  The program provides immersion in a model of care that includes: interprofessional care and collaborative practice; integrated behavioral health/primary care; advanced access; chronic care model; planned care; panel management;  team-based care; prevention focused; and expert use of electronic technology.   Feedback, coaching, mentoring and peer evaluation are special features of the residency, along with formal precepting and instruction.

CHC’s Nurse Practitioner Residency Training Program has clear learning objectives and a formal evaluation component. Additional features include participation in training in quality improvement methods/clinical microsystems and leadership development, robust online evaluation program (myevaluations.com).

Evaluations of this program include pre-and post-residency self-assessments, pre-and post-didactic sessions completed weekly, specialty rotations completed monthly at the end of each rotation and precepted rotations completed quarterly by residents and preceptors. Another element of the evaluations is the weekly reflective journal. The journals are an important and valuable part of personal and professional growth and also provide valuable insight for program leaders in understanding the challenges inherent in the transition from new nurse practitioner to primary care provider. All evaluations become part of the clinical portfolio that is provided for the resident at the end of the program.

Evaluated: 
Yes
Program Results: 

Every component of the residency program is evaluated using an online program - myevaluations.com. Currently in its seventh year, this program has collected data since its inception in 2007.  In addition, a dissertation and published work was completed by Margaret Flinter, PhD, APRN, FAAN, Founder of the program and CHC's Senior Vice President and Clinical Director.  This body of work evaluates the inaugural nurse practitioner residency class and their successful transition to practice following the program.

Targeted Professions
Nursing: 
Nurse Practitioners
Program Website
Self-Reported Competencies
PCPCC’s Education and Training Task Force identified 16 interprofessional training competencies critical for preparing health professionals for practicing in team-based, coordinated care models such as patient-centered medical homes. Listed below are the self-reported competencies that this program has achieved, which have been organized by the five core features of a medical home as defined by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
Patient-Centered Care Competencies: 
Advocacy for patient-centered integrated care
Cultural sensitivity and competence in culturally appropriate practice
Development of effective, caring relationships with patients
Patient-centered care planning, including collaborative decision-making and patient self-management
Comprehensive Care Competencies: 
Assessment of biopsychosocial needs across the lifespan
Population-based approaches to health care delivery
Risk identification
Coordinated Care Competencies: 
Care coordination for comprehensive care of patient & family in the community
Health information technology, including e-communications with patients & other providers
Interprofessionalism & interdisciplinary team collaboration
Team leadership
Quality Care & Safety Competencies: 
Assessment of patient outcomes
Business models for patient-centered integrated care
Evidence-based practice
Quality improvement methods, including assessment of patient-experience for use in practice-based improvement efforts
Accessible Care Competencies: 
Promotion of appropriate access to care (e.g., group appointments, open scheduling)
Related Files: 
AttachmentSize
PDF icon CHCI Model for NP Residency102.3 KB
PDF icon 2012-2013 Didactics225 KB
PDF icon Program Fact Sheet82.73 KB
Last updated November 15, 2013

* Please note: Information contained in this database is self-reported by representatives from each program. It does not represent an exhaustive list of education and training programs and inclusion does not constitute an endorsement from the PCPCC.

 

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