Surgical Critical Care APP Fellowship

Surgical Critical Care Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Fellowship

Mission

Our mission is to prepare Acute Care Nurse Practitioners and Physician Assistants (Advanced Practice Providers, APPs) to practice in the specialty of surgical critical care medicine as members of a multidisciplinary team. This transition-to-practice fellowship program focuses on developing competency and confidence above the level of their formal education while in a protected learning environment.

Program Objectives

The one-year NTCC fellowship in Dallas, Texas prepares the APP to be a well-rounded provider, leader and resource within the healthcare team. In addition to scheduled simulation labs, case presentations and team learning discussions, APP fellows experience real-time patient care as licensed APPs in various patient care units with a gradual ease into independence. Our program combines a highly detailed competency-based curriculum with hands-on learning in the critical care setting. Each APP fellow graduate is equipped with crucial experience in many specialty-specific rotations and procedures, as well as an established network of providers within other specialties.

Accreditation

In 2023, our program earned its Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Accreditation (APPFA) from the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), demonstrating excellence in transitioning both Physician Assistants and Nurse Practitioners to the new practice setting. 

Goals of the APP fellowship

• Empower the APP to practice intense critical thinking and plan of care development for each patient population
• Encourage a platform to enable APPs to practice at the greatest extent of their licensure
• Safe performance of specific procedural competencies
• Expand the APP's knowledge of evidenced-based practice and medical knowledge
• Develop basic research techniques and guidance through research projects
• Education on guideline creation, process development, and quality improvement initiatives.
• Development of professional, interpersonal, communication and resiliency skills to ensure a long successful career

Program details

• Length of program: 12 months
• Practice Site: Dallas, Texas, 1,000 bed level 1 Trauma center, ECMO Platinum Center of Excellence
• Two cohorts per year: Spring and Fall
  • 2-4 APP fellows per cohort
• Time commitment: 5 13-hour shifts per week
  • Anticipate committing 60-80 hours per week to the fellowship
    • Hours are 80% clinical and 20% didactic

Rotations

• Cardiothoracic/Transplant ICU
• ECMO ICU
• Surgical Trauma ICU
• Trauma
• Emergency General Surgery
• Skills workshops/SIM labs
• Elective rotations 

• Infectious Disease
• Nephrology
• Palliative and Supportive Care

APP Fellowship Capstone Project

The capstone project is a scholarly project that demonstrates the APP fellows’ accumulated training in an evidence-based project of their choice, subject to the fellowship program director’s approval and under the additional supervision of their capstone project. Past fellowship graduates have presented their capstone projects at national conferences, such as the Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO). 

Credentials awarded

Certificate of completion of the North Texas Critical Care Surgical Critical Care Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship.

Procedural skills gained

• E-FAST & point of care ultrasound (POCUS)
• Intubation
• Central line placement
• Arterial line placement
• Chest tube insertion/thoracentesis
• Bronchoscopy
• ECMO cannulation wire assistant
• Assistant with percutaneous tracheostomy/PEG placement

Benefits

• Competitive fellowship salary based upon market analysis
• Dental, health, vision insurance
• Life insurance policy
• Short term disability insurance coverage
• Malpractice insurance
• 10 days of PTO/sick time during fellowship year
• Continuing education funds
• Reimbursement for board certification, state licensure, DEA fees

Eligibility Requirements for APP fellowship

• Graduate from an accredited nurse practitioner master’s or doctoral program, or physician assistant program prior to the start of the fellowship
  • Must submit graduate school transcripts
• BLS and ACLS (must be American Heart Association, health care provider issued)
• Current or eligible for unencumbered Texas licensure as ACNP, AG-ACNP, or PA
• Eligible for DEA licensure
• Current or eligible for national board certification as AG-ACNP, ACNPC-AG, or PA
• Acceptable criminal background check
  
  Note: To begin the fellowship, APP fellows must be fully licensed in the state of Texas in their respective advanced practice role and fully credentialed in the hospital where the fellowship clinical practice takes place.

How to Apply

• Curriculum Vitae
• Three letters of reference (one from program faculty, one from a physician, one from ICU preceptor)
• One-page statement of interest in post-graduate surgical critical care fellowship training (including 5-10 year career goals)

Deadlines for submission

Applications are accepted on a rolling basis. You will be considered for the next cohort as long as the application deadline has not passed.

Fall Cohort
Deadline for application submission – March 31^st
Interviews held – April 1^st - April 30^th  

Anticipated start date: September

Spring Cohort
Deadline for application submission – September 30^th
Interviews held – October 1^st - October 31^st 

Anticipated start date: March

Submitting your application through the form below is the only way to be considered for the fellowship. If you have not received a response by the application submission deadline, please contact us at the email below.

Contact Us

Please direct any questions you may have to ntxccfellowship@ntxcc.com

Please allow 5 business days for a response.