Personal Bonds Make NP Fellowship Programs Advantageous Choice For Recent Graduates

Open communication and regular check-ins are a key component of the advanced practice fellowship at Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center, explained Jessica MacIntyre, APRN, NP-C, AOCNP.

MacIntyre, executive director of clinical operations at Sylvester, spoke with Oncology Nursing News about how the fellowship strives to create bonds between the fellows and establish a feeling of trust among the blossoming nurse practitioners. She explains how this bond is the key difference between participating in a fellowship after receiving NP certification vs going straight out into practice.

“We go through their progress and we check off everything. [We see] where they're at in each area, making sure that they're on point to meet the requirements,” she said. “So, we do get to know them very well. We do understand and recognize that a lot of these things are not easy for them, and [we] want to make sure that we support them as much as possible. We try to maintain a very open line of communication with them, because we want to make sure that if they're struggling with something they can tell us right away.”

“The difference between the fellowship versus actually going out into real practice,” she added. “I think a lot of people fear saying that they don't know something, saying that they need help, especially if you're talking to a physician colleague instead of like a peer colleague. So, we really develop that mentorship over time.”