Internships, Fellowships and Residencies

The Atlanta VA Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program provides clinical, experiential, and professional education for spiritual care ministry theological students and clergy of all faiths. Students engage in spiritual care visits, peer group seminars, verbatim case conferences, patient care conferences, and interdisciplinary team meetings. Our students have the supervised opportunity to explore pastoral and personal identity, learn from and about interpersonal relationships, and examine their attitudes, values, culture, and theological assumptions about life and ministry.

Learn more about our Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) Program

The Atlanta VA Health Care System offers a 36-month Podiatric Residency Program with training in podiatric medicine, podiatric surgery, reconstructive techniques, and wound care.

Learn more about our Podiatric Residency Program

The Atlanta VA Health Care System offers Doctoral Internships and Postdoctoral Residencies in Health Service Psychology.

Learn more about our Psychology Training Program

The Joseph M. Cleland Atlanta VA Medical Center provides Nurse Practitioner Residency [NPR] Programs offering specialized training in Primary Care, Mental Health, and Geriatric Extended Care. The Residency Programs are designed as 12-month programs that operate in the hospital and 21 community-based outpatient clinics within a 50-mile radius. Each residency program can accommodate the following in a cohort:

3 residents in the Geriatric Extended Care cohort.

4 residents in the Mental Health cohort 

6 residents in the Primary Care cohort

Learn more about our Nurse Practitioner Residency Programs 

The Atlanta VAHCS Limb Preservation Podiatry Fellowship program is a 12-month training program located in Decatur, Georgia. The Atlanta VAHCS is a 152-bed level 1A inpatient hospital, which provides health care for over 400,000 veterans. This program accepts one fellow annually. 

The mission of the Atlanta VAHCS (AVAHCS) Limb Preservation Podiatry Fellowship Program is to further develop, educate and train the podiatric physician in the management of conditions and complications that increase the risk of lower extremity amputation in Veteran patients. It seeks to increase the body of knowledge and depth of clinical and surgical experiences through the collaborative approach to patient management, research, and scholarly activities, thereby solidifying the practice of lifelong learning. The fellow works in a multi-disciplinary practice within the hospital system under the primary departments of podiatry and vascular surgery.

Clinical and surgical experiences is 100% VA-based and includes outpatient and inpatient management of some of the most complicated and co-morbid patients enrolled in the system. Patient management is evidence-based and involves the partnership of internal medicine, endocrinology and infectious diseases, among other specialties. As a patient comprehensively managed by a team, the Veteran patient benefits from the focused and intense whole health care. Because of the amount of time spent within the vascular surgery department, the fellow graduates with an advanced knowledge and skill to identify and rapidly manage or refer patients with acute vasculopathy. The fellow is fully integrated within the podiatry and vascular surgery sections, acting as a liaison between both services, facilitating the care of our complicated patient population. Twenty percent of the curriculum is devoted to research and publication with full support from podiatric and vascular surgery faculty.

Post-Baccalaureate RN Residency Program

PBRNR is sponsored by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA). PBRNR RN Residents are hired as trainees with 100% protected learning time throughout the 12-month residency. The residency follows a robust three-phase curriculum, offering yearlong didactic classes and experiential learning opportunities in the ambulatory, acute care, perioperative, and mental health clinical setting. 

The Post-Baccalaureate RN Residency at the Atlanta VA Medical Center is accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (www.ccneaccreditation.org).

About the PB-RNR Program

• Engage in a 12-month trainee program that fosters a supportive learning and working environment, enabling you to perform as an experienced RN at the program’s conclusion.
• Participate in supervised and precepted clinical experience, with graduated autonomy as competency is demonstrated.
• Attend biweekly didactic instruction and seminars, experiential learning opportunities and simulation exercises.
• Rotate through a variety of units/clinics, including Medical Surgical Unit, Primary Care, Emergency Department, and Mental Health.
• Complete an evidence-based practice (EBP) project that pertains towards real-world issues affecting the care and health of the Veteran population in which they encountered in clinical practice.

Benefits and Salary

Sponsored by the Veterans Administration Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA), each resident will receive:

• 12-month stipend amounting to $61,000
• Accrue annual and sick leave starting from day one.
• No holidays, weekends, or night shifts
• Eligible for health benefits, including medical, dental and vision.
• Clinical experiences with preceptor and 100% protected time (not counted in staffing)
• No holidays, weekends, or night shift

Note: PB-RNR nurse residents are considered health professions trainees (HPTs). After successful completion of the one-year residency, we do hope that you will find your calling to care for Veterans within the Atlanta VA Healthcare System.

Program Requirements

• Be a US citizen.
• Proficient in both spoken and written English
• Meet VA vaccination requirements.
• Graduate from a BSN or MSN entry level program accredited by Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) or Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) no more than 12 months before program start date.
• Possess a current unrestricted RN license by program start date.
• Be serving in their first RN role.
• Commit to completing the 12-month RN residency program.
• Pass the VA pre-employment medical exam and drug testing.

How to apply

To apply, please submit the following by email to Dr. Sabrina Simpkins-Morris at Sabrina.morris@va.gov

• Resume not to exceed three pages.
• VA application form 10-2850D (Application for Health Trainees) 
• Three (3) letters of recommendation written on official letterhead from a nursing school Dean or coordinator, from a clinical faculty and from a current or previous work manager.
• School transcripts (may be unofficial)
• Current BLS card by American Heart Association
• Form DD 214 if you are a Veteran.

Application deadlines-For Academic Year 2024-2025.

• The Fall PBRNR cohort will start in September 2024. Applications will close on March 31, 2024. 
• The Spring PBRNR cohort will start in March 2025. Applications will close on October 31, 2024. 

PROGRAM DIRECTOR
Dr. Sabrina Simpkins-Morris, DHA, MSN, RN, AMB-BC, CPHQ

Contact Information: Sabrina.morris@va.gov