Nurse Practitioner Residency Program (NPR)

The mission of the Residency is to empower newly graduated Nurse Practitioners to become confident, independent practitioners within the VA Health Care System. Through comprehensive clinical training, mentorship, and professional development, the program fosters advancement beyond entry-level competence—cultivating excellence in patient-centered care, operational effectiveness, and leadership. Our goal is to equip residents with the skills and knowledge needed to address the diverse and complex health needs of Veterans across all practice settings.

The overarching goal of the VA NCHCS Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is to provide newly graduated NPs a foundation for practice that is embedded in scientific knowledge, clinical expertise, and professionalism. The Residency Program will recruit, educate, and prepare NPs, to improve the quality and accessibility of health care services for Veterans and the Nation.

• Transform new graduate nurse practitioners into competent healthcare providers.
• Transform new graduate nurse practitioners into confident healthcare providers.
• Integrate evidence-based knowledge and clinical excellence into advanced practice nursing while caring for the Veteran population.
• Increase access to care to Veterans throughout VHA and the nation.

The program is designed to provide the resident with advanced competencies in a complex, Veteran-centric, health care environment leading to specialized clinical and leadership skills. The VA’s Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) has developed a set of competencies that align with national accreditation standards for advanced practice nursing. Successful completion of the Residency is dependent upon the residents’ ability to meet these competencies. Throughout the year, residents will be evaluated by faculty in competency progression. 

Residents receive supervision from Nurse Practitioners and Physicians in the outpatient settings where they will learn to manage a panel of patients in a year-long continuity clinic. Residents will have the opportunity to rotate through specialty  care settings as elective experiences, providing a comprehensive experience designed to prepare the graduate to work and lead in a complex healthcare environment.

Clinical experiences are based on supervisor availability and subject to change at any time.

Residents receive protected time for weekly didactic sessions. These sessions are led by industry experts from inside and outside the VA. Topics covered are in alignment with OAA and CCNE standards, and include areas such as Veteran centric care, panel management, stress management, interpersonal collaboration, leadership, and communication.

• Must be onsite for entire tour of duty,
• Must be able to deliver care via face-to-face, video, and phone from the VA medical centers,
• Must have ability to travel to the McClellan Outpatient Clinic,
• Must be able to adapt writing style to multiple faculty.

• Stipend as of AY 2026
  • Mather: $90,532
• A comprehensive benefits package that includes:
  • Vacation days, accrued at 4 hours per pay period
  • Sick time, accrued at 4 hours per pay period,
  • 11 paid holidays,
  • Voluntary inclusion into group medical, dental, and vision,
  • Fee exempt DEA Number (approved for activities within VHA)
• Hiring preference for open positions upon successful completion of the residency
• Active and ongoing professional development, which includes recruitment into open positions in VANCHCS and other VA facilities

• Applications accepted January 1st through February 28th
• Interviews conducted March 10th through March 31st
• Decisions sent no later than April 5th
• Residency begins:
  • MH Track: Mid July
  • PC Track: Not Accepting Applications

• U.S. Citizen
• Graduate of an accredited advance practice psychiatric nursing program within the past 12 months
• The residency must be the first position practicing within the specialty you are applying for:
  • MH Track: must never have worked as a PMHNP
  • PC Track: must never have worked as AGNP or FNP
• Have a current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a registered nurse in a state, territory, or commonwealth (e.g., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia
• If not currently holding, the following must be obtained within 90 days of start:
  • Certification as a PMHNP, AGNP, or FNP from ANCC or AANP
  • Full, active, and unrestricted registration as an advanced practice nurse in a state, territory, or commonwealth (e.g., Puerto Rico) of the United States, or the District of Columbia
  • Current DEA with prescriptive authority/furnishing license
• Proficient in written and spoken English
• Pass a background/security investigation as required by the Veterans Health Administration
• Random drug testing may be required

The following should be uploaded by the applicant to the Applicant Portal:

1. Curriculum vitae
2. Personal statement covering [maximum of two (2) pages]:
   • Interest in completing an NP residency
   • How a residency fits in with your short- and long-term career goals
   • Include specific interests in Veteran’s health care
3. Unofficial school transcripts (redact sensitive information)

Three (3) letters of recommendation (structured form to be filled out by recommender) submitted directly from letter authors to this Reference Verification Portal. Please do not submit more than three letters.

1. One from a faculty member of your graduate program
2. One from a clinical preceptor
3. One letter from an employer, supervisor, or coworker addressing the applicant’s professionalism, reliability, and readiness for advanced practice training

Commencement is the day you walk across the stage with your fellows and celebrate your academic achievement. This typically takes place a week or two after your last day of class/finals. Conferral is the day your school has officially awarded you your degree. Depending on this institution, this can be a few to several weeks after your commencement.

Your degree must be conferred before the residency start date. Every school has a different timeline on when they will confer your degree. Some schools on quarter systems have degree conferrals 4 times a year, whereas other schools may have them 2 or three times a year. In order to start the residency, the school must have awarded your degree, and you must be able to prove this via official transcript. For instance, if your last final is January 20th, and your commencement is February 5th, your degree conferral may not be until after the residency start date of February 15th—making you ineligible for the spring cohort. However, you would be eligible for the subsequent summer cohort in August.

Please confirm with your school as to when your degree will be conferred.

We understand that some new grads may not have enough time between their graduation and the residency start date to receive their authorization to test for boards, or may still be waiting for their state board of nursing to issue their license after passing boards. Residents who find themselves in this situation will be given a 90 day waiver.

This waiver allows residents to start in the residency while waiting to complete components of their certification/licensure process. Should a resident fail to attain either one of these items, their participation in the residency will be terminated at the end of the 90 days. OAA does not grant extensions to these waivers, therefore, we suggest that you take your test as soon as possible; in case you fail you will have enough time to retest.