Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program
The VA Portland Health Care System Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is for newly graduated Nurse Practitioners who are interested in a rewarding career caring for our nation’s Veterans and their unique healthcare needs.
Mission:
To develop competent, confident, practice-ready Nurse Practitioners equipped with the knowledge and skills to address the specific needs of our nation's Veterans and increase their access to care.
Program Description:
The VA Portland Health Care System Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is for newly graduated Nurse Practitioners who are interested in a rewarding career caring for our nation’s Veterans and their unique healthcare needs. The NP residency is a 12-month post-graduate, precepted training program within the Behavioral Health setting with a focus on interdisciplinary collaboration and the development of leadership skills within a dynamic and complex health care setting. Residents will manage a panel of patients alongside a dedicated NP clinical supervisor. In addition to Mental Health, the program includes specialty rotations customized for the specific learning needs identified by the NP resident.
Program Goals
- Provide novice nurse practitioners with a depth, breadth, volume, and intensity of clinical training necessary to serve as psychiatric mental health providers in the complex setting of the country’s changing healthcare landscape.
- Provide a curriculum that builds upon an advanced practice nursing foundation gained during the graduate school nurse practitioner curriculum and experiences.
- Provide 100% protected time for novice NPs to master the complexities of providing Veteran-centric care within an interdisciplinary training environment.
- Provide training in team-based, patient-centered care with curriculum focused on issues specific to ambulatory medicine with interactive learning activities, including simulation, case-based learning, journal club, and other innovative training methodologies.
- Engages in an evidence-based project that focuses on the improvement of care within the psychiatric mental health arena.
- Provide clinical specialty rotations based on residents’ identified learning needs to enhance their knowledge base with high priority populations (Primary care, PTSD, Polytrauma, Women’s Health, Homeless Veteran Care, Addiction Psychiatry Substance Abuse management).
- Enhance the growth of leadership skills through professional development opportunities.
- Recruit and retain residents into NP roles within the VAPORHCS or the Veterans Health Administration.
Benefits
- Approximately $83,000/year annual stipend
- Healthcare insurance including vision and dental coverage
- 4 hours of annual leave and 4 hours of sick leave bi-weekly
- 11 paid federal holidays
- No weekend or night shift duties
- Gateway to an exciting and rewarding career caring for our nation’s Veterans.
Eligibility Requirements
- Graduated from an accredited master’s or Doctor of Nursing practice program within the past 12 months.
- Board certification as an Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner ANCC accrediting body (must have prior to September 1st).
- State APRN licensure (must have prior to September 1st).
- DEA certification will be provided by the institution.
- BLS certification
- US citizenship
How to apply
- Fill out the attached (downloadable) application from the link below.
- Applications are only accepted between May 1 and June 30.
- Note: No applications will be accepted after July 1.
Important dates to remember:
- May 1 - June 30: Applications accepted.
- July 1: No applications accepted after this date.
- Mid-September: Residency year begins
- Residency runs one calendar year (example: September 15, 2024 - September 15, 2025)
Please email:
Julie Thompson DNP, FNP-C, PMHNP-BC
Program Director
Julie.thompson4@va.gov, or call 360 696 4061 x 33998