As of October 2026, nurse practitioner fellowship programs (also called NP residencies) are optional postgraduate programs, run by employers such as VA medical centers, health systems, and community health centers, that move a new NP into practice with mentoring, didactics, and protected learning time. CCNE standards describe programs of 9 to 18 months, and the VA examples reviewed here closed applications months before the start.
What is an NP fellowship or residency program?
An NP fellowship or residency is a structured postgraduate program, run by an employer, that helps a new nurse practitioner transition into a first NP role or into a new specialty. The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE) defines it as a series of learning sessions and other experiences over a 9 to 18 month period designed for exactly that transition.
Three points from the CCNE standards matter to anyone deciding whether to apply:
- The names are interchangeable. CCNE notes that organizations call these programs fellowships, residencies, or other names, and its standards apply regardless of the label.
- They are optional. CCNE states plainly that NP fellowship and residency programs "are not mandatory." Your eligibility to practice comes from your graduate degree, national certification, and state licensure, not from a residency.
- They do not change your scope. The programs "do not change the scope of practice for which participants were educated and hold certification." A family NP who completes a cardiology fellowship is still a family NP.
Under CCNE's definition, a fellow is an employee or a formal trainee, so postgraduate NP training is a job with extra structure on top.
Who runs NP residency programs?
Healthcare organizations run them. CCNE lists primary care clinics, acute care hospitals, and large healthcare systems among the sponsors, and a CCNE-accredited program must be offered by an accredited healthcare organization in partnership with an accredited academic nursing program.
The main sponsor types you will meet:
- The Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). The VA Office of Academic Affiliations lists Primary Care, Mental Health, and Geriatrics and Extended Care NP residency programs in a searchable directory by state, with a program director named for most sites.
- Community health centers. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) runs the Advanced Nursing Education Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship (ANE-NPRF) program, which the federal program inventory describes as supporting community-based NP residency and fellowship programs that are accredited or in the accreditation process. Its programs train new primary care NPs, psychiatric mental health NPs, and certified nurse-midwives to integrate behavioral and maternal health into primary care.
- Academic medical centers and health systems, including programs that move an NP into a new specialty, the use case CCNE illustrates with cardiology and oncology.
For VA and community settings, browse current openings on the VA jobs hub and the community health hub.
Who accredits NP fellowship and residency programs?
Three national bodies accredit postgraduate NP programs: CCNE, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), and the National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium. Accreditation is voluntary, so a program can be well run without it, but it means an outside reviewer has checked the structure against published standards.
| Accreditor | What it accredits | Program length in its standards | How to look a program up |
|---|---|---|---|
| CCNE | NP fellowship and residency programs, under standards approved in 2020 | 9 to 18 months | CCNE accredited programs |
| ANCC Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Accreditation (APPFA) | Transition-to-practice programs for PAs and APRNs | At least nine months | ANCC Find an Accredited Organization, filtered to APPFA |
| National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium | NP and joint NP and PA postgraduate residency and fellowship programs | Not confirmed for this guide; ask the program | Ask the program for its accreditation letter |
A few details keep this table honest:
- ANCC has two transition programs. Its Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) page lists RN residencies and RN fellowships as the program types it accredits. ANCC's credential built for NP and PA fellowships is APPFA, which ANCC says may be granted for up to four years.
- CCNE also has two. It accredits entry-to-practice nurse residency programs under a separate set of standards from its NP fellowship/residency standards, and its directory lists the two types separately. Check that a program's CCNE accreditation is for an NP fellowship/residency.
- The consortium is federally recognized. A June 9, 2026 Department of Education notice in the Federal Register listed the consortium's application for renewal of recognition for the July 22 and 23, 2026 meeting of the National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity (NACIQI). At that meeting the committee voted 12 to 0 to recommend renewing the consortium's recognition for five years, and recommended a monitoring report within 12 months. The vote is a recommendation, and a senior Department official makes the final decision. This guide could not confirm that decision as of October 22, 2026.
- Program pages may use another name. UC Davis Health, for example, says its APP fellowships were accredited in 2023 for three years "through the Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers," with reaccreditation due in 2026. Ask any program for its accreditation letter and dates.
- New accreditations keep arriving. At its April 21 to 24, 2026 meeting, CCNE granted initial accreditation to NP fellowship and residency programs at Aleda E. Lutz VA Medical Center (Saginaw, Michigan), Marion VA Health Care System (Marion, Illinois), and VA Western Colorado Healthcare System (Grand Junction, Colorado), each with a term running to June 30, 2031.
In practice, CCNE accreditation means mentors are oriented and evaluated, learning sessions fall in paid time, and completion and alumni retention are tracked. An unaccredited program may do the same, so the questions below matter more than the logo.
When do NP residency applications open?
Each program sets its own calendar, and the VA programs checked for this guide recruited in the first months of the year for a summer or fall start. The dated examples below, from program pages viewed on October 6, 2026, show the pattern, not a schedule for other programs.
| Program (example) | Application window | Decisions | Start | Source date |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| VA Oklahoma City Primary Care NP Residency | March 1 to April 4, 2026 | By May 31, 2026 | Third week of September 2026 | Page updated September 16, 2026 |
| VA Northern California NP Residency | January 1 to February 28 | By April 5 | Mental health track mid July; primary care track not accepting applications | Page updated July 16, 2026 |
| UC Davis Health Primary Care APP Fellowship | Not stated; cohort eligibility required NP program completion between April 1, 2025 and June 15, 2026 | Not stated | Not stated | No page date; viewed October 6, 2026 |
Two practical consequences follow. First, a window can close before you sit for boards: the Oklahoma City program accepts applications "pending graduation and boards," then requires FNP or AGPCNP certification and a full, unrestricted license, while Northern California allows certification and licensure within 90 days of the start. Second, eligibility can be tied to recency. Both VA programs above require graduation within the past 12 months, and Northern California requires that the residency be your first position in the specialty.
Set reminders in your final year, and have your CV and cover letter ready before the window opens.
How do you evaluate an NP fellowship program?
Judge a program on structure you can verify, not on its title. These are the questions to put to the program director, in writing where you can:
- Protected learning time. How many hours a week are reserved for didactics, and is that time ever pulled for clinic coverage? Northern California, for example, advertises "protected time for weekly didactic sessions."
- Precepted clinical time. Who supervises you, how often, and does the preceptor have reduced productivity expectations while precepting? CCNE expects mentored experiences to "immerse participants into the practice environment in a structured and logical manner."
- Didactic curriculum. Ask for the syllabus. CCNE standards cover eight domains, including person-centered care and systems-based practice, and the systems domain includes billing and coding.
- Panel ramp. How many patients a day in month one, month six, and month twelve? Do you build your own continuity panel, as the Northern California program describes, or float?
- Mentorship. Is there a named mentor separate from your daily preceptor, and how are mentors evaluated?
- Outcomes. Ask for the program's completion rate and alumni retention rate. Accredited programs under CCNE standards must track both.
- Pay and benefits. What is the salary or stipend, and does it change at completion? Each program sets its own pay, so get the figure in writing and compare it with the salary guide.
- Contract terms. Is there a service commitment after completion, a repayment clause if you leave early, or a noncompete? Is a staff job offered at the end? The Oklahoma City VA page states that completion "is not a guarantee of employment."
- Accreditation status. Confirm it with the accreditor's directory, not only the program's website.
A service commitment or repayment clause is a legal term of your contract; an employment attorney can explain how it applies to you before you sign. For interview preparation, the NP interview questions guide covers the clinical and behavioral rounds that fellowship panels also use.
Where can you find NP fellowship programs?
No single list covers every program, so search in several places at once:
- Employer postings. Some employers post their fellowship or residency as a job opening. Filter the new grad hub, and set a job alert for "fellowship" and "residency" in your target region so new postings reach you during application season.
- VA facility pages. Start from the VA Office of Academic Affiliations directory and contact the listed program director. At the Oklahoma City VA, residents are "federal trainees," so follow each residency page's own application instructions. For a staff role after training, search USAJOBS, the federal government's official employment site, and the VA jobs hub.
- HRSA-funded community programs. ANE-NPRF supports community-based programs, so ask local health centers whether they run one.
- Accreditor directories. Use the CCNE and ANCC search tools in the table above to build a shortlist, then go to each program's own page for dates.
Do you need a residency, or will a regular first job do?
You do not need a residency to practice, and a regular first job with structured onboarding can deliver much of the same support. The difference is that a formal program puts the structure in writing and, if accredited, has been checked against standards.
A regular job may suit you better if you cannot relocate or no program in your specialty recruits nearby. Ask it the same questions about precepting, panel ramp, and mentorship, and get the answers in the offer letter. The first NP job guide covers how to judge onboarding in a standard role, and the credentialing checklist explains why your start date depends on paperwork either way.
For a wider view of hiring demand, see the NP job outlook.
What should employers know before building a program?
Employers building a transition program should design it against a published standard from the start, even if accreditation comes later. ANCC's APPFA Getting Started Guide (Version 3, May 14, 2026), for example, requires that at least one learner has completed the full program before the organization applies, that learners are licensed and nationally certified, and that they are paid at least minimum wage as part of employment. CCNE's standards require a written, signed academic-practice partnership agreement and a written evaluation plan that tracks completion and alumni retention.
When your program is ready to recruit, list each cohort as a job on NP Hiring, with the start date, length, and pay stated in the posting.
Frequently asked questions
Are NP residency programs worth it?
An NP residency is worth it when you want structured support more than first-year flexibility, or when you are moving into a specialty your graduate program covered only briefly. Its value depends on the specifics: protected learning time, real precepting, a gradual panel ramp, and a fair contract. Compare the full offer, including any service commitment, against a regular job with strong onboarding before you decide.
Are NP fellowships paid?
Accredited ones are. Under CCNE standards a fellow must be an employee or a formal trainee, with learning sessions scheduled during paid time, and ANCC's APPFA requires that learners are paid at least minimum wage as part of employment. Each program sets its own amount. The VA Northern California residency, for example, lists a stipend of $90,532 for its Mather site as of academic year 2026. Always confirm pay and benefits with the program.
When do NP residency applications open?
Each program sets its own window, and the VA examples checked for this guide closed months before the start date. In 2026, the VA Oklahoma City primary care residency accepted applications from March 1 to April 4 for a September start, while the VA Northern California residency lists January 1 to February 28 for a mid July mental health track start. Check each program page early in your final year and set alerts.
Do new grad NPs need a residency?
No. CCNE, which accredits these programs, states that NP fellowship and residency programs are not mandatory. You become eligible to practice through your graduate program, national certification, and state licensure. A residency is one route into a first job; a regular position with structured onboarding is another.
Who accredits NP fellowship and residency programs?
Three national bodies accredit postgraduate NP programs: the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) through its Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Accreditation (APPFA), and the National Nurse Practitioner Residency and Fellowship Training Consortium, which the Department of Education recognizes. ANCC's separate PTAP credential is aimed at registered nurse residencies and fellowships, so check which one a program holds. Accreditation is voluntary, so confirm a program's status in the accreditor's own directory.
How do I find NP fellowship programs?
Search employer postings for "fellowship" and "residency," check VA programs through the VA Office of Academic Affiliations directory, ask community health centers about HRSA-supported programs, and use the CCNE and ANCC accreditation directories. On NP Hiring, the new grad hub and email job alerts show residency postings when employers list them.
Sources
- CCNE: Standards for Accreditation of Nurse Practitioner Fellowship/Residency Programs (approved 2020)
- CCNE: Accreditation Actions, April 2026 (published May 15, 2026, updated May 26, 2026)
- CCNE: Accredited Programs (viewed October 6, 2026)
- ANCC: Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Accreditation (viewed October 6, 2026)
- ANCC: APPFA Getting Started Guide, Version 3 (May 14, 2026)
- ANCC: Practice Transition Accreditation Program (viewed October 6, 2026)
- ANCC: Find an Accredited Organization (viewed October 6, 2026)
- Federal Register: National Advisory Committee on Institutional Quality and Integrity, Notice of Meeting (June 9, 2026)
- NACIQI: Report of the Meeting, July 22 and 23, 2026 (viewed October 22, 2026)
- VA Office of Academic Affiliations: Nursing Education (viewed October 13, 2026)
- VA Oklahoma City Health Care: Primary Care Nurse Practitioner Residency Program (updated September 16, 2026)
- VA Northern California Health Care: Nurse Practitioner Residency Program (updated July 16, 2026)
- UC Davis Health: Primary Care APP Fellowship Fast Facts (viewed October 6, 2026)
- OMB Federal Program Inventory: Advanced Nursing Education Workforce Grant Program (93.247) (viewed October 6, 2026)
- USAJOBS: About USAJOBS (viewed October 6, 2026)