Barbara Trueman Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Fellowship
Barbara Trueman Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Fellowship
Nationwide Children’s Hospital offers a one-year postgraduate fellowship for new graduate psychiatric nurse practitioners who are interested in building upon their knowledge base in order to treat children and adolescents with complex psychiatric disorders.
Nationwide Children’s Hospital is committed to transforming the delivery of pediatric mental health care in Central Ohio and across the country. To this end, the Barbara Trueman Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Fellowship will provide advanced training and support to psychiatric nurse practitioners to meet the complex needs and improve the outcomes of the acute and chronically ill child and adolescent mental health population.
This fellowship program provides evidence-based practice curriculum and a variety of specialty clinical rotations, resulting in both breadth and depth of experience. Fellows will become well-rounded clinicians, engage in weekly educational sessions, and gain the knowledge and tools to improve patient care outcomes through participation in a mentored evidence-based project.
The Barbara Trueman Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner Postgraduate Fellowship at Nationwide Children's Hospital was re-accredited by the Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers in July 2022. Visitors to our site are encouraged to provide public comment as part of our accreditation process. Please visit the Accreditation Status and Public Commentary website.
This fellowship program was the first of its kind to be developed and accredited in the United States.
What You Need to Know
Qualifications
Applicants selected for employment in the program must:
- Have graduated from an accredited Master’s PMHNP or DNP program within the past 18 months
- Be licensed as an RN and APRN in the state of Ohio
- Hold a PMHNP certification through the ANCC
- Hold a permanent DEA license
Please Note: One need not be fully licensed at the time of application; however, selected applicants must obtain all licenses before the start of the program.
Application
You will need the following components uploaded on your application.
- Current CV
- Three (3) letters of recommendation
- Letters should be from the following individuals: Graduate Program Director (1), Clinical Preceptor (2), and Manager from a current or previous position (3)
- All letters of recommendation MUST be on formal letterhead.
Application Timeline and Interview Process
- Application for the 2025-2026 academic year goes live January 2, 2025.
- Application deadline is Friday, February 14, 2025 by 10 p.m. (All materials, including letters of recommendation, must be submitted as outlined above)
- Interviews will take place in March 2025
- Positions will be offered in May 2025
- Program start date: Monday, August 18, 2025
The application review team will consist of the Fellowship Program Director, Fellowship Faculty Committee, and other members of the Behavioral Health team. Please contact the Program Coordinator with questions.
Clinical Rotations
During this one-year fellowship program, the psychiatric nurse practitioner fellow will develop their own caseload of patients in general psychiatry and complete clinical rotations in the following specialty areas:
- Inpatient child, adolescent, and Neurobehavioral units
- Consult Liaison
- Mood and Anxiety Program
- Autism Spectrum Disorders
- Extended Observation Suite
- Early Childhood Mental Health
- Potential Observation Areas:
- Youth Crisis Stabilization Unit
- Partial Hospitalization Program
- School Based
Fellows will also have the opportunity to observe Electroconvulsive Therapy and The PAX School-Based Behavioral Program.
Didactic Lectures
Weekly lectures will include the following topics:
- Psychopharmacology
- Evidence-based practice
- Comprehensive diagnostic assessment
- Psychotherapies
- Quality improvement project development
- Interdisciplinary Pediatric Behavioral Health Training
- Complex medical needs
Evidence-Based Fellow Project
Fellows participate in an evidence-based project during their fellowship program while working closely with an Evidence-Based Practice Nurse Specialist. This provides an opportunity for the fellow to develop clinical leadership skills through research, development, and implementation of an evidence-based project. Fellows can choose a clinical topic of interest and have ongoing mentorship during the fellowship while leading a project from start to completion.
Program Mission
To expand the delivery of pediatric mental health care through the development of competent Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners to improve behavioral and mental health outcomes.
Program Vision Statement
We envision that our Psychiatric Nurse Practitioners will transform the landscape of pediatric behavioral and mental health care through our innovative and comprehensive postgraduate fellowship program.
Program Goals
- Provide advanced training for the novice Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner in order to achieve confidence and competency in all domains of full scope of practice when caring for children and adolescents with highly complex acute and chronic medical, developmental and mental health disorders.
- Investigate and integrate evidence-based care to promote safe clinical practice and apply quality improvement science to improve care.
- Develop our future Psychiatric Nurse Practitioner workforce to increase access to Behavioral Health services.
- Develop clinical leadership skills.
- Recognize the unique needs of the underserved population.
- Identify and incorporate concepts of diversity, equity and inclusion to provide comprehensive patient care.
Program Objectives
- Provide advanced psychopharmacology training to gain expertise in medication management of children and adolescents with co-morbid psychiatric and/or medical disorders.
- Develop advanced assessment and diagnostic skills necessary to treat children and adolescents with complex acute and chronic mental health disorders.
- Provide opportunities for ongoing professional development and promote an environment of respect, support, and interprofessional collaboration.
- Expand critical thinking skills and promote professional curiosity and resourcefulness.
Compensation and Benefits
- Competitive salary
- Competitive benefit package
- Paid time off
- Financial support to attend national conference
- License reimbursement
- Access to wellness programs
Faculty, Fellows, and Alumni
Contact
For more information regarding the program, please contact:
Vonda Keels-Lowe, MSN, APRN, PMHNP-BC, CPN
Program Director
Vonda.Lowe@NationwideChildrens.org
(614) 722-4770
Julie Ickes
Training Program Coordinator
Julie.Ickes@NationwideChildrens.org
(614) 938-0452
