APP Women’s Health Fellowship

What is the APP Women’s Health Fellowship?

The APP Women’s Health Fellowship is a 12-month program designed for postgraduate Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) specializing in Women’s Health at Lee Health. It is intended for newly graduated APPs or those entering the Women’s Health field who are seeking additional clinical training and mentorship.

Through a combination of supervised clinical practice, didactic education, and mentorship, the program aims to develop compassionate, knowledgeable, and efficient providers who deliver high-quality, evidence-based care to women across the lifespan. Fellows gain experience in a variety of clinical settings and develop the clinical judgment, procedural skills, and communication abilities necessary to practice confidently within the specialty.

Applicants must possess appropriate national certification. Physician Assistants must be certified by the National Commission on Certification of Physician Assistants (NCCPA). Advanced Practice Registered Nurses must hold certification appropriate for women’s health practice, such as Women’s Health Nurse Practitioner (WHNP) or Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP).

Lee Health Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Program is accredited as an Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs.

The current sites included in this accreditation designation are:

Lee Community Healthcare Inc. - North Fort Myers
Gulf Coast Medical Center
HealthPark Medical Center

The current workplace settings included in this accreditation designation are:

Surgical
Critical Care
Primary Care

Online Application for Lee Health's APP Women’s Health Fellowship

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Are you ready to apply to our APP Women’s Health Fellowship? Fill out our online application now! For further details, please contact: APPfellowship@leehealth.org (link opens in a new window)

What is the curriculum for the APP Women’s Health Fellowship Program?

The APP Women’s Health Fellowship at Lee Health provides a robust infrastructure to expand the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to move the APP from entry-level competence toward proficiency and expertise.

The program curriculum encompasses Organizational Enculturation, Practice-Based Learning, peer support, and personalized mentoring.

Organizational Enculturation topics facilitate the assimilation of the APP Fellow into the culture, practices, and values of Lee Health and the APP’s profession.

Practice-Based Learning. This includes concepts intended to facilitate competence in the standards of practice and professional performance of the APP Fellow. These are introduced as lecture topics and are reinforced by preceptors in practice settings.

During Academic Conference Days, the APP Fellow presents cases with explicit examples of how these concepts have been applied in the practice setting. These topics include: Well-being & Burnout, Professionalism, Practice Efficiency, Effective Communication, Critical thinking, Principles of Medical Ethics, Interprofessional teaming, Social determinants of health, and Billing Compliance.

Fellows will participate in supervised direct patient care activities as assigned by their preceptor(s). This includes having experiences with patients seeking care in the ambulatory setting for gynecologic and obstetric care, including common women’s health procedures. The fellow starts with lower patient volumes early in the fellowship, increasing steadily as the fellowship progresses.

What elective experiences are offered to APP Women’s Health fellows?

Elective experiences are meant to enhance the education of the fellow, mainly to address learning gaps and weaknesses. They may be hands-on or shadowing experiences. Elective experiences must contribute to the primary goals of the fellowship and may vary in frequency and length, on a case-by-case basis, depending on multiple factors.

Fellow Responsibilities Will Include:

Work clinical days as assigned
Complete educational modules as assigned
Prepare and deliver regular didactic presentations on topics in women’s health (2 per month)
Participate in research activities as directed, such as quality improvement projects
Adhere to the standard of care in clinical practice
Attend weekly academic conferences (typically on Thursday afternoons)
Attend meetings as directed
Participate in professional development through curriculum, development, research and continuing education opportunities

What are the time requirements for the APP Women’s Health Fellowship?

The time requirement for the APP Women’s Health Fellowship is rigorous. Each fellow is responsible for approximately 50 hours per week devoted to training. Work hours include, but are not limited to, direct patient care, required reading, lecture preparation, fellowship meetings, and research activities. Each fellow is expected to work the schedule set by their preceptor(s) and attend meetings as assigned.