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Family Nurse Practitioner

The 1st Nurse Practitioner Residency program at a Community Health Center in Massachusetts

Family Nurse Practitioner Residency

The Family Health Center of Worcester’s Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) Residency is the first of its kind in the State of Massachusetts! Since 2009, Family Health Center of Worcester has given FNP residents the unique opportunity to expand their clinical skills while serving a large and diverse patient population in the heart of vibrant downtown Worcester. Family Health Center of Worcester is committed to addressing the shortage of primary care providers by training and preparing Family Nurse Practitioners to serve as providers in the community health care setting.

Description

Family Health Center of Worcester (FHCW) pioneered a Family Nurse Practitioner Residency in 2009 building upon the training resources of the Worcester Family Medicine Residency in collaboration with the University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School.

Taking this successful nurse practitioner residency a step farther, in 2019 FHCW partnered with the University of Massachusetts Worcester Graduate School of Nursing to successfully apply to the federal Health Resources and Services Administration for four years of funding.

This multi-site, 12-month full-time residency provides new FNP graduates (within 18 months of graduation) with the foundation to build their career as a primary care provider in community health centers.

The residency sites are:

Residents will be employed by their sponsoring residency site and receive salary support and benefits through this employer.

The Post-Graduate Nurse Practitioner Residency in Family Practice and Community Health will:

  • Prepare family nurse practitioners to take on responsibility of comprehensive primary care for complex underserved populations across the life span.
  • Build upon the clinical knowledge acquired during formal education by providing clinical and professional support for nurse practitioners in an active learning environment.
  • Expand the number of nurse practitioners interested in building a life-long career in community health.
  • Prepare nurse practitioners for careers in organizations that provide care to underserved patient populations.

Residents work alongside preceptors and team members with a wide variety of expertise and clinical interests. Under the direct guidance of attending NPs, PAs, MDs, and DOs, Residents will have precepted continuity sessions where they see their own primary care patients.  Residents will also have Internship/Shadow sessions, during which they will work alongside an experienced provider.  Furthermore, Residents will have Specialty Sessions that vary by site and may include areas such as reproductive health, addiction medicine, urgent care, procedure clinic, and telemedicine.  Residents will participate in weekly online Didactic Sessions.

About the Partners

Family Health Center of Worcester is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC), which serves over 35,000 patients  from the greater Worcester area in over 55 different languages. Services include comprehensive Primary Care and Family Medicine, Maternal Child Health, Dentistry, Mental and Behavioral health, Vision Care, a Walk In Center for Urgent and Primary care, a low-cost pharmacy, lab, radiology and digital mammography, a Refugee Health Clinic, a Teen Health Clinic, the Health Care for Homeless Families Program, HIV counseling and testing, health education and promotion programming, and public health programs for the early detection and prevention of disease. FHCW also operates 7 school health centers within the Worcester Public Schools and five WIC (Women Infant & Children) offices throughout the greater Worcester area.

Edward M. Kennedy Community Health Center, also an FQHC, provides comprehensive care to a multi-cultural patient population, the majority of whom are at disparate risk for chronic disease and poor health outcomes. Founded in a Worcester housing project in 1972, today Kennedy CHC has three health care sites, two dental sites, two optometry practices and six school-based centers throughout Central Mass and MetroWest. Serving as the medical home for many refugees and immigrants, the Health Center’s patient population speaks over 90 different languages. Currently 28,000+ patients of all ages receive care through the center’s family practice model, a comprehensive approach to the delivery of quality primary and urgent care, medical specialties, nutrition counseling, dental care, optometry, pharmacy, laboratory, behavioral health, social services, and health education.  Kennedy CHC is also a leader in LGBTQ+ health care, provides Medication-assisted treatment for substance use disorders, and offers a comprehensive HIV program.

Codman Square Health Center is a community-based, outpatient health care and multi-service center in the heart of Dorchester. They offer comprehensive care for the whole family, including primary, eye, dental, urgent, and behavioral health care, as well as many medical specialties. In addition, they are a community organization that provides financial and wellness programming. Codman Square Health Center is home to a staff of more than 300 multi-lingual and multi-cultural expert clinicians, medical staff and employees, most of whom reside in the neighborhoods surrounding Codman Square. They boast more than 115,000 client contacts each year, and have developed an astounding depth and breadth of community programs, as well as strong partnerships with other organizations in order to meet our mission most efficiently. We serve more than 23,000 patients each year, 87% of whom live below 200% of the Federal Poverty Level. Codman Square Health Center’s achievements include developing an innovative Diabetes care model, collaborating with their in-house charter public high school, providing “prescriptions” to our Healthworks fitness center for women and children, and serving as an economic engine by bringing 15,000 people to the Codman Square merchant district each month.

The Community Health Program‘s Berkshire County rural health care network, with nine practice locations in Great Barrington, Lee, Pittsfield, and North Adams, and two mobile health units, provides comprehensive health care to more than 30,000 Berkshire area residents. We offer adult and pediatric primary care, dental care, OB/GYN, nutrition, behavioral health care and are well-known for our outspoken commitment to equity in LGBTQ+ health care. This is a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). We also offer an array of family services including Family Support Network, WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) nutrition program, and the early intervention First Steps program.  

Baystate Health (BH) is the largest health care organization in Western Massachusetts. In addition to Baystate Medical Center, a 713-bed level 1 trauma center, BH operates three community health centers, all located in Springfield. Baystate High Street Health Center (HSHC), located downtown, is the largest of the three health centers and is nationally recognized for its team-based care model. The FNP residency, launched in January 2020, joins a environment highly supportive of medical education. The physician residency program located at HSHC was established in 1948 and was featured in an Association of American Medical Colleges report from 2016 titled “High Functioning Primary Care Residency Clinics: Building blocks for providing excellent care and training.” HSHC is a supportive environment for learners of all kinds and hosts students pursuing careers in various allied health roles.

The UMass Chan Medical School/Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing offers academic programs in masters, post-masters and doctoral education, preparing students, professionals and advanced practice nurses for faculty, research and other nursing leadership positions.  As a partner in this grant, GSN faculty bring expertise in curriculum design and competency development, evaluation, and distance learning.

Program Outline

Program Structure

  • Application due by the end of February
  • Residents are selected annually
  • Interviews held in March/April
  • Residency begins July
  • This is a 12-month residency. Residents are expected to remain for an additional 12 months as staff providers at their residency site
  • Precepted clinical sessions by preceptors (NP and MD) 6 sessions/week
  • Specialty clinics
  • Observed patient care session with real-time interdisciplinary commentary
  • Weekly didactic/seminars/Workshops – held at UMass Memorial Medical Center and other sites
  • Daily chart rounds
  • Weekly Grand Round and noontime clinical lectures
  • Weekly administrative time
  • One quality improvement project

Sample of Specialty Clinics

  • Sports Medicine
  • Prenatal Clinic
  • Newborn and Postpartum care
  • School-Based Health
  • Office Procedure Clinic
  • Colposcopy
  • HIV and Hepatitis Care

Sample of Weekly Didactic/Workshop* Topics

  • Diabetes 101
  • Malpractice in Primary Care
  • Women’s Health issues in Primary Care
  • The Elderly Patient
  • Integrative Behavioral Health in Primary Care

*Weekly didactics and workshops will be held at the University of Massachusetts Medical School and other sites

Other Residency Notables

  • Residents are hired as a full time employee by their residency employer with full time benefits.
  • Loan repayment opportunity through the National Health Service Corps.
  • Opportunity for professional and personal growth
  • Resident will be awarded a clinical portfolio upon successful completion of the residency

Evaluation Methods

  • Pre- and Post-Residency Self Evaluation
  • Quarterly Faculty Evaluation of each Resident
  • Monthly Meeting with Residency Advisor

Applicant Qualifications

  • Graduate of Accredited Masters or Doctorate level Program
  • Program begins in July
  • Certified by AANP or ANCC
  • DEA and MA DPH registration preferred

Application

DOCUMENTS: Please click here to access the application to the Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program.
SUBMISSION PORTAL: Please click here for our secure website to submit your application materials.

 

Letters of Support

Submit two letters of recommendation that specifically address the following:

  • Letters should be addressed to the Post-Graduate NP Residency Selection Committee (attached in Word or PDF).
  • Your relationship, and the capacity in which you have worked together.
  • Assessment of your capabilities, both clinical and otherwise.
  • Your interest as related to this Residency Program.

The body of each letter should not exceed 250 words.

We do not currently have any nurse practitioner clinical placements available. If you have questions, please contact Alyda Justiniano, Manager of Provider Relations and Credentialing at Alyda.Justiniano@FHCW.org.  

Contact Us

Christopher Hwang, NP-C
Family Nurse Practitioner & Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Director
Family Health Center of Worcester
26 Queen Street
Worcester, MA  01610
Tel: (508) 860-7841
Email: Christopher.Hwang@FHCW.org

If you have inquires specifically about the application process, please contact Alyda Justiniano, Manager of Provider Relations and Credentialing at Alyda.Justiniano@FHCW.org.

If you have questions regarding non-residency topics, such as Nurse Practitioner student clinical placements, please contact us at NP.Students@fhcw.org.

Please note that we are only in contract with the following schools and we can’t accept students from other schools for clinical placement. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Questions? Connect with our team by reaching out on our Contact Page.