Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences in Arizona offers a competitive Cardiology Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Fellowship that accepts two fellows a year. Applicants with a strong interest in continuing a career in the cardiovascular field will be considered if they have graduated from an accredited nurse practitioner (NP) or physician assistant (PA) school and received national board certification. Potential candidates are reviewed and selected by an application and interview process.

Nurse Practitioner candidates with an adult-gerontology acute or primary care certification, or a family nurse practitioner certification will be considered. However, fellowship rotations may differ slightly depending on your individual scope of practice to comply with the APRN Consensus Model and the Arizona state board of nursing.

Applicants must provide verification of eligibility for an Arizona NP or PA license and a Drug Enforcement Administration provider number, which is required at the onset of the program if you are accepted as a fellow. Consideration for interviews is conducted for only those candidates who meet the established selection criteria.

Program highlights

This 12-month didactic program provides a minimum of 300 didactic or classroom hours and 1,700 clinical mentored hours. The learning methods used include interdisciplinary rounds, conferences, self-learning modules, hands-on labs, simulated learning and a professional development project.

The program provides mentored clinical experience in all aspects of adult cardiovascular disease management, including cardiovascular diagnostics, cardiac health and performance, interventional cardiology, vascular disease, electrophysiology, structural heart disease, advanced heart disease failure, cardiac transplantation, adult congenital heart disease, and cardiothoracic surgery. Rotations may occur in the inpatient or outpatient setting.

Upon completion of the fellowship, you will be more confident in your cardiovascular knowledge, for ease of transition into your future role as a nurse practitioner or physician assistant in cardiology.

Completion and certification

After successfully completing this fellowship, you are recognized at a graduation ceremony and receive a Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences certificate documenting completion of a one-year postgraduate Cardiology Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Fellowship.

Accreditation

The Mayo Clinic School of Health Sciences Cardiology Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Fellowship is accredited with distinction as a Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs.

See accreditation information for Mayo Clinic College of Medicine and Science.

Continuing medical education (CME) hours are provided by Mayo Clinic School of Graduate Medical Education for medical conferences sponsored by Mayo Clinic, and continuing education unit (CEU) hours for nursing licensing renewal are provided by nursing-approved courses at Mayo Clinic. In addition, attendance at a national cardiovascular-focused conference is allotted to each fellow during the fellowship.

Program goals

The Cardiology Nurse Practitioner or Physician Assistant Fellowship aims to provide you with the ability to:

• Analyze pathophysiology for various cardiovascular disease processes
• Develop cardiovascular diagnoses, formulate a treatment plan and evaluate patient response to treatment
• Utilize evidence-based medicine practices using quality, cost-effective care
• Educate patients and families regarding the cardiovascular disease process, including primary and secondary cardiac prevention, while remaining cognizant of the patient's emotional, physical, and cultural needs
• Develop organizational skills to manage a patient caseload
• Develop effective communication and presentation skills with the interdisciplinary team
• Transition from the novice nurse practitioner or physician assistant into the professional role.