NP/PA Fellowship in Hospital Medicine

NPPA Fellowship

NPPA professions continue to be ranked among the fastest growing career opportunities, and the Johns Hopkins Bayview Nurse Practioner/Physician Assistant (NPPA) Fellowship in Hospital Medicine is a unique program designed to provide the training necessary for nurse practitioners (NPs) and physician assistants (PAs) to become successful inpatient clinicians. NPPA fellows benefit from an intense clinical experience working with Hopkins hospitalist faculty members in a supportive team setting. Fellows evaluate and manage patients working 1-to-1 with experienced hospitalist faculty members. Through this fellowship, Johns Hopkins Bayview aims to develop in each fellow the skills, knowledge and competencies necessary to excel in the field of hospital medicine.

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NP/PA Fellowship Program at the Johns Hopkins Division of Hospital Medicine

Fellowship Administration

The fellowship program is overseen by top faculty of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and by experienced NPPA leaders at the Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center. The program leadership oversees the structure and administration of the program and provides constant support and mentorship to ensure the success of the fellows.

Director

Flora Kisuule, M.D.

  • Director, Division of Hospital Medicine at Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center
  • Vice Chair for Inpatient Operations at JHBMC, Department of Medicine
  • Director, Hospitalist Medicine Fellowship
  • Associate Professor of Medicine

Assistant Director

Christina Lackner- NPPA Fellowship

Christina Lackner, PA-C
Clinical Services Manager, Johns Hopkins Bayview NP/PA Service
Assistant Director, NP/PA Fellowship in Hospital Medicine

Curriculum Overview

Clinical Content

During the 12-month fellowship, the fellow will have a 1-to-1 preceptorship with Hopkins hospitalist faculty, which will help the fellow to:

  • Develop a knowledge base of disease processes for which patients are hospitalized
  • Develop differential diagnosis and treatment plans to provide evidence based and cost effective patient care
  • Provide quality patient care while improving patient outcomes
  • Gain clinical experience in a team environment with direct on-site supervision
  • Manage patient care through the entire hospital stay including admission, daily rounds and discharge
  • Improve communication skills with patients, families, providers and multidisciplinary staff members

Educational Content

All NPPA fellows will attend the Adult Hospital Medicine Boot Camp. Sponsored by SHM and the American Academy of PAs (AAPA), the boot camp has the following objectives for attendees:

  • Learn the most current evidence-based clinical practice for key topics in hospital medicine
  • Augment their knowledge base to enhance their hospital medicine practice
  • Expand their knowledge to transition into hospital medicine practice
  • Network with like-minded practitioners

Didactic Content

NP/PA Program

Weekly conferences on clinical conditions from the SHM core competencies will be presented. Topics include but are not limited to: acute kidney injury, alcohol/drug withdrawal, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), heart failure, pain management, sepsis, stroke and venous thromboembolism.

Procedural Education Conferences

Periodically throughout the fellowship, procedural education content will be presented. Topics include but are not limited to: electrocardiogram (EKG) interpretation and telemetry monitoring, chest radiograph interpretation, lumbar puncture and vascular access.

Communication in Health Care

All NPPA fellows will attend a four hour interactive course on building effective communication skills with patients, staff members and colleagues. During the session, the fellows will spend time with peers learning about communication techniques that emphasize: partnership, empathy, acknowledgement, respect, legitimization and support (PEARLS).

Time Period Activities
Day 1 Administrative Orientation
During 1st Month Fellows attend Hospital Medicine boot camp: hospitalmedicine.org/event/nppa-boot-camp/
First 6-8 weeks Clinical on-boarding for the fellow. Paired with a physician. Patient cap slowly raised from baseline of 10 to 13.
40 weeks Fellows work alongside a physician caring for patients. The fellows assist with:
  • being first call on all patients for nurse questions
  • handing off patients
  • completing physical exams
  • completing notes (admission, progress and discharge)
  • order entry
  • obtaining and following up on consults
  • arranging family meetings
  • presenting at multi-D rounds
  • admissions
  • discharges
  • communicating with primary care doctors and other providers
  • performing medication reconciliation
  • interpreting labs, images and procedures
Once a week The fellow attends weekly didactics provided by the Department of Medicine.
Once a month

The fellow receives training in procedures (POCUS, LPs, lines, suprapubic cath/foley management).

The fellow will meet with physician and APP mentors to review educational goals and evaluation results.

At the completion

The fellow will present a case at Grand Rounds

After the successful completion of the fellowship, the fellow will receive certificate of completion from Johns Hopkins Bayview Medical Center specifically stating the fellow graduate received training in hospital medicine.

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What the Fellows Say...

"The PA fellowship was a strong jump start to a successful career in hospital medicine. Coming from PA school, I did not feel I had the skill set or experience to manage a full panel of patients on my own. Working daily with physicians, I learned how to manage patients and work closely with the multidisciplinary team in an efficient and effective manner. Working with in excess of 20 different attendings enabled me to pick up nuances and techniques to choose the best strategies for improving patient care. When I was "promoted" to independent practitioner, I hit the ground running, feeling ready to tackle whatever was thrown my way."

–Kim Blum


"Working side by side with a physician has increased my knowledge exponentially, there is always someone to explain, clarify and make recommendations. It is a great combination of challenge and support.

The weekly lectures are excellent, reviewing topics and discussing cases we've seen is really helpful."

–Michaela Cerrato


"I feel totally supported and that I’m in a safe environment to learn medicine. Starting our careers as new grad PA’s is intimidating and a bit scary and I could not be more happy to be in a program that cares so much about educating and supporting us to foster learning and success for our new careers. Also the doctors are so nice and legitimately seem to enjoy teaching us and watching us progress. The hospital staff is friendly and helpful and is always willing to lend a hand if they can help."

–Lindsey Wood

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Applicants should email Christina Lackner at [email protected] with the following information:

  • Full name (first, last)
  • Personal statement
  • Current CV
  • Two or three letters of recommendation
    • One letter from your physician assistant program director, president, student affairs director or dean
    • One or two letters from physician(s) who supervised you directly within the last 12 months