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A partnership between the Connell School of Nursing and the VA Boston Healthcare System has established a new program to enhance the training and professional development of nurse practitioners who work with veterans and their families.
A grant from the Veterans Health Administration has established a Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Residency Program; VA Boston Healthcare System-CSON is one of only four partnerships in the country chosen to pilot the new program. The 12-month program will offer training, supervision, education and mentorship that enables board-certified graduates of master of science in psychiatric/mental health nursing programs to move from clinically-prepared novices to proficient health care providers who can address the mental health needs of veterans.
The other pilot sites are Birmingham VA Medical Center-University of Alabama at Birmingham, Durham VA Medical Center-Duke University and Ralph H. Johnson VA Medical Center-Medical University of South Carolina.
The residency program is directed by Sherley Belizaire, a nurse practitioner in Mental Health Inpatient Services at VA Boston Healthcare System. As representatives of the educational partner, CSON Clinical Assistant Professor Pamela Terreri and Clinical Instructor Lori Solon meet regularly with Belizaire and VA Boston Healthcare Nursing/Patient Services Associate Director Cecilia (CeCe) McVey ’72 on the creation and implementation of the program. Terreri and Solon also serve on the VA’s national task force for the pilot residency program, which holds monthly teleconferences on issues such as program assessment.
“The VA is very innovative in their clinical work, so the residents are being exposed to things that are clinically cutting-edge,” said Solon.
“This program allows the residents to have experience in all facets of psychiatric mental health: outpatient, through the continuity clinic; inpatient, both acute and chronic, and prescribing medications,” she added.
Residency programs for post-master’s mental health/psychiatric nurse practitioners are a relatively new development. “A residency program helps new graduates feel more gradually taken into the role of nurse practitioners,” explained Terreri.
“New graduates are prepared to enter the workforce, but many of the expectations in the job market are that they fill vacancies and manage a complex population that has other medical problems in addition to their psychiatric issues. It is pretty extensive what is expected of them. It is tough going,” said Terreri.
Terreri and Solon both recalled that the transition from graduate school to practice was very different when they entered the nurse practitioner field, before managed care. The entry was slower, with a great deal of supervision, time to spend on patients and paperwork and on-the-job support and education, they said. That is no longer the case.
“These residency programs are filling the void,” said Solon, who noted the selection process was very competitive.
There are four residents participating in the Boston VA-CSON program, making it the largest residency program for mental health nurse practitioners in the Boston area. They include BC alumnae Susan Wilkinson. Cassandra Perry ’11 MS’14, is a resident in the North Carolina pilot program.
Residents who complete the program will be given the opportunity to apply for available vacancies at the Boston VA. Caring for veterans and their families is a growing interest among nursing students and graduate school applicants, according to Solon.
“This training will serve psychiatric nurses wherever they are practicing. It would be usual nowadays for a nurse not to come into contact with someone who has served in the military or had a family member serve,” said Solon.
One of the requirements of the program is that residents must complete a research project. There will be opportunities for CSON faculty to work with residents on research and serve as mentors. There are also discussions about residents taking a CSON course in pharmacology. Applications are currently being accepted for the second cohort of residents.