About the Fellowship
How do fellows spend their time?
Fellows spend 75-80% of their time in scholarly activities (training and scholarly projects) and 20-25% of their time in clinical care (for fellows with a clinical background) and/or activities supporting clinical care that meets their site’s needs (for non-clinician fellows). They develop and implement at least one scholarly project related to an area of specific focus (e.g., geriatric research, education and/or clinical innovation) and work closely with mentors and other GRECC faculty and staff to develop a fellowship experience that aligns with their individualized short- and long-term goals.
Who can apply?
Fellows can be clinicians or non-clinician scientists, as long as they have an interest in aging. General eligibility information is listed below but individual sites will verify if an applicant is eligible at the local level.
Clinician applicants:
Physician applicants: Prior to beginning the fellowship, physician applicants must have completed an ACGME or American Osteopathic Association (AOA)-accredited specialty and subspecialty residency training, as appropriate; be board certified or board eligible and actively pursuing eligibility; and have a current, unrestricted medical license, registration, or certification issued by a State, Territory, Commonwealth, or the District of Columbia.
Nurse applicants: Prior to beginning the fellowship, nurse applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Possess an advanced (doctoral or masters) degree from an accredited program in nursing and meet the qualification standards that would make them eligible for VHA hire.
- Have a nursing license (e.g., RN, NP) and be either credentialed or boarded with a scope of practice consistent with their licensure and prior training. The license must be maintained throughout the fellowship to maintain eligibility for participation.
Psychologist applicants: Prior to beginning the fellowship, psychologist applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Possess a doctoral degree from an accredited doctoral program that would make them eligible for VHA hire. Doctoral programs must be American Psychological Association (APA), Canadian Psychological Association (CPA) or Psychological Clinical Science Accreditation System (PCSAS) accredited.
Associated Health Trainee applicants (other than psychologists): Prior to beginning the fellowship, associated health trainee applicants must meet the following criteria:
- Possess an advanced (doctoral or masters) degree from an accredited program in their respective profession and meet the qualification standards that would make them eligible for VHA hire.
- Have completed all requirements to become a fully credentialed independent practitioner (or the equivalent for that profession) at a VA facility.
- Have an active, unrestricted license to practice in the U.S. if such licenses are required for entry-level VHA employment in the candidate’s profession.
Non-clinician applicants:
Must possess a doctoral degree (e.g., PhD, DPH, ScD) and have training or demonstrated interest in aging. These applicants would be appointed as non-clinician scientists.
