Post-graduate psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner residency program

The mission of the MH-NPR residency program is to bridge education and practice while

transitioning novice Psychiatry Mental Health nurse practitioners into safe, competent

professionals to care for the Veteran using clinical evidence to guide practice.

Our residency is a 12-month program, including a four-phase curriculum model with 80% experiential and 20% didactic learning activities. In addition, our residency includes introductory rotations, core rotations, and rotations in specialty Mental Health clinics.

Rotations are primarily at the Dallas VA Medical Center and include our VA clinics. Didactic sessions include various academic and learning activities, didactic classes, and pre and post-clinical conferences for experiential learning and formative and summative evaluations.

Residents participate in an interprofessional learning environment with medicine, nursing, pharmacy, psychology, and other interdisciplinary health care team members. In addition, residents will implement an evidence-based practice scholarly project and participate in professional development activities geared toward career advancement, networking, and building relationships within the VA health care community.

Upon completing this program, our graduates will receive a Residency Completion Certificate.

This program supports a minimum of three residents yearly.

Longitudinal activities

• Psychiatric research/journal clubs
• Teaching opportunities
• Psychopharmacology education groups

Required rotation experiences

• Outpatient mental health (longitudinal rotation)
• VA clinics (longitudinal rotation)
• Primary Care – Mental Health Integration (PCMHI)
• Substance use disorders
• Inpatient psychiatry
• Inpatient & outpatient geriatric psychiatry

Elective rotation experiences

• Any of the rotations above
• MH consultation team
• Homeless domiciliary (HDOM)
• Trauma clinic
• Consult liaison psychiatry

• . Support professional role transition, integration, and socialization of new nurse practitioners.
• . Provide clinical leadership at the point of Veteran care and beyond.
• . Improve veteran access to high quality care.
• . Recruit and retain high performing nurse practitioners within the VA Healthcare System.

• A recent graduate (within the past 12 months or upcoming graduation by May 2023) of master's or doctoral level nurse practitioner program accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) or The Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE).
• No previous experience as an NP required
• Minimum of 3.0 GPA
• U.S. citizen.
• Hold current board certification in the same specialty area as the program’s focus:
  • Mental Health NP residents must hold a master’s degree or Doctorate degree with board certification in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner.
• Current, full, active, and unrestricted registration as a nurse practitioner in a U.S. state, commonwealth, territory or the District of Columbia, prior to the start of the NPR program.

Note: Although admission priority must be given to trainees who possess licensure and board certification at the time of program entry, the OAA Nursing Education Director may grant a “90-day grace period” to highly qualified NP residency candidate(s) whose licensure and board certification have been delayed.

Candidates must provide written assurance that they will obtain licensure and board certification within 90 days from the start of the program. If a nurse practitioner resident fails to meet board certification or licensure requirement within the 90 days since the start of the program, the trainee will be terminated from the program.

• Salary is paid by the VA Office of Academic Affiliations (OAA) and rates may increase depending on the current year allocation rate. 
• Government health care medical plan with optional dental, vision, and life insurance.
• 10 paid holidays.
• PTO & sick leave accrued per pay period.
• No call or weekend shifts required.
• 100% protected learning time.
• Other VA unmatched benefits.