Surgical Specialties Fellowship for Advanced Practice Providers

Atrium Health’s advanced practice provider (APP) fellowship in Surgical Specialties is a 12-month immersive program offered to nurse practitioner and physician assistants. Our program trains fellows in highly specialized surgical settings and exposes them to state-of-the-art procedural techniques and surgical patient care.

Gain Skills in Multiple Settings

By directing patient care in a protected learning environment, fellows gain confidence and competence in a complex medical specialty and acquire the knowledge, skills, and clinical judgment to safely manage patient care. They will learn how to:

• Investigate, diagnose and recommend appropriate treatment options
• Assist in performing operative procedures
• Provide preoperative, postoperative and late postoperative care

Fellows partner with interdisciplinary providers and develop skills in multiple acute care surgery settings by providing real-time patient care before, during and after surgery. Simulation is used to teach procedural techniques and the use of medical devices. Training during surgery, includes:

• Using surgical instruments and suturing
• Achieving hemostasis
• Managing surgical wounds
• Maintaining a sterile operating room environment

Comprehensive Postgraduate Approach

The program’s innovative curriculum provides the foundation to manage the complex care of the acute care surgery patient across a wide range of general and highly specialized surgical procedures. From evidence-based practice and practice guideline development to translational knowledge and quality improvement, our rotations allow fellowship graduates to gain ACS expertise above and beyond their master’s degree training.

Core Rotations

• General surgery
• Surgical critical care
• Liver and kidney transplantation 
• Hepato-pancreatic-biliary surgery
• Cutaneous and soft tissue surgery
• GI colorectal surgery

Electives
Elective rotations are based on the fellow’s desires and clinical strengths and must be approved by the fellowship directors. Fellows may choose up to 2 electives, including:

• Medical and radiation oncology
• Therapeutic endoscopy and pathology
• Interventional and diagnostic radiology
• Reconstructive plastic surgery