Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner Fellowship

Building Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners in Rural and Underserved Communities

This innovative program is designed to increase access to behavioral health services in Colorado.

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This work was supported by a grant from The Colorado Trust which is a statewide philanthropic foundation dedicated to ensuring all Coloradans have the opportunity to thrive.

Program Details

Licensed registered nurses or nurse practitioners who are currently embedded in rural/underserved Colorado and working toward obtaining their certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP) are eligible to apply for the fellowship.

The fellowship provides:

  • Financial stipend up to $10,000

  • Flexibility to choose your school

  • Monthly 1:1 academic and professional coaching

  • Training related intracultural development and bias busters

Have Questions?

Contact Callie Anne Bittner at callie@coloradonursingcenter.org

Applications accepted 8/5/24 - 9/5/24

Finalist are required to participate in a virtual interview.

The Challenge

Colorado has a shortage of professional behavioral health providers. Rural and underserved communities have the most problematic shortages. Family nurse practitioners, specifically from earlier Center run programs, have indicated that the majority of their patient populations have chronic illnesses exacerbated by unmanaged or undiagnosed behavioral health challenges, and the communities in which they live do not have enough specialized behavioral health providers. 

The second challenge is the nursing workforce, which is not representative of the population of Colorado. Provider/patient concordance or a shared identity between a patient and a provider based on a demographic attribute, such as race, gender, or age, improves patient outcomes and is one strategy to eliminate health disparities. 

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The Solution

The Colorado Center for Nursing Excellence developed this fellowship program to support nurse practitioners living in rural and underserved communities through the process of obtaining their certificate in Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioners (PMHNP). This is a “Grow Your Own” model where the recipients are already fully embedded in the rural and underserved communities where they plan to practice. All qualified nurses representing all types of diversity are encouraged to apply.

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