Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist offers a Cardiovascular Medicine Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Fellowship Program. This one-year, post-graduate fellowship is designed for Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (ACNPs), Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners (AGACNP) and Physician Assistants (PAs) that are recent graduates or experienced APPs transitioning into a new specialty.
At Atrium Health Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center, APP Fellows will undergo advanced training with a focus on inpatient cardiology while rotating in:
- Ambulatory Cardiovascular Care
- Electrophysiology
- Advanced Heart faiFure
- Interventional Cardiology
- Structural Heart
Curriculum Overview
- Inpatient Cardiology: Exposure to acute care settings, including management of heart failure, arrhythmias, myocardial infarction, and post-procedure patients.
- Outpatient Cardiology Clinics: Experience in managing chronic cardiac conditions, providing additional patient education, preventive care, and longitudinal care.
- Electrophysiology (EP): Understanding arrhythmia management, device implantation (pacemakers, defibrillators), and ablation procedures as well as left atrial appendage closure devices.
- Interventional Cardiology: Experience in heart catheterization procedures, angioplasty, stent placements, post procedure management.
- Structural Cardiology: Exposure to TAVR, TEER, pre/post procedure management .
- Heart Failure and Transplantation: Introduction to advanced therapies such as ventricular assist devices (VADs), inotropes, and pre/post-transplant care.
- Non-invasive Imaging: Understanding the indications and reviewing the techniques and indications for echocardiography, nuclear stress testing, and cardiac MRI/CT.
- CT Surgery: Introduction to CABG, valve surgeries, post operative management.
- Hands-on training in procedures like:
- Arterial and venous line placement.
- Basic echocardiography and ultrasound-guided access.
- Cardioversion and defibrillation.
- Interpretation of ECGs, Holter monitors, and telemetry.
- Lectures and case-based learning on topics such as:
- Cardiac pathophysiology.
- Pharmacologic management (e.g., antiarrhythmics, diuretics, etc.).
- Current guidelines for managing acute and chronic cardiac conditions.
- ECG interpretation .
- Journal clubs to review and discuss recent cardiology research.
- Formal end-of-rotation presentations.
- Opportunities to participate in or lead research projects.
- Training in quality improvement initiatives and evidence-based practice.
- Collaboration with cardiologists, APPs, surgeons, pharmacists, nurses, and other specialists.
- Participation in multidisciplinary rounds and patient care conferences.
- Discussing cases with consulting services.
- Training in managing patients with advanced therapies such as left ventricular assist devices (LVADs), and other mechanical circulatory support systems.
- Regular performance reviews and mentorship from experienced cardiologists and APPs.
- Opportunities for professional growth, including leadership development and preparation for taking the American College of Cardiology (ACC) Certified Knowledge Examination (CCKE).