Norfolk, Va.-based Sentara Health has created a formal onboarding program that provides advanced practice providers with on-the-job training and mentorship.
The one-year program is akin to a physician residency program, where APPs participate in weekly clinical education sessions, meet with mentors and complete competency evaluations. The program was designed to ease the transition to practice and improve retention among APPs. The health system launched the onboarding program for primary care APPs in July 2024 and has since expanded the training to critical care, hospital medicine and walk-in care.
“We recognize that unlike physicians, APPs don’t undergo a post-graduate medical residency, which offers enhanced on-the-job learning between medical school and independent practice,” Stephanie Zeiber, PA, director of APP development at Sentara, said in a news release.
“This highlighted the need to support our advanced practice providers in a different way with our own transition-to-practice program.”
APPs currently make up 50% of Sentara’s medical group. Last year, the 12-hospital system said it plans to double its APP workforce by 2027 in an effort to expand access to primary care.
The health system has leaned into a team-based primary care model, where one physician is paired with two APPs. Administrative tasks are offloaded to supportive roles, such as medical assistants and clinical pharmacists. The approach enables clinicians to spend more time with patients.
Health systems are increasingly hiring APPs as demand for care rises. Nurse practitioner jobs are expected to grow 40% by 2034, making it the fastest-growing healthcare occupation in the country. Out of all sectors, NPs are the third-fastest growing.
