MORGANTOWN, W.Va. – Advanced practice professionals (APPs) have an opportunity to train within the WVU Department of Urology and WVU Medicine through the Urology APP Fellowship Program, a one-year program designed to prepare APPs for community-based urologic practice.
The ultimate goal of the program is to increase community-based access to urologic care for patients across the state and region.
APPs are medical professionals who have completed specialized training to perform exams, prescribe medications and provide other health care services traditionally performed by doctors. Nurse practitioners, physician assistants, clinical nurse specialists, certified nurse anesthetists and certified nurse midwives are all examples of APPs.
Numerous studies have shown that APPs increase access to health care, and national workforce projections indicate the number of APPs will increase exponentially in the coming years. More than 1,750 APPs work within the WVU Health System, and that number continues to grow.
The one-year fellowship program will be based at J.W. Ruby Memorial Hospital in Morgantown and is open to advanced practice registered nurses and physician assistants. Fellows will rotate through general urology, reconstructive and men’s health urology, pediatric urology, urologic oncology and the inpatient/consult service, gaining experience across a range of urologic specialties and care settings.
WVU Medicine Urology includes a reconstructive and men’s health division, providing fellows with exposure to this specialized area of urologic care as part of their training. Fellows will receive hands-on procedural and skills training, including cystoscopies, penile injections and complex catheter exchanges, as well as opportunities to apply their training in a range of urologic care settings.
“Teaching is one of the most rewarding parts of what I do. I enjoy sharing what I’ve learned through my own experiences and helping APPs build the knowledge and confidence they need to care for patients,” J. Brandon Arruda, A.P.R.N., lead Urology and Urologic Oncology APP and director of WVU Medicine’s Urology APP Fellowship Program, said. “Seeing that growth happen throughout the fellowship is incredibly fulfilling.”
The Pediatric Urology Program at WVU Medicine Golisano Children’s is ranked 44th in the nation by U.S. News & World Report and is West Virginia’s only pediatric urology practice staffed by fellowship-trained pediatric urologists.
The Urology APP Fellowship Program will begin recruiting a fellow in January with the one-year program beginning in August.
For more information on the Fellowship Program, including application information, visit Medicine.HSC.WVU.edu/Urology/Advanced-Practice-Professional-Fellowship-Program.
Community Bulletin
Since joining Vandalia Health, the former Davis Health System has widened access across central West Virginia. Primary care remains the front door — now at five clinics, including Buckhannon Medical Care, backed by a 190-location network. Read more →
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