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Lee Health Careers

APP Surgical Fellowship

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What is the APP Surgical Fellowship Program?

The APP Surgical Fellowship Program is an intensive 12-month program, available to two fellows per year, administered by the Department of Academics in partnership with our Lee Physician Group General Surgery groups. Clinical duties are performed at all Lee Health Facilities.

Our program provides an educational and nurturing environment to educate and enable physician assistants in providing care for the most complex surgical patients. We aim to help APPs develop keen judgment and technical abilities in different aspects of surgery, thus increasing their confidence in their chosen specialty.

Additionally, APP fellows will obtain clinical and didactic knowledge that would take years of on-the-job training to obtain thus opening avenues of more professional opportunities to them with increasing autonomy and responsibility. The program includes experiences in the management of surgical patients across the peri-operative spectrum including inpatient floors, emergency departments, operating rooms, intensive care units, and outpatient clinics.

We appreciate your interest in the APP Surgical Fellowship. Applications are now closed, and interested applicants may apply as early as February 2024 for tentative July 2024 start.

Application Closed

For further details, please contact: APPfellowship@leehealth.org

What are the time requirements for the APP Surgical Fellowship?

The time requirement for the APP Surgical Fellowship is rigorous. Each fellow is responsible for a minimum of 50 hours per week devoted to training. Work hours may be split between rotation, on-site training, reading, modules, research, and other activities. Each fellow is expected to work the schedule set by their mentors. Schedules will vary and consist of days, evening, nights, weekends and holidays.

What is the curriculum for the APP Surgical Fellowship Program?

The APP Surgical Fellowship at Lee Health provides a robust infrastructure to expand the knowledge, skills, and attitudes required to move the APP from entry-level competence toward proficiency and expertise.

The program curriculum encompasses Organizational Enculturation, Practice-Based Learning, peer support, and personalized mentoring.

Organizational Enculturation topics facilitate the assimilation of the APP Fellow into the culture, practices, and values of Lee Health and the APP’s profession.

Practice-Based Learning. This includes concepts intended to facilitate competence in the standards of practice and professional performance of the APP Fellow. These are introduced as lecture topics and are reinforced by clinical mentors in practice settings.

During Academic Conference Days, the APP Fellow presents cases with explicit examples of how these concepts have been applied in the practice setting. These topics include: Well-being & Burnout, Professionalism, Practice Efficiency, Effective Communication, Critical thinking, Principles of Medical Ethics, Interprofessional teaming, Social determinants of health, and Billing Compliance.

Fellows will participate in supervised direct patient care activities as assigned by the clinical faculty mentor(s). This includes having experiences with surgical patients in all phases of care including preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative. Fellows will gain competence in surgical first assisting.

What elective rotations are offered to APP Surgical fellows?

Elective rotations are meant to enhance the education of the fellow, mainly to address learning gaps and weaknesses. These experiences may also be used to explore a possible opportunity post-fellowship, or to facilitate a transition to the same. They may be hands-on or shadowing experiences. Elective rotations must contribute to the primary goals of the fellowship and may vary in frequency and length, on a case-by-case basis, depending on multiple factors.

Fellow Responsibilities Will Include:

  • Work shifts as assigned
  • Complete online educational modules as assigned: SCORE (Surgical Council on Resident Education)
  • Prepare and deliver regular didactic presentations on topics in general surgery
  • Participate in research activities as directed, such as quality improvement projects
  • Adhere to the standard of care in clinical practice
  • Attend weekly academic conferences (typically on Thursday afternoons)
  • Participate in professional development through curriculum, development, research and continuing education opportunities

Program Leadership

Faculty Members

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