I have been in health care for over 30 years and know firsthand that each discipline, from pre-hospital treatment to acute inpatient management through long-term resident care has their unique challenges. HealthLinc’s Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program is the best path for new graduates to gain experience, comfort and guided understanding to becoming a primary care provider. Their commitment to serving their communities, especially the underserved populations, is inspiring. HealthLinc offers a multifaceted approach to patient care under one roof, which eases the burden for families and caregivers. This collaboration will help me grow as a provider and teach me the skills needed to succeed.  

Kevin Bryant, family nurse practitioner helping LaPorte County families.
Kevin Bryant
Family Nurse Practitioner Resident

I heard about the family nurse practitioner residency program through my first clinical rotation, which is what attracted me to HealthLinc. Hearing from other family nurse practitioners who have completed the residency has helped create a sense of comfort and ease while transitioning into the role of a provider. I am looking forward to receiving mentoring and additional learning experiences to foster a greater sense of confidence. I also look forward to helping create healthy communities and providing exceptional care!

Ceara Burton, family nurse practitioner serving the Mishawaka community.
Ceara Burton
Family Nurse Practitioner Resident

As a healthcare professional, I have seen the significant impact of equitable health care access on patients and families. My goal as a family nurse practitioner is to promote healthy lifestyles and help patients live their highest quality of life. I chose HealthLinc’s Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program because it provides the opportunity to learn from an exceptional healthcare team that is dedicated to improving the health of our communities. The residency program will allow me to gain experience and learn from seasoned providers in various settings as I enter this next stage of my career.

Caitlin Giddens, family nurse practitioner serving Mishawaka.
Caitlin Giddens
Family Nurse Practitioner Resident

HealthLinc’s Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program will aid me as I transition into my role as a primary care provider and allow me to merge my previous experiences as a registered nurse with my new role as a family nurse practitioner. This new role will allow the opportunity to play a role in making my community healthier by educating and providing effective, holistic and patient-centered care. The preceptor mentorship, specialty rotations, didactic experience, quality improvement projects and collaborative healthcare team atmosphere offered at HealthLinc will allow me to grow professionally and provide a strong family practice foundation. This foundation will allow me to become a confident, competent and effective provider, which will have lasting impacts on my future patients and the communities I serve.

Jessica Monjaras, family nurse practitioner serving Michigan City.
Jess Monjaras
Family Nurse Practitioner Resident

FNP Seal

HealthLinc launched the Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program to provide intensive training on both the clinical complexity of family practice in the safety net setting and on a high-performance, Patient-Centered Medical Home (PCMH) model of primary care. This residency is designed for recently graduated or new nurse practitioners with a commitment to developing career practices in the challenging setting of a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC). HealthLinc’s Family Nurse Practitioner Program is accredited through the Consortium for Advanced Practice Providers (CAPP).

  • Embrace Innovation to grow and expand the Family Nurse Practitioner residency program as it seeks to be a model for Family Nurse Practitioner primary care practice in the FQHC setting.
  • Utilize Collaboration among preceptors, mentors and specialty providers to align practice requirements within each community to ensure the needs of patients are fulfilled.
  • Increase Access to quality care by eliminating barriers through expanded training of family nurse practitioners during the residency program.
  • Demonstrate Respect in all circumstances by consistently treating all persons with compassion and integrity.
  • Achieve Excellence by providing best-in-class, patient care services in all aspects of the Family Nurse Practitioner residency program.
  • Humbly provide Servant Care to all communities through advocacy activities, including developing quality improvement projects and engaging in leadership practices that impact care for all patients.

The Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program consists of 12 months of full-time employment at HealthLinc and a one-year commitment to employment after completion.

Class Size

Class size varies each year depending on the needs of the two home clinics. This ensures residents receive a comprehensive educational experience with close, one-on-one instruction.

Full Integration into HealthLinc

  • Involvement in quality improvement and practice redesign
  • Clinical committees and tasks force participation
  • Attendance of provider and all staff meetings at home clinic and at yearly HealthLinc conference
  • All employment benefits of a full-time provider

Core Elements

  • Precepted Continuity Clinics (twice a week)– Develop and manage a panel of new patients.
  • Specialty Rotations (once a week for four weeks)– Rotations include can orthopedics, women’s health/prenatal care, adult/child psychiatry, geriatrics, pediatrics, HIV care, hepatitis C care, newborn nursery, dermatology and health care for the homeless. Note: All sessions vary based on preceptors and affiliated agencies availability.
  • Mentored Clinics (once a week)– Sessions with a clinician mentor focused on practice of episodic and acute care.
  • Educational Sessions (once session/week)– which include
    • Didactics (once a week)– Sessions on high volume/risk/burden conditions frequently seen in FQHCs.
    • Quality Project (every other week)– Through a collaboration with our quality and marketing teams, residents better understand the quality process and development of a quality project via PDSA cycle. There are clearly defined learning objectives and goals of the project.
    • Leadership (once per month)- In these sessions, residents learn more about advocacy, communication, time management, burnout, work-life balance, DEI and so on.
    • Social Needs (once per quarter) – Working in collaboration with HealthLinc’s community health workers, behavior health consultants and outreach team, residents complete a service project.
  • Additional CME/administrative days for project development and completion.
  • Interdisciplinary didactic training with other HealthLinc residency programs, including behavior health, family medicine and pharmacy residencies.
  • Continuous training on HealthLinc’s model of high-performance health system: access, continuity, planned care, team-based, prevention-focused, use of data and technology.
  • Ongoing multi-input evaluation component using qualitative and quantitative measures.
  • Training on the quality improvement model, including clinical microsystems and facilitation, as well as leadership development.
  • U.S. Citizen
  • Professional diploma (BSN, MSN)
  • Recent graduate (less than 18 months) from an accredited Masters or DNP program
  • Licensed (IN APRN) and credentialed (FNP-C) or license/credential-eligible as FNP
  • Stated commitment to practice as a primary care provider in a Federally Qualified Health Center (FQHC) or other safety net settings upon completion of the residency
  • COVID-19 vaccination or a medical or religious exemption

Applications for the Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program are now open. You can view the application here or visit our Employment page.

Application Process

Step one:

  • Apply through HealthLinc’s application tracking system.
  • Fill out all information required, including pre-application questions, and upload your current resume.
  • If qualified, you will be emailed a formal application to complete.

Step two:

  • Complete the electronic application. This process includes:
    • General background and pre-residency information
    • Short essay at 300 – 400 words or more
    • Submission of the following:
      • CV with 5 years of work experience and education history sections in month and year format
      • Copy of driver’s license
      • Professional diploma (BSN, MSN)
      • 3 signed letters of recommendation

Step three:

  • Pre-interview: Online Microsoft Teams sessions will be held to review HealthLinc’s history, the residency program, and the in-person interview process. Several sessions will be offered over a two- to three-week period before a formal interview.
  • Optional site visit: Visit to the clinical location(s) at which the residency takes place.
  • In-person interview: In-person interviews are held at HealthLinc’s corporate office in Valparaiso, IN. They are facilitated by a combination of HealthLinc and program leadership.

If selected for HealthLinc’s Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program, required documents include:

  • Copy of Indian RN license
  • Copy of Indiana APRN license
  • Copies of license(s) from any other states
  • Indiana controlled substance license
  • Federal DEA certificate
  • ANCC/AANP certificate or evidence of eligibility for certification
  • COVID-19 vaccination or a medical or religious exemption

For more information about the Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program, please contact the residency program specialist at mglorioso@healthlincchc.org or npresidency@healthlincchc.org.

Nikki Ameling

Nikki Ameling

Residency Program Specialist

Lisa Budka

Lisa Budka

Family Nurse Practitioner Residency Program Director

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