Advanced Practice Fellow - Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

Located in Nashville, Tennessee, Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) operates at a global crossroads of teaching, discovery, and patient care. VUMC is a community where expertise is valued, knowledge is expanded, and abilities are challenged. Vanderbilt Health is committed to an environment where everyone has the chance to thrive, and uniqueness is celebrated. Employees take pride in being part of something bigger than themselves, striving for excellence in patient care, education, and research.

About the role

The Advanced Practice Fellow works in collaboration with an interdisciplinary healthcare team, functioning in various inpatient and outpatient care settings to optimize learning experiences. This role focuses on developing and refining specialty-specific clinical and critical thinking skills to promote top-of-license practice. The fellow will immerse themselves in collaborative interdisciplinary care, ensuring cost-effective, quality, patient-centered care while incorporating evidence-based practice and improvement processes through a specialty-relevant project.

During the Neonatal APP Fellowship, the Advanced Practice Provider will complete courses through the Neonatal Program at the Vanderbilt School of Nursing while completing clinical hours in the NICU at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital. This 13-month fellowship begins on January 1, 2027.

Department Summary

The NICU at Monroe Carell Jr. Children’s Hospital at Vanderbilt is committed to providing the highest standard of care to newborns and their families. As the largest unit within the Vanderbilt University Hospital system, the NICU has 116 beds (expanding to 131 in Summer 2025) and is a Level IV tertiary care unit. It attends to the complex care needs of over 1,400 fragile newborns annually, equipped with advanced technology and staffed by a compassionate team of experts.

Responsibilities

• Performs and documents a complete history and physical examination in the medical record.
• Orders and collects data using appropriate assessment techniques, supporting diagnostic information, and procedures.
• Assesses risks associated with care, including medication side effects, immobility, impaired nutrition, fluid and electrolyte imbalance, immunocompetence, invasive interventions, and diagnostic procedures.
• Participates in daily huddles or rounds with the interdisciplinary team, actively collaborating in formulating and evaluating the ongoing plan of care.
• Collaborates with the healthcare team to make accurate diagnoses of acute and complex chronic conditions.
• Manages diagnostic tests through ordering, interpretation, performance, and supervision.
• Formulates differential diagnoses by priority and identifies appropriate interventions for complications.
• Identifies expected outcomes from diagnoses and formulates a dynamic, evidence-based plan of care applicable across the continuum.
• Implements and modifies the plan of care, prescribing diagnostic strategies, therapeutic interventions (pharmacologic, non-pharmacologic, and surgical as needed), and managing further diagnostic tests.
• May perform advanced procedures consistent with privileges and competency validation.
• Maintains ongoing communication and collaboration with the interdisciplinary healthcare team, patients, families, and staff to promote continuity of care.
• Documents key components of patient progress via daily progress notes, transfer and discharge summaries, and/or clinic notes, ensuring compliance and accuracy.
• Provides preceptor/mentoring, education, and instruction to students and nursing staff as needed.
• Seeks opportunities for active engagement in research and analysis of evidence-based practice.
• Attends Grand Rounds, AP Council meetings, faculty and unit meetings, MM & I presentations, and other educational opportunities.
• Maintains continuing education to meet licensure and certification requirements.
• Actively participates in the required professional development fellowship curriculum.

Qualifications

• Master’s degree required.
• Less than 1 year of relevant work experience.
• Certification as a Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) or Physician Assistant (PA).

Benefits

• Affordable, high-quality health plan options.
• Dental and/or vision plans.
• 403(b) retirement plan.
• Paid Time Off (flex PTO).
• Tuition reimbursement and adoption assistance (maximums applied).
• Short-term and long-term disability coverage.
• Subsidized backup childcare.
• Inpatient nursing supplemental pay program.