Building Confidence and Excellence: A Novel Fellowship for Nurse Practitioners in Cardiovascular Surgery

Abstract

For a newly graduated nurse practitioner (NP), few first jobs are more daunting than stepping onto a post-operative cardiovascular surgery ward. The pace is relentless; the decisions are high-stakes; and the role is unusually autonomous. At St. Michael’s Hospital in Toronto, the cardiovascular surgery team has built a pragmatic answer to that reality: a year-long, post-hire fellowship-style onboarding that blends protected academic learning, interprofessional rotations, and mentored practice on the ward.