How to Apply Inova Neurosurgery
Advanced Practice Providers (APP) at Inova

Inova Neurosurgery is part of Inova Neurosciences, a regional leader in the diagnosis, treatment and research of complex neurological conditions involving the brain, spine and nervous system. Inova Neurosciences is based in Northern Virginia and serves the greater Washington, DC, region.

Inova is a five-hospital health system with the latest surgical technologies, a neurocritical care ICU and Northern Virginia’s only Level 1 Trauma Center at its flagship Inova Fairfax Medical Campus. Inova Neurosurgery includes 12 neurosurgeons, neurosurgery residents and 22 neurosurgery APPs.

Inova Neurosurgery is a high-acuity service consisting of 12 neurosurgeons, neurosurgery residents and 22 neurosurgery advanced practice providers (APPs). It is the largest neurosurgical practice in Northern Virginia, with a volume of more than 3,500 cases per year. Our specialists include experts in neurovascular, endovascular, spine, complex spine, movement disorders, deep brain stimulation, neuro-oncology and neurotrauma.

Neurosurgery APP Fellowship Progam

Physician Assistants

  • DEA license
  • Graduate of an accredited PA program (or eligible at time of interview)
  • PANCE eligible through National Commission on Certification of PAs at the time of interview
  • PANCE certification by matriculation
  • VA license

Nurse Practitioners

  • DEA license
  • Graduate of an accredited adult, acute care, family, or adult/gerontology nurse practitioner program (MSN or DNP), or eligible at the time of the interview
  • Board certified or eligible for board certification at the time of the interview
  • Board certification by matriculation
  • VA license
  • Recognizing, diagnosing and managing neurosurgical disease processes with increasing autonomy
  • Experiencing pre-operative, operative and post-operative inpatient and outpatient care
  • Attending and participating in weekly academic conferences, critical care lectures, didactic sessions and quality improvement conferences
  • Performing procedures such as lumbar drain, intracranial pressure monitor and external ventricular drain placement
  • Preparing and giving lectures during individual rotations
  • Participating in evidence-based journal club
  • Gaining an increasing understanding of neurosurgical illness, pathophysiology and best practice
  • Collaborating with the neurosurgical team, consulting services, patients and families
  • Learning through inpatient teaching rounds
  • Having operating room instruction

 

Inova’s neurosurgery APP fellowship runs for 12 months from October to October. Applications are due by May 1 of the academic year, and new fellows start Oct. 1. The neurosurgery APP fellow will gain invaluable neurosurgical experience through a 12-month postgraduate clinical training program held at the Inova Fairfax Medical Campus and Inova Center for Personalized Health.

The fellow will have a structured rotation with the inpatient and outpatient services including:

  • Inpatient and outpatient neurosurgical services
  • Neurocritical care
  • Neuroradiology
  • General and stroke neurology
  • Neurointerventional radiology
  • Electives
  • Operating room*

*In addition to a high volume of bedside procedures, the neurosurgery APP fellow will have training in the operating room.

Marianne Vyas PhD, ANP-BC, Neurosurgery APP Fellowship Director, Inova Neurosciences, in conjunction with James W. Leiphart, MD, PhD, Director of Education, Inova Neurosciences; Program Director, Neurosurgery Residency Program, Inova Neurosciences

How to Apply

Application to the program is due by 5/1 of the academic year, with an anticipated start date of 10/1 (contingent upon completion of the credentialing and privileging process). The Fellow will be fully credentialed through Inova, receive a competitive fellowship salary and be eligible for full employee benefits to include health insurance, CME allowance and PTO.

Please submit the following application materials in a single email to Cristie Brewer, NP and Joy Rostron, PA, Neurosurgery APP Fellowship Directors, Inova Neurosciences, at appfellowships@inova.org.

Include the following materials with your application: 

  • ACLS/BLS certifications
  • CV with cover letter  
  • License and certification (or eligibility)
  • Two letters of recommendation, one from a current program director/clinical coordinator or most recent supervising/collaborating physician or APP

Email questions to: appfellowships@inova.org

Application Deadline: May 1

Upon completion of the neurosurgery APP fellowship program, the APP will have:

  • Didactic and clinical experience with complex neurosurgical patients
  • Procedural experience at the bedside and in the operating room
  • Clinical interactions with multiple services including trauma, neurocritical care, neuroradiology, neurointerventional radiology, neurology, stroke neurology and hospital medicine
  • Interactions with large teams of APPs, physicians, nurses and administrative colleagues
  • Increasing autonomy in the diagnosis and management of inpatients and outpatients
  • Comfort with reporting case studies
  • Experience at local and national neurosurgical conferences

Employment benefits

  • The neurosurgery APP fellow will be fully credentialed through Inova and will receive a competitive fellowship salary.
  • The neurosurgery APP fellow will be offered full Inova employee benefits including health insurance, CME allowance and PTO.

    • Learn more about Inova’s employment benefits

APP fellowship applicants – commonly used terms

Advanced Cardiovascular Life Support (ACLS) – course offering advanced cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills and management for healthcare providers through the American Heart Association.

Advanced Practice Provider – often abbreviated as APP, this umbrella term extends to multiple healthcare providers, including physician assistants/associates, nurse practitioners, nurse anesthetists, nurse midwives, and clinical nurse specialists. For the purpose of Inova’s APP fellowships, we use the term to cover physician assistants and nurse practitioners.

Basic Life Support (BLS) – course offering fundamental cardiopulmonary resuscitation skills for healthcare providers through the American Heart Association.

Drug Enforcement Agency (DEA) – Federal body with multiple responsibilities, one of which includes registering healthcare providers for prescribing controlled substances. Emergency Neurological Life Support (ENLS) – course offered through the Neurocritical Care Society addressing neurological emergencies.

Fundamental Critical Care Support (FCCS) – A two-day course offered through the Society of Critical Care Medicine that prepares physicians, nurses, pharmacists, APPs, and respiratory therapists in identifying and initial managing critically ill patients.

Nurse Practitioner (NP) – a registered nurse with advanced practice training in one of six populations (adults, pediatrics, family, women’s, psychiatric, and neo-natal). They are master’s or doctorally prepared and capable of diagnosing, prescribing, interpreting, and managing complex patient populations.

Physician Assistant/Associate (PA) – a master’s prepared provider capable of diagnosing, prescribing, interpreting, and managing complex patient populations across the lifespan.

Physician Assistant National Certifying Examination® (PANCE) – Examination required for new graduate PAs pursuing their certification. PAs may maintain their certification through the Physician Assistant National Recertifying Examination® (PANRE).