Nurse Leader Fellowship
The Nurse Leader Fellowship is a comprehensive transition-to-practice (TTP) program for new nursing directors, supervisors, and managers across University of Michigan Health | Michigan Medicine.
Accredited with Distinction. Our Nurse Leader Fellowship is the first leadership program to be accredited with distinction as a Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s (ANCC) PTAP – the highest honor for transition-to-practice programs.
Program At-a-Glance
The fellowship offers a structured orientation, interactive leadership development, and robust networking to ensure our leaders thrive in their roles.
Structure
New Nurse Leader Orientation (Part 1)
2-day, in-person orientation for all new nurse leaders to introduce the organization's strategic direction, operational procedures, and resources, and provide a support network.
Nursing Leadership Development (Part 2)
7-Monthly all-day sessions covering key competencies for nurse leaders including communication, culture, systems thinking, business acumen, quality improvement, and more.
Network (Part 3)
Ongoing opportunities to connect, share, and learn with other nurse leaders and executive mentors.
Evidence-Based Approach
Content is aligned with national nurse leader standards and best practices, with measurable outcomes in leader confidence and readiness.
Benefits & Outcomes
- Increased Confidence: Upon program completion, fellows demonstrated a statistically significant rise in confidence across leadership competencies (p < 0.001).
- Leadership Certification: Many graduates have earned their leadership certificates following the program.
- High Retention: Over 95% of fellows remain in a nurse leader role one year after completing the fellowship.
- Career Advancement: A number of graduates have advanced to higher leadership positions, including executive roles.
- Organizational Impact: Faster filling of leader vacancies and a robust, skilled pool of nurse leader candidates.
Program Publications
Knight, S., Lee, C., Mowry, J., Briggs, A., Erber, M., & Bobo, M. (2025). A fellowship to support the transition of new nurse leaders. The Journal of Nursing Administration, 55(4), 206-211.
Lee, C. & Knight, S. (2025) Impact of a structured transition to practice program for nurse leaders. The Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 56(10), 397-399.
Accreditation Statement
University of Michigan Health Nurse Leader Fellowship is accredited with distinction as a Practice Transition Program by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs.
Contact Us
Corinne Lee, DNP, RN,
ACNS-BC, NPD-BC
Educational Nurse Specialist, Professional Development and Education
