The Program

Vision

• A world where all people have access to high-quality, culturally relevant healthcare so they can reach their full potential.

Mission

• Build a pipeline of NP health equity leaders to support their communities to achieve their fullest potential for health and well-being.

Goals

• Increase access to quality care by creating a development program aimed at equipping nurse practitioners (NPs) with the essential leadership and business acumen to successfully establish and lead their own nurse-led healthcare enterprises that provide primary care and behavioral health services for vulnerable populations.

Program Overview

• 1-year, hybrid learning entrepreneur development program with a 6-month follow-up period.
• Intended for U.S. licensed and credentialed nurse practitioners (NPs) specializing in primary care or behavioral health services, with a focused effort on involving NPs from and caring for underrepresented minority groups.
• Participants will acquire essential leadership, management, business, and financial skills necessary to craft a comprehensive business plan. This plan, along with mentorship and coaching, will enable them to launch NP-led healthcare enterprises, specializing in primary and/or behavioral health services that serve vulnerable populations, which includes those in limited resource settings.

ELIGIBILITY

The NP Entrepreneur Program expects that participants demonstrate a commitment to full participation for the length of the year long program.

There are specific criteria for admission, including full participation in required program activities. Please carefully review all eligibility requirements before applying.

• Applicants must be a licensed and credentialed NP in the United States
• Applicants must be able to articulate a proposed healthcare enterprise idea that aims to provide primary care and/or behavioral health services for vulnerable populations.*
• Applicants must be able to attend and fully participate in sessions during the key program dates below:

Oct 5-9, 2024: Leadership Retreat 1 in Durham, NC
Jan 25-26, 2025: Web-conference 1 on Zoom
Mar 8-9 OR Mar 15-16, 2025: Consultative Business Panels on Zoom
Apr 26-27, 2025: Web-conference 2 on Zoom
Jul 12, 2025: Web-conference 3 on Zoom
Sep 26-28, 2025: Leadership Retreat 2 in Durham, NC

• All program candidates must have access to technology needed that allows them to fully participate in program activities as required.

*For this program, “vulnerable populations”, with respect to health, are groups and communities that often have been historically excluded and subjected to systems and processes that have put them at a disadvantage for optimal health and well-being. The barriers experienced by these individuals can be related to race, ethnicity, culture, religion, age, gender, or sexual orientation, as well as factors such as occupation, income, health insurance coverage, absence of a usual source of care as well as limitations due to illness or disability. Their health and healthcare issues may also intersect with social factors, such as education, occupation, geography, housing, poverty, and limited resource settings.