Frequently Asked Questions

The Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program was established to recruit, train and deploy nurse practitioners to underserved communities across the U.S. It will help to substantially increase the number of nurse practitioners by offering full tuition to students of merit, who attend Penn Nursing’s prestigious primary care nursing programs, and by integrating and supporting community based clinical education and practice. 

Over the next five years, Penn Nursing will dispatch at least 140 expertly educated nurse practitioners to work in underserved urban and rural communities, with additional NPs entering the future pipeline in perpetuity. In addition to the impact on Penn students and community partners, the Program will serve as a model for how to partner with communities in educating and supporting primary health care in underserved communities around the world. 

Students can not apply directly to the Program. Students must first be admitted as full-time students to one of Penn Nursing’s six Primary Care programs. Once admitted to a primary care program, students will be invited to apply to the Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship program.

To become a Leonard A. Lauder Fellow, you must apply for admission to one of Penn Nursing’s six Primary Care Programs. You must also complete additional essay questions to be considered for the Fellowship. If you are admitted and have completed the Fellowship questions, you may be asked to submit answers to video interview questions. Final decisions will be released in March.

Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Fellows will be selected from all of Penn Nursing’s primary care programs: 

• Adult Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioner
• Family Nurse Practitioner
• Nurse-Midwifery
• Pediatric Nurse Practitioner
• Psychiatric Mental Health Nurse Practitioner
• Women’s Health / Gender-Related Nurse Practitioner

All participants in the program will receive student aid to cover their tuition and fees. Fellows with greater financial need will also receive stipends to help with living expenses.

The Leonard A. Lauder Community Care Nurse Practitioner Program will invest in select community partner sites. These sites will be the catalysts for identifying needs and action plans which will engage other aspects of Penn Nursing and the larger University community. In 2022, the program began with 2 community partner sites and will expand to include a total of 10 Sites by 2026. 

In addition to the clinical requirement described above, Fellows will participate in a variety of cohort building activities throughout their time in the program. Every Fellow will be expected to commit to practice or service in an underserved community in the U.S. for two years after graduation. We expect graduates to be part of the Leonard A. Lauder Alumni Fellow Network and to complete yearly surveys. 

Limited access to primary care in the United States has been a problem for many years. To address access to primary care, we must ensure that we have a robust health-professions workforce with the skill and commitment to meet the demand of primary care delivery where it is needed most. Advance practice nurses, or nurse practitioners, are key to addressing the primary care issue. 

Returning full-time submatriculants to all primary care programs will be eligible to apply once they confirm their intent to return by November 1. This must be done each year. A link to the written essay questions application will then be sent in late December/early January. Upon review of the written applications, selected students will be sent questions for a video interview. Final decisions will be released in March.

Fellows will complete at least 50 percent of their clinical training at community partner sites in the greater Philadelphia area that provide direct primary care services to underserved populations and communities – an invaluable experience that will prepare Fellows to meet the complex needs of patients and families throughout their careers.

Yes, as long as you have an approved full-time plan of study and have not matriculated or started taking any courses as a part-time student, you are eligible to apply for the Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship.

Yes, as long as you have an approved part-time plan of study and your program has capacity to take you on as a part-time student.

The Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship will select applicants once per year. It is recommended that you only apply once and only when you are ready to do so. Reapplication requests will be taken into consideration on a case-by-case basis. The opportunity to apply more than once is not guaranteed.

No. You must be admitted as a full-time student (either traditional or sub-matriculant) at the start of your MSN program in order to be eligible for the Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship. If accepted, you must remain a full-time student. If you choose to add a minor you may do so, however, that would be in addition to your full-time MSN coursework. The Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship only covers tuition and fees for primary care programs. It does not cover tuition and fees for minors.

Not at this time.

You must be able to legally fulfill post-graduate work requirements in the United States. Please check with the Office of Academic Affairs to discuss in more detail before applying.

The Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship is a full-time program open to individuals who have an approved full-time plan of study and who have not matriculated or started taking any courses as a part-time student.

If you were admitted as a non-degree seeking MSN student, you are eligible to take two courses towards your MSN program of study. Taking more than two MSN courses will impact your eligibility to remain a full-time student, which is a requirement of the Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship.

If you were admitted as a submatriculant and have taken MSN courses during your BSN/ABSN program, you are eligible to apply no more than three MSN courses towards your full-time MSN program of study. Taking more than three MSN courses will impact your eligibility to remain a full-time student, which is a requirement of the Leonard A. Lauder Fellowship. You must commit to returning to MSN study full-time following submatriculation.