PARTNER Fellowship Program

PARTNER trains new board-certified PMH-NPs in telehealth mental health services for children, adolescents, and adults for rural and underserved populations.

Jump Start Your Career with Telehealth!

• MUSC College of Nursing in partnership with MUSC Center for Telehealth and the Institute of Psychiatry oversees the Psychiatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurse TechNology Enhanced Residency (PARTNER) Clinic
• 1-year residency program for newly graduated board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP-BC)
• Become an expert in psychiatric telehealth for children, adolescents and adults living in rural and underserved communities in South Carolina
• Candidates may practice remotely but must reside in South Carolina

Apply to PARTNER Fellowship

Needs Assessment

• Behavioral health disorders represent a significant chronic disease burden in the United States. In 2018, there was a deficit in mental health providers, which remains, resulting in 55.7 million primary care visits associated with a behavioral health diagnosis code.
• In 2016, the population in SC impacted by chronic behavioral health conditions was 18.6% for adults and up to 13%-20% of children, with a higher prevalence of depression among lower-income residents (those making < $50,000/yr).
• Since COVID-19, this number has grown exponentially. SC is a rural, economically disadvantaged state, with 21% of its population living in rural communities.Access to behavioral health services is limited due to capacity, equity, and cost. Rural patients often lack private or public transportation, but many travel over 100 miles for mental health services.

Program Goals

• In response to the behavioral needs of the residents in SC and with grant funding from The Duke Endowment (2021-2023), MUSC College of Nursing in partnership with MUSC’s Center for Telehealth and the Institute of Psychiatry, formed the Psychiatric Advanced Practice Registered Nurse TechNology Enhanced Residency (PARTNER) Clinic.
• PARTNER is telepsychiatric clinic staffed by board-certified psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners (PMHNP-BC).
• PARTNER’s goal is to advance behavioral health equity in SC through the use of telehealth while focusing on rural areas like SC’s Promise Zone—e.g. Allendale, Barnwell, Bamberg, Colleton, Hampton, and Jasper counties.

Patient Care

Providers in the PARTNER Clinic offer two different models of care

1. contractual services consisting of comprehensive behavioral health services
2. the provision of collaborative care to patients across the lifespan. Option two differs from other models of care because behavioral health providers work in collaboration with primary care providers. The interaction between our providers and primary care providers creates the collaborative environment needed to provide holistic care to patients with chronic behavioral health conditions.

The supervising physician for PARTNER's providers, in accordance with SC's law for advanced practice providers, is Dr. Christopher Pelic, MD, Director of Telepsychiatry and Health, Wellness, and Human Performance I.C.C.E. Chief at the Medical University of South Carolina.

Apply to PARTNER Fellowship