Reflections of the Veterans Administration Puget Sound Health Care System Regional Nurse Practitioner Residency Forum

Problem There is a proliferation of advanced practice residency programs. However, there is no uniform model of developing and evaluating program success. Methods An information forum was convened by Veterans Health Administration Puget Sound Health Care System's Center for Primary Care Education on September 17, 2013, in Seattle, Washington, to explore critical aspects of residency models. The three objectives of this forum were to develop a shared understanding of key elements needed to support nurse practitioner residencies; define the unique needs of nurse practitioner trainees who are interested in applying for a residency; and examine the viability of designing a replicable nurse practitioner residency model benchmarking stakeholder best practices. Findings This article describes the organization of the forum and summarizes the presentations during the program. The companion article explores key recommendations from the forum related to future development of residency “toolkits” to aid in future evaluation and accreditation. Conclusion As nurse practitioner residencies continue to develop and evolve, more is needed in the area of structure and alignment.