What it Means To Be a Fellow of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners

Learn more about the FAANP program and how to become a part of this prestigious group of nurse practitioners.

In 2000, the American Association of Nurse Practitioners^® (AANP) created the Fellows of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (FAANP) program “to recognize nurse practitioner (NP) leaders who have made outstanding contributions to health care through NP clinical practice, research, education or policy, and to provide a forum to extend and enhance such efforts.” The inaugural class of Fellows numbered 25, and now — 25 years later — over 1,000 individuals have been inducted into the Fellows program. Daniel Arellano, PhD, RN, APRN, ACNP-BC, FNP-BC, CCRN, CEN, CFRN, EMT-P, FACCM, FAANP, describes the Fellows community as “…the movers and the shakers. They are truly the folks that are shaping our profession and doing things to make it better.”

If you’re an AANP member, you may have heard about the Fellows and wondered what it takes to become one. Learn more about the community of Fellows below, and about the process of applying for membership.

Considering Fellowship

Becoming a Fellow involves two equally important but standalone criteria: the technical and the unique. To satisfy the “technical” component of FAANP membership, an NP must be an AANP member in one of four categories (NP member; International APN Member; Licensed NP Student Member; Retired Member) and must have been a member in one of those categories for at least two consecutive years prior to the published open call for nominations date. The second component is specific to the individual, and where an NP’s career and activities shine through — reflecting excellent contributions to the areas of clinical practice; education; advocacy; and research.

One thing to keep in mind, however, is that Fellowship should not be an end goal for any NP, says Honey M. Jones, DNP, MBA, ACNP-BC, FAANP, FCCM, current Chair of the FAANP New Fellow Selection Committee. “The Fellow designation serves to recognize AANP members who have demonstrated meaningful contributions to the health care community through PEARL,” she says. “It is acknowledgement of the impactful work already done and a commitment to more impactful work to come. It is a mindset that begins at induction and fuels future endeavors to improve patient outcomes, community health and propel the NP profession forward. So, becoming a Fellow isn’t the finish line…it’s the beginning of the journey.”

Making Connections

Entrance into the Fellows begins with a current Fellow initiating the process; the nominating Fellow is the Primary Sponsor, and a second Fellow serves as the Secondary Sponsor. Where might an NP looking to become a Fellow meet a potential sponsor? One option is to speak with an NP in one of your local NP organizations or at your workplace. Another is to attend the Meet the Fellows event taking place every year at the AANP National Conference, and a third is to connect with a Fellow on the Becoming a Fellow website by clicking on “How to Secure a Sponsor.” Having Primary and Secondary Sponsor is not just a matter of ticking boxes — by finding a sponsor, you have found an advocate and an ally to help you make your application as strong as possible.

Fellows who agree to sponsor an applicant take on great responsibility. The sponsor, having been through the application process themselves, can guide the applicant through the process and then provide a statement on one of two focus areas for the applicant. Finally, the sponsor looks over the application to make sure the evidence and data presented by the candidate demonstrates excellence and sustainability in the respective focus area. But before that, the sponsor will need to have solid application with which to work.

A Strong Application

What makes a strong FAANP application? As mentioned above, the sponsor will help the applicant hone in on one focus area in particular and the application needs to reflect that focus area throughout — and must be supported by provided evidence and exemplars. Achievements of the applicant should be clearly described, specific and measurable; backed by clear evidence and results; and shown to be in a pattern of sustained growth. The application should show more than just individual accomplishments, however, and will ideally detail how the applicant demonstrates influence (national or state-level) advancing the NP role and profession as a whole.

Now that we’ve discussed what to do, here are some mistakes to avoid. Reading the application instructions will save applicants time and help prevent unforced errors — like failing to follow the required CV template guidelines. Specificity matters and discussing achievements and accomplishments without clarity and detail is something to avoid. Overstating accomplishments (especially without evidence) is a mistake, as is discussing exemplars that fall outside of the scope of NP practice. Finally, the sponsor and applicant should be in agreement and alignment, as discrepancies will not reflect well on the finished application.

What it Means to Be a Fellow

After the application is submitted, the FAANP New Fellow Selection committee carefully evaluates the merits of each application and determines eligibility for acceptance as a Fellow. When an applicant is accepted into FAANP, that means the hard work of the applicant and sponsors have paid off — though it’s important to note that being a Fellow is not a passive role. Fellows are required to, at minimum, maintain their memberships in AANP and FAANP; adhere to AANP’s Ethics and Business Ethics Conduct Policy; and continue to “Exemplify the highest standards of clinical practice, scholarship, leadership and professional integrity.” Beyond that, Fellows are expected to act as leaders in policy, research, education, clinical practice and system transformation. Fellows are also expected to contribute to and engage with the FAANP Program and to act as ambassadors for the NP role in general. Fellowship is an enormous honor — and a continuing responsibility.

Meet the Fellows

Now that you’ve read about the Fellows, meet these NP leaders in person at the 2026 AANP National Conference in Las Vegas, Nevada, June 23-27. FAANP will host a Meet the Fellows event, and the FAANP Induction Ceremony, taking place on Thursday, June 25, 6-7 p.m., is free to attend and open to all.

Nominations are accepted annually in August.