Starting your career as a nurse practioner is exciting… and overwhelming. This is where we can help.

Cabin Creek Health Systems’ Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship is a comprehensive, integrated, and holistic rural primary care training program for newly graduated nurse practitioners. The program allows recent graduates the opportunity to gain incredible work experience at a regulated pace instead of being thrown headfirst into an NP position.

Our year-long fellowship is designed with a graduated “ramp up”  patient load that includes dedicated mentoring time from experienced providers who offer guidance and insight to patient care. Participants will be full-time employees with paid benefits and time off. Salary is estimated at 88% of NP positions in West Virginia. We also offer paid malpractice insurance as an added bonus. The great benefits and unique program structure promote student stability as well as an exciting educational environment.

Program participants can also experience the natural beauty and outdoor adventure opportunities of living in one of the most beautiful states in the country. LEARN ABOUT LIVING IN WEST VIRGINIA

Program Structure

Full Time Position

Each fellow earns a competitive salary with full benefits during the 12-month program.

Precepted Continuity Clinics

This foundational element of the program allows fellows to build their own patient panel over a slow ramp-up period working alongside a dedicated preceptor.

Specialty Rotations

Fellows will shadow providers in
specialties like behavioral health, urology, wound care, and school-based health/pediatrics.

Mentored Clinics

Residents will work with individual provider teams seeing patients under direct supervision.

Quality Improvement/Research

Fellows will design & implement a QI project during their program. Upon completion, they will present findings and recommendations
for the future.

Didactic Sessions

Weekly sessions focus on complex patient cases, chronic disease management, and hands-on skills training. Fellows also participate in Project ECHO and Journal Club didactics.

Program Benefits

  • Paid time off

  • Paid malpractice insurance

  • Clinical and administrative support

  • Ramp Up of Experience & Patient Load (instead of full load first day)

  • Employment opportunities post residency

Meet the 2025 Fellowship Participants

Caitlyn Stafford

Caitlyn Stafford, APRN, FNP-BC, recently moved to West Virginia from Kansas City, MO, where she completed her Master of Science in Nursing degree at the University of Missouri, Kansas City, specializing in family medicine. Caitlyn practiced nursing for 14 years in hospitals throughout the country prior to beginning the NP Fellowship at Cabin Creek Health Systems. In her spare time, she loves to go dancing, play pickleball and golf, spend time with family and friends, and travel, and enjoys exploring the state of WV and all it has to offer.

Shayla Bussey

Stephanie Lusk

Stephanie Lusk, APRN, FNP-BC, MPH, is a West Virginia native raised in Wyoming County.   She earned both a Master’s in Public Health and Nursing from West Virginia University. She has experience as a nurse in oncology, orthopedics, community health and behavioral health. However, she is passionate about community health programming, seeking simple ways to improve the health of rural West Virginians. As an Advanced Practice Provider Fellow at Cabin Creek Health Systems, she aims to enhance her skills and share that knowledge with the community and patients to promote better health outcomes. In her free time, she enjoys spending time outdoors with her pets and family.

Annalyse Perry

Annalyse Perry, APRN, FNP-BC is a West Virginia native, originally from Wayne County. She recently earned her master’s degree through Marshall’s Family Nurse Practitioner program. She worked as a nurse in the hospital setting for 5 years, with experience in critical care and cardiology. Public health and primary care have a special place in Annalyse’s heart. She is eager to learn more through the Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship in order to better serve her patients. Annalyse lives in Putnam County with her husband and daughters. In her free time, she enjoys crafting, being outdoors, and reading.

Brooke McCoy

Brooke McCoy, APRN, FNP-BC is a native to West Virginia, born and raised in Charleston. She is a graduate of Chamberlain University, where she earned her Master’s Degree in Nursing, specializing as a Family Nurse Practitioner. Brooke was a registered nurse for 5 years at a local hospital. As part of the Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Program at Cabin Creek Health Systems, Brooke plans to use her time in the program to sharpen her advanced practice skills and knowledge to be able to provide high-quality care to all of her patients. In her spare time, she enjoys spending time with loved ones, going on adventures, baking, and relaxing at home with her dogs.

Eva Ditmer

Eva Ditmer, APRN, FNP-C has always considered West Virginia home, having spent every summer surrounded by its mountains and community when staying with her extended family. She earned her undergraduate nursing degree from the University of Charleston and completed both her Bachelor’s and
Master’s in Nursing from Walden University. Eva has worked in intensive care
units across the nation and is grateful to return home to her family and to serve her community as an Advanced Practice Provider. In her free time, she enjoys being outside as much as possible by working on her small farm with her husband, where they raise chickens and house rescue dogs and cats, and spend time with their family and friends.

Meet the 2024-2025 Fellowship Participants

Candice Henson

Candice Henson, APRN, FNP-C, graduated from West Virginia University with her BSN and MSN. She completed clinical rotations at St. Mary’s School of Nursing and Roane General Hospital. As a nurse for over 19 years, Candice prefers a holistic, patient-centered approach in her practice. She started her career in NICU, moved on to pediatrics, transitioned to a non-profit supportive housing program advocating for equal health care for individuals with HIV and AIDS, spent some time working in public health, and her most recent role was as a hospice nurse. Candice begins her journey as a nurse practitioner fellow at CCHS, seeing patients of all ages.

Danielle Gombas

Jennifer Johnson

Previous Fellowship Graduates

Sara Haroon Yousuf – 2024 Graduate

Sara Haroon Yousuf was born and raised in sunny South Florida, where she completed her Physician’s Assistant Masters Program in 2021. She then went on to work in multiple states, including Georgia and Illinois, until settling in WV to train further in Cabin Creek Health Systems’ rural primary care fellowship. She lives with her husband and two playful cats and is currently enjoying exploring the state of WV and all it has to offer.

Kelli Hupp – 2024 Graduate

Kelli Hupp is a native of West Virginia. She grew up in Putnam County and now resides in Kanawha County. She is a graduate of Chamberlain University, where she earned her Master’s in Nursing, specializing in Family Medicine. Kelli was a nurse for 6 years, practicing nursing in both a large teaching hospital and rural health. As an Advanced Practice Provider Fellow at Cabin Creek Health Systems, Kelli hopes to increase her skills and abilities as a provider, which will ultimately benefit her patients. In her spare time, Kelli enjoys spending time with her husband, daughter, and their dog Gilligan.

Lily Smith – 2022 Graduate

Although a native of Buffalo, NY, Lily has always considered West Virginia a second home. A graduate of Waynesburg University’s second degree BSN program, Lily has been an RN for 6 years. She initially worked as a neonatal intensive care nurse at Ruby Memorial in Morgantown, WV before embarking on a travel nurse career. Lily has recently graduated from West Virginia University as a Master of Science in Nursing Family Nurse Practitioner and is beyond excited to begin her career as a resident with Cabin Creek Health Systems. An avid outdoor enthusiast, Lily spent two and a half months backpacking 800 miles of the Appalachian Trail. She is very much looking forward to spending more time outdoors in the beautiful, wild and wonderful West Virginia.

Alex Ritchie – 2022 Graduate

Alex Ritchie has been an RN since 2010 when she graduated from Virginia Commonwealth University. She has worked inpatient hematology/oncology, pediatric intensive care, emergency medicine, and worked in community health as part of the Fayette County Health Department and as a home visitor in Richmond, Va providing developmental and health education to families with young children. Alex graduated from Wheeling University’s Family Nurse Practitioner program in August of 2021. She is an outdoor enthusiast. She has been rock climbing for 20 years and enjoys mountain biking and hiking with her husband and two dogs.

Apply Today!

Applicants must be:

  • Recent graduates (less than 18 months) from an accredited Masters or DNP program
  • Licensed and credentialed (or license and credential eligible) in WV as a FNP, AGPCNP prior to the start date of the program
Apply NOW!
The next cohort will start in September of 2026. Applications will be accepted and reviewed on a rolling basis. Applicants are encouraged to apply as soon as possible to be considered. Spots in the program will be offered on a space-available basis. The program will continue to accept and review applications until the class is filled but no later than August 1st.