Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program Research Articles

Graduation: Next Steps

Congratulations! You have achieved a milestone: graduation from your adult gerontology acute care nurse practitioner program. Your next steps on your way to employment include the national certification exam, licensure, interviewing, and credentialing. Guidance in completing these important processes will help ensure your success in the employment process.

Implementation and Evaluation of an End-of-Life Standardized Participant Simulation in an Adult/Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program.

Graduate nursing programs must provide end-of-life (EOL) content to prepare nurse practitioners to manage the holistic needs of patients. This project aimed to measure the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium curriculum's impact on student self-confidence and anxiety levels. A pretest/posttest study design was implemented using an EOL simulation and the Nursing Anxiety and Self-Confidence With Clinical Decision-Making Scale (NASC-CDM©) to compare baseline self-confidence and anxiety levels related to clinical decision-making. Results showed that the simulation increased student self-confidence, but anxiety level remained unchanged. Nurse educators should consider incorporating EOL simulation into graduate curricula to improve student confidence with clinical decision-making.

Bridging the gap: Implementing a pilot radiology-focused curriculum in an acute care Nurse Practitioner program.

Knowledge in diagnostic radiology and performance of point-of-care ultrasound are integral to acute care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) in the inpatient settings, especially true in specialty areas such as interventional radiology and critical care. However, existing ACNP training programs, including at our institution, often lack robust relevant course content. To address this educational gap, we designed and implemented a pilot acute care radiology course, incorporating a flipped classroom approach and hands-on simulation activities led by expert faculty. Our course evaluation revealed high levels of student satisfaction, self-reported confidence, and perceived course effectiveness. The course aligns with key competencies outlined by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, demonstrating its potential to advance ACNP education in radiology content.

The Heart of Cardiovascular Disease in Women

Heart disease is the leading cause of death (LCOD) for both men and women in the United States and kills approximately 1 in every 4 women. 1 Tsao C.W. Aday A.W. Almarzooq Z.I. et al. on behalf of the American Heart Association Council on Epidemiology and Prevention Statistics Committee and Stroke Statistics Subcommittee. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2023 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2023; 147: e93-e621https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001123 Crossref PubMed Scopus (57) Google Scholar Despite widespread dissemination of staggering statistics, focused interventions, and national advocacy campaigns promoting cardiovascular disease (CVD) awareness, it is reported that only 45% to 56% of women identify CVD as the LCOD. 2 Bairey Merz C.N. Andersen H. Sprague E. et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding cardiovascular disease in women: the Women's Heart Alliance. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017; 70: 1106-1107https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.07.721 Crossref Scopus (0) Google Scholar Also troubling is the downward trend of women identifying CVD as the LCOD as reported in the 2019 American Heart Association survey in which the percent dropped from 64.8% in 2009 to only 43.7% in 2019. 3 Cushman M. Shay C.M. Howard V.J. et al. Ten-year differences in women's awareness related to coronary heart disease: results of the 2019 American Heart Association National Survey: a special report From the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2021; 143: e239-e248https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000000907 Crossref PubMed Scopus (85) Google Scholar Previously excluded from clinical studies that inform best practice guidelines today, women continue to face historically rooted gender inequities resulting in suboptimal screening, inaccurate risk stratification, and a delay in diagnosis and management. 2 Bairey Merz C.N. Andersen H. Sprague E. et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding cardiovascular disease in women: the Women's Heart Alliance. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017; 70: 1106-1107https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.07.721 Crossref Scopus (0) Google Scholar ,4 Shaw L.J. Pepine C.J. Xie J. et al. Quality and equitable health care gaps for women: attributions to sex differences in cardiovascular medicine. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017; 70: 373-388https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.05.051 Crossref PubMed Scopus (69) Google Scholar Women experience gender and sex-mediated risk factors for CVD and are disproportionally affected by traditional risk factors because of physiologic differences. 5 Cho L. Davis M. Elgendy I. et al. Summary of updated recommendations for primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in women: JACC state-of-the-art review. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2020; 75: 2602-2618https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2020.03.060 Crossref PubMed Scopus (104) Google Scholar Although this is well-documented in the health care literature, nurse practitioners (NPs) and other clinicians report a lack of high-level confidence and comfort in screening women who may be at risk for CVD. 2 Bairey Merz C.N. Andersen H. Sprague E. et al. Knowledge, attitudes, and beliefs regarding cardiovascular disease in women: the Women's Heart Alliance. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017; 70: 1106-1107https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.07.721 Crossref Scopus (0) Google Scholar ,4 Shaw L.J. Pepine C.J. Xie J. et al. Quality and equitable health care gaps for women: attributions to sex differences in cardiovascular medicine. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2017; 70: 373-388https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacc.2017.05.051 Crossref PubMed Scopus (69) Google Scholar Catherine Nadeau, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, CNE, is an assistant professor and concentration director of the Family Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of South Florida in Tampa. Dr Nadeau can be reached at [email protected] Christina Cardy, DNP, APRN, AGACNP-BC, is an assistant professor and concentration director of the Adult Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at the University of South Florida. Elizabeth Remo, DNP, APRN, FNP-BC, is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida. Anthony W. McGuire, PhD, ACNP-BC, ACNPC, FAHA, is an associate professor at the University of South Florida. Andrea Efre, DNP, APRN, ANP, FNP-C, is an assistant professor at the University of South Florida. Christina Bricker, PhD, APRN, FNP-BC, FAHA, is an associate professor at the University of South Florida.

Artificial intelligence: Opportunities and challenges in NP education.

Keri Draganic is the Director of the Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at The University of Texas at Arlington College of Nursing & Health Innovation, Arlington, Tex. Acknowledgments: ChatGPT was instrumental in generating ideas and outlining key points pertaining to its use in NP education for this Guest Editorial. ChatGPT also provided suggestions for presenting information more efficiently while maintaining the core message.

Stay Current Through Recertification

Stay Current Through Recertification

Teaching Versus Learning

Teaching Versus Learning

Nurse Practitioner Job Satisfaction and the Healthy Work Environment.

Nurse Practitioner Job Satisfaction and the Healthy Work Environment.

Integration of Simulation to Prepare Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioners

BackgroundThe nation’s demographics and health care needs are changing, concurrent with the demand to double the number of doctorally prepared nurses by 2020. This combination has intensified challenges associated with finding quality clinical placements and appropriate preceptors for nurse practitioner (NP) students. Purposefully integrated simulations offer alternate experiences and expose students to deliberately crafted and consistent learning opportunities. MethodsScaffolded simulations were integrated within an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program over the course of six semesters. ResultsAnalysis is currently underway, but preliminary data show that simulation experiences helped to develop assessment, critical thinking, and decision-making skills. The students also felt better prepared to communicate with other health care providers in this new role. ConclusionAlthough resource intensive, simulation provides an unparalleled opportunity for NP students to independently perform, without direct supervision, as an NP. Presenting an example of simulation integration can aid other educators seeking to develop a similar program.

Interdisciplinary partnerships for rural older adults’ transitions of care

Purpose Integrated transitions of care for rural older persons are key issues in policy and practice. Interdisciplinary partnerships are suggested as ways to improve rural-care transitions by blending complementary skills of disciplines to increase care’s holistic nature. Yet, only multidisciplinary efforts are frequently used in practice and often lack synergy and collaboration. The purpose of this paper is to present a case of a partnership model using nursing, gerontology and public health integration to support rural-residing elders as a part of building an Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program. Design/methodology/approach This paper uses the Centre for Ageing Research and Development in Ireland/O’Sullivan framework to examine the creation of an interdisciplinary team. Two examples of interdisciplinary work are discussed. They are the creation of an interdisciplinary public health course and its team-based on-campus live simulations with a panel and site visit. Findings With team-building successes and challenges, outcomes show the need for knowledge exchange among practitioners to enhance population-centered and person-centered care to improve health care services to older persons in rural areas. Practical implications There is a need to educate providers about the importance of developing interdisciplinary partnerships. Educational programming illustrates ways to move team building through the interdisciplinary continuum. Dependent upon the needs of the community, other similarly integrated partnership models can be developed. Originality/value Transitions of care work for older people tends to be multi- or cross-disciplinary. A model for interdisciplinary training of gerontological practitioners in rural and frontier settings broadens the scope of care and improves the health of the rural older persons served.

Use of a Virtual Learning Platform for Distance-Based Simulation in an Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Curriculum.

Acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) programs that use high-fidelity simulation as a teaching tool need to consider innovative strategies to provide distance-based students with learning experiences that are comparable to those in a simulation laboratory. The purpose of this article is to describe the use of virtual simulations in a distance-based ACNP program and student performance in the simulations. Virtual simulations using iSimulate were integrated into the ACNP course to promote the translation of content into a clinical context and enable students to develop their knowledge and decision-making skills. With these simulations, students worked as a team, even though they were at different sites from each other and from the faculty, to manage care of an acutely ill patient. The students were assigned to simulation groups of 4 students each. One week before the simulation, they reviewed past medical records. The virtual simulation sessions were recorded and then evaluated. The evaluation tools assessed 8 areas of performance and included key behaviors in each of these areas to be performed by students in the simulation. More than 80% of the student groups performed the key behaviors. Virtual simulations provide a learning platform that allows live interaction between students and faculty, at a distance, and application of content to clinical situations. With simulation, learners have an opportunity to practice assessment and decision-making in emergency and high-risk situations. Simulations not only are valuable for student learning but also provide a nonthreatening environment for staff to practice, receive feedback on their skills, and improve their confidence.

A Strategic Approach for Developing an Advanced Practice Workforce: From Postgraduate Transition-to-Practice Fellowship Programs and Beyond.

The healthcare provider landscape is rapidly changing. Given the imminent retirement of baby boomer physicians, implementation of the Affordable Care Act, and the increased utilization of health care services by an ever-aging population, the supply of providers cannot keep pace with the demand for services. This has led to an increased utilization of advanced clinical practitioners (ACPs). This article shows how one large highly-matrixed health care system approached identifying this workforce, and how thought leaders worked collaboratively with physicians, administrators, and ACPs to meet a growing demand for providers. Carolinas HealthCare System developed a 3-pronged approach to this opportunity. The development of a Center for Advanced Practice was explored and implemented. This Center serves as a 2-way conduit of information and ideas between system administrators and providers. It also serves as a central source of regulatory and practice information for administrators and providers. The growing number of open ACP positions, along with the reluctance to employ novice and new graduate ACPs, led to the development of a postgraduate transition to practice fellowship program. This program's clinical tracks and curriculum are described. Finally, a collaborative effort between the health care system and a local university resulted in the local offering of an acute care nurse practitioner program, which allowed system nurses to continue their education without the need for relocation. Higher satisfaction and engagement, lower turnover, better career opportunities, more satisfied administrators, and physicians all contributed to the overwhelming success of this initiative.

Interprofessional Flight Camp Attracts 29 Graduate Nurses From Puerto Rico

The Dorothy Ebersbach Academic Center for Flight Nursing in Cleveland, OH, holds an annual flight camp designed for master's degree nursing students in the acute care nurse practitioner program, subspecializing in flight nursing at the Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing at Case Western Reserve University. The weeklong interprofessional training is also open to any health care provider working in an acute care setting and focuses on critical care updates, trauma, and emergency care within the critical care transport environment. This year, 29 graduate nursing students enrolled in a master's degree program from Puerto Rico attended. Although the emergency department in Puerto Rico sees and cares for trauma patients, there is no formal trauma training program. Furthermore, the country only has 1 rotor wing air medical transport service located at the Puerto Rico Medical Center in San Juan. Flight faculty and graduate teaching assistants spent approximately 9 months planning for their participation in our 13th annual flight camp. Students from Puerto Rico were extremely pleased with the learning experiences at camp and expressed particular interest in having more training time within the helicopter flight simulator.

Hereditary Angioedema: An Emergency Nursing Perspective

A 24-year-old female patient presents to the emergency department with painful non-pitting, non-pruritic facial swelling, reporting a history of 2 self-resolving episodes of these symptoms. She has no known allergies and no significant medical history but does report a positive family history of undiagnosed intermittent facial or extremity swelling. The patient is awake; alert; oriented to person, place, time, and purpose; and able to follow commands. Her lung sounds are clear to auscultation, and her heart sounds have a regular rate and rhythm, with no murmurs, clicks, or rubs. Her abdomen is soft and nontender, with bowel sounds present in all quadrants. The patient’s skin is pink; warm; dry; and free of any rash, redness, or lesions. Her vital signs and laboratory results are all within normal limits. Diphenhydramine, epinephrine, and prednisone are administered, with no improvement in symptoms. The patient is admitted for observation, and an allergist is consulted. Low levels of C1 inhibitor and C4 confirm a diagnosis of type I hereditary angioedema (HAE). Jillian Wade, Member, Greater Los Angeles County Chapter, is Graduate Student, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program, California State University, Los Angeles, CA; and Staff Nurse, Emergency Care Center, St. Joseph Hospital of Orange, Orange, CA. Thomas W. Barkley Jr is Coordinator, Adult-Gerontology Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program, and Director of Nurse Practitioner Programs, School of Nursing, California State University, Los Angeles, CA.

Cannabinoid Hyperemesis Syndrome

Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome (CHS), first noted in 2001 and further characterized in 2004, remains an underdiagnosed condition in heavy, long-term marijuana users. This syndrome is associated with recurrent bouts of abdominal pain, nausea, and vomiting with symptom relief from hot showers or baths. 1 Sun S. Zimmerman A. Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome. Hosp Pharm. 2013; 8: 650-655 Crossref Scopus (36) Google Scholar , 2 Hopkins C. Gilchrist B. A case of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome caused by synthetic cannabinoids. J Emerg Med. 2013; 45: 544-546 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (58) Google Scholar Traditionally, cannabinoids are used as therapeutic antiemetics to treat patients with chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting. Thus, nausea and vomiting seem counterintuitive with the use of marijuana. Therefore, CHS is seldom recognized and rarely diagnosed. Patients with CHS often suffer for years, frequenting emergency departments (EDs) and undergoing numerous, costly evaluations before a correlation with heavy marijuana use is made. 2 Hopkins C. Gilchrist B. A case of cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome caused by synthetic cannabinoids. J Emerg Med. 2013; 45: 544-546 Abstract Full Text Full Text PDF PubMed Scopus (58) Google Scholar The associated symptoms of CHS, in particular intractable vomiting, can lead to devastating outcomes such as electrolyte imbalances and acute kidney failure. Kimberley Roberts, MS, AG-ACNP, is an acute care nurse practitioner at Cardiovascular Critical Care Service at the University of Cincinnati Medical Center in Cincinnati, OH. Kristine A. Scordo, PhD, RN, ACNP-BC, FAANP, is a professor and director in the Adult-Gero Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program at Wright State University in Dayton, OH, and can be reached at [email protected].

Acute and critical care nurses' perceptions of palliative care competencies: a pilot study.

Competency development among acute and critical care nurses has focused primarily on the provision of life-sustaining care and less on the care of patients who fail to respond to life-prolonging treatments. Examining nurses' beliefs, perceptions, and experiences with patients' palliative care needs may improve continuing education programs, practice resources, educational curricula, and professional nursing practice. Survey methodology was used to conduct this pilot study. Forty-nine nurses completed a 33-item survey instrument in 2012. Respondents consisted of nurses attending a critical care continuing education event and graduate nursing students in an acute care nurse practitioner program. Statistical tests were used to examine differences in perceived importance of core competencies in palliative care. Findings from this study demonstrate variation in palliative care knowledge and perceived relative importance of core competencies needed in palliative care practice. This study provides preliminary data about knowledge differences among different nursing groups and a foundation for further study.

Teaching diagnostic reasoning: Transitioning from a live to a distance accessible online classroom in an Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program

The advent of online technologies has led to increased opportunities for colleges of nursing to extend their graduate educational curriculums for expanding numbers of students. Likewise, graduate nursing students now have endless choices regarding programs of study, for which they are no longer limited by geographical locations. Nurse educators are now being confronted with the need to impart increasingly sophisticated knowledge to growing numbers of students via online technologies. Teaching advanced practice students, especially nurse practitioners, within an online teaching plat-form leads to a special list of challenges for nurse educators. One major issue is the fostering of diagnostic reasoning in an online environment. This article offers an overview of how one Adult Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) program transitioned over time from a live classroom curriculum to a distance accessible program.

ACNP intensivist: A new ICU care delivery model and its supporting educational programs

The purposes of this article are to describe a physician (MD)/acute care nurse practitioner (ACNP) intensivist model for delivery of critical care services in a tertiary academic medical center and to describe an innovative nurse practitioner educational program developed to support the model. In an effort to address the current shortage of intensivists, Vanderbilt Medical Center has developed and refined a multidisciplinary intensivist MD/ACNP teams to provide expanded critical care services. The ACNPs, in collaboration with intensivist MDs, function as intensivist teams and are responsible for developing and executing the daily medical plan, bedside procedures, and emergency response. These teams provide 24-h a day coverage of tertiary level ICUs, and provide several unique benefits over traditional resident ICU staffing models. As the concept of the MD/ACNP intensivist team has developed, Vanderbilt University School of Nursing ACNP Program has expanded its curriculum to provide graduates with the knowledge, skills, and experiences to safely manage unstable critically ill patients. Multidisciplinary critical care teams of MD intensivists who work in collaboration with ACNP intensivists address the current shortfall of intensivists and represent a cost-effective means for expanding ICU coverage and increasing ICU bed availability while maintaining Leap Frog ICU staffing compliance.

Incorporating Obesity Education into Adult Primary and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Programs

Epidemic levels of obesity in the United States have created a ripple effect throughout healthcare. Healthcare organizations have taken great strides to address obesity-related issues such as sensitivity training and adjustments to the environment of care. Studies suggest, however, that nurses, physicians, and their respective students need additional obesity education and training in the care of the obese patient. To date, there are no national guidelines regarding the specific education of obesity to be included in advanced practice nursing curricula. Obesity is incorporated within other disease state content guidelines rather than as a unique medical condition. Additionally, obesity content is seldom incorporated into core coursework, making it more challenging for students to consider in subsequent diagnostic and management courses. A review of the current obesity literature and of the primary and acute care adult/gerontology nurse practitioner (AGNP) competencies provides rationale for incorporation ...

Preparing the Hospital Environment for Patients with Obesity

Bariatric Nursing and Surgical Patient CareVol. 6, No. 3 Clinical Q & APreparing the Hospital Environment for Patients with ObesityCarmel A. McComiskey, David Hunt, and Jennifer ServaryCarmel A. McComiskeyAssociate Editor, Bariatric Nursing and Surgical Patient Care.Director, Nurse Practitioners, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland.Search for more papers by this author, David HuntCardiac & Radiology Services, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland.Search for more papers by this author, and Jennifer ServaryFacilities Program, University of Maryland Medical Center, Baltimore, Maryland.Search for more papers by this authorPublished Online:13 Sep 2011https://doi.org/10.1089/bar.2011.9951AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View article"Preparing the Hospital Environment for Patients with Obesity." , 6(3), pp. 153–154FiguresReferencesRelatedDetailsCited byThe journey of the bariatric patientOR Nurse, Vol. 9, No. 1Incorporating Obesity Education into Adult Primary and Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Programs Valerie K. Sabol, Margaret Hammersla, and Shannon Reedy Idzik7 June 2012 | Bariatric Nursing and Surgical Patient Care, Vol. 7, No. 2 Volume 6Issue 3Sep 2011 InformationCopyright 2011, Mary Ann Liebert, Inc.To cite this article:Carmel A. McComiskey, David Hunt, and Jennifer Servary.Preparing the Hospital Environment for Patients with Obesity.Bariatric Nursing and Surgical Patient Care.Sep 2011.153-154.http://doi.org/10.1089/bar.2011.9951Published in Volume: 6 Issue 3: September 13, 2011PDF download