Nurse Practitioner Faculty Research Articles

Leveraging faculty practice to grow the nurse practitioner faculty workforce

Objective: The purpose is to explore opportunities to leverage faculty practice to grow the NP faculty workforce.Methods: The data were a subset of a larger study surveying NP students and faculty.Results: Findings support faculty practice as an innovative strategy that can be leveraged to grow the NP faculty workforce.Conclusions: There are missed opportunities for growing the NP workforce when faculty practice is not being used 1) as a strategy to recruit and retain faculty and 2) to entice NP students to consider a future career in academia.

Collaborative framework to assess achievement of American Association of Colleges of Nursing and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties patient-centered competencies using evolving case studies

BackgroundThe American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) emphasize the role of clinical reasoning in nurse practitioner (NP) competencies. Evidence-based clinical reasoning is vital to patient safety. Collaborative technology tools can aid in assessing progress towards achieving clinical reasoning competency. Purpose/aimsThe purpose of this article is to describe an electronic, collaborative learning framework to teach and assess second year NP students in systematically selecting and eliminating diagnoses and forming treatment plans. Design/methodsPost gap analysis, the collaborative learning framework was created. This visual, collaborative resource was scaffolded across two sequential advanced NP second year clinical synthesis courses and embedded with evolving case studies. Students identified pertinent positives and negatives from the history, physical, and diagnostic findings. Each student developed a unique differential diagnosis and plan of care and critiqued their peers. Result/findingsThe tool exceeded expectations. Faculty were able to visualize data, provide clarification on interpretation of data and pharmacology, and grade in small groups. ConclusionThe collaborative learning framework provided real-time visualization of students' work in clinical reasoning. It was easy to use and integrate into second year NP courses to meet learning objectives and assess clinical reasoning competency.

The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Leadership Mentoring Program: Ten years of positive outcomes

BackgroundNursing leadership programs can have a positive impact on organizations and communities. Health equity in nursing requires leaders who parallel the population demographics. PurposeThis work evaluated the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Leadership Mentoring Program (LMP) 10 years from its inception. Lessons learned from this evaluation can inform leadership initiatives in nursing and other health professions. MethodThis cross-sectional evaluation applied the Context, Inputs, Process, and Products model to gauge effectiveness of the LMP. All 48 participants were invited to participate. ResultsThirty-two survey respondents, a 67 % response rate, demonstrated a 767 % increase in extramural scholarship collaborations and promotion to associate and full professor at 43 % and 90 %, respectively. Academic leadership positions to department chair, assistant/associate dean, and dean increased 200 %, 167 %, and 100 %, respectively. Seventy-seven percent of program participants are engaged on boards and committees at local, state, national, and international levels. These roles significantly impact legislative, policy, advocacy, and regulatory efforts, signifying the LMP's influence on broader societal and professional domains. ConclusionIdentifying clear program outcomes and metrics for leadership program evaluation can advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Sustainable funding models for leadership development will have a high return on investment for health professions.

Collaborative nursing education between advanced practice registered nurses

The surge in healthcare demands due to the explosion of growth in the aging adult population demands that academic institutions address enhanced education of Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs). This is particularly challenging amidst nurse faculty shortages in specialty areas, stemming from factors such as lack of pay competitiveness with clinical positions, and doctoral-prepared nurses seeking faculty positions. Despite efforts to address the shortages, recruitment challenges persist, necessitating innovative approaches. This article explores the interprofessional collaborative teaching between Nurse Anesthesia (NA) and Adult Gerontology Nurse Practitioner (NP) programs, focusing on airway management, sedation techniques, chest X-ray interpretation, and ultrasound skills. To date, this collaboration between NA and NP faculty has proven effective. Both synchronous and online asynchronous teaching have received overwhelmingly positive student feedback. Ongoing communication and collaborations between NA and NP faculty facilitate teaching and educational strategies across programs, sharing faculty expertise, and mitigating reduced faculty numbers. This innovative model benefits faculty and students and provides a platform for firsthand interprofessional collaboration, fostering mutual respect and preparing students for effective interdisciplinary healthcare teamwork.

Nurse practitioner faculty attitudes about interprofessional education.

Nurse practitioner (NP) faculty attitudes toward interprofessional education (IPE) can be barriers to the shift in culture and successful implementation of IPE into nursing curricula. A paucity of studies exist comparing faculty attitudes of IPE with different educational modalities. The purpose of this research is to compare NP faculty attitudes toward IPE between IPE experiences and educational modalities in NP academic programs. A quantitative cross-sectional comparative design was used. An electronic survey was advertised to approximately 3,000 members of the National Organization of NP Faculties by email blasts to assess their attitudes toward IPE in the academic setting. Participating NP faculty (n = 208) completed the survey, with a response rate of 6.9%. The results showed that NP faculty reported positive attitudes toward IPE (M = 4.33). Nurse practitioner faculty attitudes toward IPE and participation in IPE experiences were not statistically significant (p = .126). Nurse practitioner faculty attitudes toward IPE did not differ with the educational modality. The main effect of the NP degree program educational modality was not statistically significant, F(2, 172) = 0.74, p = .479. Nurse practitioner faculty are optimistic about IPE in multiple educational modalities but still have some reservations about how to implement IPE activities successfully. The NP faculty attitudes and barriers to IPE curricular development in all educational modalities must be addressed to prepare NP students to be competent collaborative practice-ready providers on graduation.

Racial, Ethnic and Gender Composition among Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Faculty Ranks

Racial, Ethnic and Gender Composition among Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Faculty Ranks

An Innovative Educational Intervention for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Faculty to Meet Social Justice Curriculum Standards

The association between adverse childhood experiences and negative health outcomes is a public health concern, particularly affecting disadvantaged groups and contributing to health disparities. Pediatric nurse practitioners are well-positioned to address this issue, emphasizing the importance of incorporating social justice concepts into nursing education to develop a pediatric workforce with the necessary skills to curb health disparities. However, evidence-based approaches to incorporating these concepts into pediatric nursing education are limited. To address this gap, we describe an innovative educational intervention that harnesses the power of narratives to empower future pediatric nurse practitioners as champions of social justice and health equity.

Integration of Entrustable Professional Activities in a Competency-Based Clinical Assessment Tool in a Nurse Practitioner Program.

Entrustable professional activities (EPAs) are used in competency-based clinical assessment. Faculty in a Family Nurse Practitioner program aimed to improve their clinical assessment tool to more effectively measure students' clinical performance, outline expectations, track progress, and document evidence related to clinical competence. EPAs that aligned with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner (NP) Faculties Core NP Competencies were integrated into a clinical assessment tool. Student performance expectations at different points in the program were outlined. Students documented each time they performed an EPA during clinical experiences. The EPA-based clinical assessment tool captured valuable information about student performance during clinical experiences and contributed to evidence related to competencies. EPAs can be used to assess clinical performance and document evidence of competence and readiness for practice. Tracking the frequency of EPA performance was essential to ensure students had sufficient practice.

Racial, Ethnic, and Gender Composition Among Neonatal Nurse Practitioner Faculty Ranks.

Despite increases in nursing faculty diversity, representation is lacking in positions of higher faculty rank. Challenges for minority faculty include decreased awareness of promotion standards, less mentoring, and increased stress from being the sole representative of their respective underrepresented population. The purpose of this study was to determine the racial, ethnic, and gender composition of neonatal nurse practitioner (NNP) faculty in the United States. A nonexperimental survey was sent to all accredited NNP programs to describe demographics of NNP faculty in the United State. Of the 128 survey participants, 84% self-identified as White. Forty-eight of the participants ranked Professor or Associate professor were White. In contrast, all other races only had 8 respondents who were of the higher faculty ranks. There were only 2 male participants; one identified as full professor and one as associate professor. Limitations of this project included a small sample size leading to an inability to determine statistical significance. Previous evidence supports decreased diversity in higher faculty rank in other healthcare providers and the results of this study add to that body of literature. Barriers to increased diversification need to be rectified to ensure health equity to all patients.

Competency-based curriculum in nurse practitioner education.

Professional nursing standards and guidelines form the foundation for nurse practitioner curriculum. Nurse educators should understand the role these professional standards and guidelines have in the development of curriculum. Recently, nursing education has moved to a competency-based education with the release of the new American Association of Colleges of Nursing Essentials and the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Nurse Practitioner Role Core Competencies. Competency-based curriculum allows for a common understanding of the knowledge, skills, and experiences nurse practitioner graduates require for entry to practice. Competency-based education also provides consistent and uniform expectations for novice nurse practitioners on entry to practice. With the change to a competency-based curriculum, nurse educators can review and revise curriculum through refinement of courses, student learning objectives, assignments, and evaluations. Nurse educators have a responsibility to critically analyze student assignments and evaluations to ensure competencies are met multiple times through a variety of methods. In addition, nurse educators have the opportunity to use assignments that meet multiple competencies to modernize student learning. Refinement and revision lead to enhanced student critical thinking and provide opportunities for real-world training to improve student outcomes.

Pathophysiology and pharmacology course grades and prediction of success in a graduate nurse practitioner program.

During a program review, faculty identified that nurse practitioner (NP) students who received a C grade in Advanced Pathophysiology (Patho) and Advanced Pharmacology (Pharm) appeared to perform poorly in the later NP management courses and on other program outcomes. The research aimed to determine whether grades in graduate Patho and Pharm courses could predict performance in NP management courses, program progression and completion, and certification pass rates. This research included deidentified student data from 2016 to 2018 across seven NP specialty tracks ( n = 4,575). Nonparametric and parametric tests were used in the analysis. A significant correlation ( p < .001) existed between Patho and Pharm grades. Lower grades in these two courses were significantly related to each other and to lower management course grades. Logistic regression showed that graduate pathophysiology grades significantly predicted certification examination performance, with lower grades associated with lower certification examination performance. Graduate pharmacology grades, pathophysiology grades, composite management course grades, and admission grade point average (GPA) significantly predicted final cumulative GPA, with lower grades associated with lower performance for all variables. Results of this research support the hypothesis that grades of C in Patho or Pharm courses significantly predict C performance in the management NP courses and lower certification success rates. The project model can be used in future research. Study findings can be helpful to NP faculty when considering curriculum decisions.

Evaluating Person-Centered Competencies: The Nurse Practitioner Student Competency Assessment (NPSCA)

Nurse practitioner education is transitioning to competency-based assessment. The application of a competency-based assessment framework is intended to create standards across academic programs and support the development of practice-ready graduates. Psychometrically sound instruments that assess competencies are scarce. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties and the International Nursing Association for Clinical Simulation and Learning combined expertise to develop the Nurse Practitioner Student Competency Assessment instrument to assess attainment of nurse practitioner student person-centered care competencies. The rationale for this effort, the process for instrument testing, the timeline for dissemination, and suggestions for future opportunities are discussed.

Exploring Clinical Practice Hours in Postbaccalaureate-to-Doctor of Nursing Practice Nurse Practitioner Programs.

Advanced practice nursing education is evolving to the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) DNP Essentials required 1000 hours of direct patient care, whereas the Report of the National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education (NTF) Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs required 500 direct patient care hours. Indirect hours were unclear and undefined. The AACN Essentials changed the 1000-hour requirement to 500 practice hours, and the NTF increased the direct patient care hours to 750. The study sought to describe the distribution of direct and indirect hours that the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties member schools offer in their seamless postbaccalaureate-to-DNP nurse practitioner (NP) program. A quantitative survey was distributed to schools of nursing. Eighty-six surveys represented 86 distinct schools and 112 NP programs. Supervised direct patient care hours were an average of 791.31 hours. Indirect hours averaged 170.08 hours. The DNP project hours served as an indirect hour activity. Many schools have more than 750 direct hours adhering to the 2022 NTF Standards. The indirect hour allocation varies and weighs heavily on the DNP project.

From provider to professor: Supporting nurse practitioner faculty through NONPF's Faculty Institute.

Over the past 15 years, the number of practicing nurse practitioners (NPs) has increased exponentially. This growth has been sustained by an increase in the number of schools offering NP preparation. Experienced NPs have assumed faculty positions in these schools. Although educational curricula prepare NPs to deliver high-quality patient care, it does not prepare graduates for academic roles in teaching, dissemination of scholarship, or service leadership to advance the profession. To address these gaps in NP faculty preparation, faculty development resources specific to NP education are needed. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) has stepped forward to fill this gap. The NONPF Faculty Institute was created in 2017, and it includes the annual Fall Conference, the Faculty Leadership Mentoring Program, the Webinar Series, and, most recently, the joint NPACE/NONPF New Faculty Development Program. This comprehensive focus on faculty development aligns with NONPF's mission to promote excellence in NP education and advance the NP role in health care. Programs in the NONPF Faculty Institute are specifically designed to address the distinct learning needs of NP faculty. They use "just in time" presentations and active learning strategies to provide NP faculty with easily accessible and targeted content and opportunities for direct application of new skills. The Institute's goal is to provide NP faculty opportunities to prepare themselves to meet the teaching, scholarship and service leadership expectations of academia, the learning needs of students, and advance the impact of NP practice on patient and health care system outcomes.

Nurse practitioner curriculum puzzle: Connecting all of the documents.

Many organizations, foundational documents, and structures guide nurse practitioner (NP) educators. The number can be overwhelming for nurse practitioner faculty and administrators, but awareness and understanding are essential for developing high-quality NP programs. A set of five key questions is a starting place for NP faculty to identify documents that guide their NP program development and curricula. (1) Which states does your program meet state educational requirements for professional licensure or certification? (2) Which accreditor is your program accredited by? (3) Which certification examinations are your students prepared to take? (4) Which educational competencies/standards apply to your program? (5) Which professional or practice organizations might be influential to your program? The development of high-quality NP programs advances the protection of the public and upholds the reputation of the profession. Organizations, components of licensure, accreditation, certification, education, and practice (LACEP), and key documents from national organizations will be reviewed, including how each of these are complementary and different.

Moving Toward Equity and Transparency in NP Faculty Workload: It's More Than Just Credits.

Nurse practitioner (NP) programs rely on a highly educated and experienced faculty to deliver the curriculum. Full-time NP faculty are expected to be doctorally prepared, with responsibilities for instruction, an active clinical practice, scholarship, and service. Although the majority of faculty workload comes from effort in instruction, there is significant variability in how faculty workload is assigned. Absent a national model, schools of nursing are challenged to develop workload models for NP faculty to allocate effort for the full scope of work that NP faculty are expected to perform to meet requirements for academic credentialing bodies, licensure, and academic promotion. This article examines current practices in NP workload allocation and explores ways to allocate effort to the domains of work integral to NP education. NP faculty workload models should align with academic promotion expectations to encourage equity and transparency.

Operationalization of Clinical Placements in Graduate Nursing.

Nurse practitioner (NP) program accreditation standards require that programs secure clinical placements for all students. As NP programs increase enrollment to meet the demand for primary care providers, it is vital that they deploy a formalized clinical placement process that ensures all students have a clinical placement. Although NP programs have consistently increased enrollment, the shortage of clinical sites and preceptors continues to be a barrier to admission. Described in this article is the operationalization of graduate nursing clinical placement at one large university with 7 NP tracks. A formalized clinical placement process ensures that all students receive an appropriate placement and graduate on time. Having a dedicated team of NP faculty members to provide clinical placements services for NP students is highly effective.

Perceived Effectiveness of Nursing Faculty of Clinical Video Simulation for Use in Nurse Practitioner Education

Quality clinical placements for nurse practitioner students are increasingly challenging to locate and sustain, restricting faculty opportunities to assess student clinical competency. With the additional impact of COVID-19 restricting access to in-person clinicals and simulations, faculty began to incorporate virtual clinical simulation experiences. This cross-sectional design study examined nurse practitioner faculty’s perception that by including videos with the accompanying faculty guides found at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro School of Nursing Clinical Video Simulation Series site, students’ clinical decision making could be enhanced and that video simulation can be used to assess clinical competency.

OLD CLASS: An Innovative Approach to the Chronic Disease History of Present Illness

Chronic diseases cause 70% of deaths worldwide, including 15 million premature deaths per year. The chronic care model was established to improve chronic disease management; however, it lacks a systematic approach to assist clinicians in fully assessing chronic care needs. OLD CLASS is a method developed by nurse practitioner faculty to guide nurse practitioner students to collect a thorough history, including the lived experience of chronic illness, so they can provide high-quality chronic disease management.

Integrating Telehealth: Curricular Mapping to New Standards in Nurse Practitioner Post-baccalaureate Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs

Owing to the increased use of telehealth as a widely accepted means of providing patient care and the movement toward competency-based education, implementation of telehealth teaching, learning, and evaluation strategies into the graduate nursing plan of study is evolving quickly. This report uses Rutledge’s “4Ps of Telehealth” framework to provide resources for faculty to incorporate telehealth knowledge, skills, attitudes, core telehealth competencies, and evaluation practices into the bachelor of science nursing to doctor of nursing practice program curriculum based on the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies. Formal preparation of students ensures future nurse practitioners are able to provide proficient, effective care through telehealth upon graduation.