Nurse Practitioner Faculty Research Articles

Novice Nurse Practitioner Faculty and the Online Educator’s Role

Abstract Nursing programs continue to transition or establish online education programs in response to the need for nursing faculty to teach in postlicensure to higher educational degree programs. Recruitment efforts target experienced nurse practitioners (NPs) in clinical practice who may be considering an academic role. Before the acceptance of the novice NP faculty role, the components of the role, faculty development resources, extent of orientation, and role expectations must be discussed. Limited preparation to online education environments jeopardizes the recruitment and retention of qualified NP faculty. This article reviews strategies for successfully acclimating novice faculty to online teaching.

Practice Standards for the Emergency Nurse Practitioner Specialty.

THE EMERGENCY NURSE PRACTITIONER (ENP) specialty in the United States has grown rapidly since its origins during the 1980s following the establishment of the emergency medicine specialty. Initially, ENPs were prepared on the job with direct mentoring by emergency medicine physicians. Since then, in

Proposed standardized educational preparation for the emergency nurse practitioner

The dynamic climate within health care policy-making and academia, in conjunction with updated Emergency Nurse Practitioner (ENP) competencies and a recent role delineation study, supports development of standardized curricula to ensure appropriate preparation for practice. Emergency NP curricular content should align with the updated ENP Practice Standards and National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties' competencies for the Core and Family NP. This article provides rationale for establishing standardized educational curricula for ENP programs, delineates core specialty curricular content for inclusion, and discusses applicability of ENP specialty competencies within graduate academic education and postgraduate fellowship programs. As national ENP program curricula are standardized, clarity of the ENP specialty role will be enhanced and educational outcomes can be uniformly evaluated.

Open Wide and Say A-Ha: Adding Oral Health Content to the Nurse Practitioner Curriculum.

While aligning our nurse practitioner curriculum to the competencies of the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, we realized that there was a lack of oral health content in our program. As we did not possess the knowledge needed to teach this content, we invited a dental school faculty member to do this for our class. This experience led to a change in the delivery of our teaching content through the use of the STAR Legacy Cycle model and the How People Learn theory. The purpose of this article is to share our journey with others.

Home-based nurse practitioners demonstrate reductions in rehospitalizations and emergency department visits in a clinically complex patient population through an academic-clinical partnership.

The purpose of this pilot study was to describe the impact of one aspect of an academic-clinical partnership that showed how assigning nurse practitioner faculty to deliver home-based primary care services to clinically complex patients would decrease rehospitalizations and emergency department visit rates. Rehospitalizations and emergency department visits of a cohort of 82 patients were recorded from April 15, 2016 to August 25, 2016 and compared with the same cohort during the two pre-home care inception periods (6 months and 1 year) using insurance claims-based data. Compared with the 1-year pre-home care inception period, there was a decrease of 23.7% in emergency department visits and 34.9% decrease in rehospitalizations after the implementation of the home-based primary care program and a decrease of 35.6% in emergency department visits and 59.4% decrease in rehospitalizations compared with 6 months of pre-home care inception. Allowing nurse practitioners with full practice authority to deliver home-based primary health care services to homebound, chronically ill, recently discharged, and/or disabled patients can decrease costs and promote optimum health care in this population. In addition, these programs provide valuable learning experiences for nurse practitioner students and their preceptors.

Nursing and Dental Students' Reflections on Interprofessional Practice After a Service-Learning Experience in Appalachia.

Nowhere is the discrepancy between good and poor oral health status more pronounced in the U.S. than in the Appalachian region, where there is a high incidence of dental problems related to non-flouridated water, limited access to care, and tooth loss. To address these disparities, in 2016 University at Buffalo dental and nurse practitioner faculty members led a group of dental and nursing students on a two-day service-learning experience in rural Tennessee. The aim of this study was to assess the dental and nursing students' reflections on this interprofessional service-learning experience in Appalachia. After the program, all 36 students who took part in it were invited to complete a survey with open-ended questions about the experience and their attitudes about interprofessional practice. Of the students, 34 (94.4%) returned the surveys, and 23 completed all the questions. Thematic analysis was used to code and analyze the student comments, which were then organized into themes. Five themes emerged: facilitating care through teamwork, gaining mutual respect, gaining confidence, understanding dental role in overall health, and relieving suffering. The overarching pattern was the link among all the themes: that everyone has a part to play in ensuring that patients get the best care. The themes and overarching pattern corresponded to the Interprofessional Education Collaboration (IPEC) competencies and the overall goal of delivering patient-centered care to a population that is underserved. These findings suggest that exposure to patients who lack dental care and have severe oral health problems can impact developing nursing and dental professionals in ways that can increase their appreciation of interprofessional practice and their future willingness to provide care in underserved settings.

Supporting nurse practitioner education: Preceptorship recruitment and retention

ObjectivesClinical experience is an essential component of nurse practitioner (NP) education that relies heavily on preceptors. Recruitment and retention of preceptors is challenging due to many variables that can affect NP education and practice. We surveyed Canadian NP programs to understand their preceptorship structures, how they support preceptorship, and to identify gaps and challenges to recruitment and retention of preceptors. MethodsAn 18-item survey, developed by the NP Education Interest Group, was distributed to 24 universities across 10 Canadian provinces. Construct validity and reliability was assessed by experienced NPs and NP faculty. Data were analyzed using relative frequency statistics and thematic analysis. Participants consisted of administrative staff and/or faculty designated as responsible for recruitment and retention of NP preceptors. ResultsSeventeen returned surveys were analyzed and demonstrated more similarities than differences across Canada's NP programs, particularly related to barriers affecting recruitment and retention of preceptors. The findings identified NP programs have too many students for the number of available clinical sites/preceptors, resulting in overutilization, burnout, or refusal to take students. Competition with other health disciplines for clinical placements was identified as a challenge to placements. Respondents commented they lack time to recruit, provide follow-up, offer support, or seek preceptors' feedback due to competing work demands. They identified the need for standardized funding for preceptor remuneration and recognition across the country. ConclusionThe findings suggest the need for exploring a wider intraprofessional collaboration among graduate NP programs/faculty, clinical placement sites, and NPs to facilitate the recruitment and retention of preceptors.

A scoping review of the progress of the evolution of the Doctor of Nursing Practice in the USA to inform consideration of future transformation of Nurse Practitioner education in Australia

BackgroundIn 2004 a consensus was reached through a vote of membership of the American Association of Colleges of Nursing to move Nurse Practitioner education from the masters to the doctoral level by 2015. AimTo determine progress to meet the goal of moving towards doctoral level education for American Nurse Practitioners and identify the associated discourse. MethodA scoping review was undertaken to dertermine the progress towards the goal of the of moving from the Master of Science Nursing to the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree as the point from which Nurse Practitioner certification and licensure can be applied for in the USA, the reported outcomes resulting from the introduction of the Doctor of Nursing Practice and the evolution of the discourse re the design and intent and of the Doctor of Nursing Practice. FindingsThere has been ongoing evolution in the vision of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree since 2004. Whilst there have been challenges, support for continued development and implementation of the Doctor of Nursing Practice is strong. DiscussionThese findings are considered with regard to informing potential future directions for Nurse Practitioner education in Australia. ConclusionIt is timely in Australia to consider development of a post endorsement bespoke Professional Doctorate for Nurse Practitioners. To address the issue of course load in Nurse Practitioner Masters Programmes the discipline should work towards being recognized as able to offer an extended masters degree for Nurse Practitioners. Australian Nurse Practitioner faculty should come together as a group to consult on development of Nurse Practitioner education in Australia.

Emergency Nurse Practitioner Core Educational Content.

Increasing numbers of patients are presenting to national emergency departments (EDs). This is occurring simultaneously with reductions in providers along with ED closures, creating a significant gap in emergency care. According to the advanced practice registered nurse consensus model, specialty-specific knowledge and practice build upon generalist nurse practitioner (NP) population foci. Although the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties provides guidelines for educational programs at the NP population level, determination of core specialty knowledge lies with specialty organizations. Emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs) require additional specialty-specific education to manage patients spanning age and acuity continuums. Although certification mechanisms are now in place to recognize NP specialty knowledge, a nationally standardized curriculum remains to be proposed. This article proposes core educational content for ENP specialty education; the utility of this content may serve as the foundation for the development of standardized ENP academic and postgraduate fellowship programs.

Should Primary Care Nurse Practitioners be Permitted to Work in Acute Care Settings?

Should Primary Care Nurse Practitioners be Permitted to Work in Acute Care Settings?

Building clinical education training capacity in nurse practitioner programs.

Building clinical education training capacity in nurse practitioner programs is critical to build the primary care workforce and to address the access to care problem in the country. Challenges related to obtaining clinical sites and qualified preceptors are well reported, but few practical solutions are presented. Clinical sites and qualified preceptors willing to serve can be found, but nurse practitioner faculty must remove obstacles and strengthen resources by discovering untapped capacity. Nurse practitioner faculty can design, implement, and test innovative clinical models to maximize clinical training capacity. Clinical capacity development in geriatrics and long-term care, convenience care, distance immersions, correctional nursing, occupational health, and through interprofessional collaborations and faculty practice partnerships can be expanded.

National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties

No data exist about how directors of psychiatric mental health (PMH) graduate nurse practitioner (NP) programs have dealt with moving their programs to a lifespan model. It is equally unclear as to how many programs have changed to a doctor of nursing practice (DNP) level of clinical education. The purpose of this survey was to gather data on the state of graduate PMH NP education as they align with regulatory models. A brief survey was sent via e-mail to 118 program directors of PMH NP programs. Seventy-six program directors responded (64% return rate). Their responses indicate all programs have transitioned to a PMH NP lifespan model and about a third to the DNP level. Securing child clinical placements is a significant issue. Significant challenges exist to growing the PMH NP lifespan workforce including how to assist PMH clinical nurse specialists, Adult PMH NPs, and other NPs wanting to obtain the PMH NP lifespan degree.

Leading DNP Professionals: Practice Competencies for Organizational Excellence and Advancement.

The doctorate in nursing practice (DNP) role is quickly emerging across the United States in numerous practice settings, especially in hospitals, outpatient services, and academic institutions. There is now a need for guidelines to evaluate the enactment of the standards used to create DNP education and practice, competencies expected in practice, and the outcomes and value created by this role. This article presents a DNP Performance Demonstration and Impact template created on the basis of the AACN (American Association of Colleges of Nursing), NONPF (National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties), and AONE (American Organization of Nurse Executives) standards to assist leaders in evaluating DNP performance from a standards-driven perspective.

Diversity Poster and Presentation: Blending Diversity, Scholarship and Evidence Based Practice into Scholarly Work for Nurse Practitioner Students

Nurse practitioner faculty often struggle to create innovative ways to integrate core curriculum concepts into the clinical didactic courses. Cultural diversity, Evidenced Based Practice (EBP) and scholarship are critical components of the academic curriculum for Nurse Practitioner (NP) students who are nearing graduation. Evaluating student comprehension and utilization of these concepts can be challenging and time consuming. The Diversity Poster and Presentation Activity (DPPA) is intended to synthesize knowledge gained throughout the NP curriculum, illustrate clinical experiences and disseminate that knowledge to peers, faculty, and the professional community. The DPPA interlaces the student clinical experience with relevant curriculum based core concepts that culminates in a presentation that aims to enhance knowledge of peers and community healthcare providers in one assignment. Creating an innovative learning activity is especially beneficial when it can combine multiple concepts while creating a product that can also disseminate the knowledge. These skills, content knowledge, and scholarship project will benefit the student professionally and clinically and enhance future employment opportunities. The ability to intertwine core advanced practice nursing concepts into clinical content is challenging, but can be incredibly rewarding for educators, students and the community as evident by the success of the DPAA.

Helping Students Get Published: Tips from Journal Editors

Helping Students Get Published: Tips from Journal Editors

A Formative Program Evaluation of Electronic Clinical Tracking System Documentation to Meet National Core Competencies.

Electronic clinical tracking systems are used in many educational institutions of higher learning to document advanced practice registered nursing students' clinical experiences. Students' clinical experiences are constructed according to the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties core competencies. These competencies form a basis for evaluation of advanced practice registered nursing programs. However, no previous studies have evaluated the use of electronic clinical tracking systems to validate students' clinical experiences in meeting national core competencies. Medatrax, an electronic clinical tracking system, is evaluated using a formative program evaluation approach to determine if students' clinical documentations meet Family/Across the Lifespan Nurse Practitioner Competencies in a midsouthern family nurse practitioner program. This formative program evaluation supports the use of an electronic clinical tracking system in facilitating accreditation and program outcome goals. The significance of this study is that it provides novel evidence to support the use of an electronic clinical tracking system to assist a midsouthern school of nursing in meeting national core competencies.

Do Nurse Practitioners Need Postgraduate Training?

Do Nurse Practitioners Need Postgraduate Training?

Exploring conceptual and theoretical frameworks for nurse practitioner education: a scoping review protocol.

REVIEW QUESTION/OBJECTIVE The objective of this review is to examine conceptual and/or theoretical frameworks that are relevant to nurse practitioner education. The specific review question is: What conceptual and/or theoretical frameworks are available that are relevant to the structuring of nurse practitioner education? INCLUSION CRITERIA Types of participants This review will consider studies that include nurse practitioners in any specialty or the education of nurse practitioners in any specialty at the graduate or post-graduate level. Phenomena of interest In this review, we will consider documents that describe or evaluate frameworks, maps or conceptual structures for NP education at the graduate degree or post-graduate degree level. Literature that presents a framework for the graduate education of students in other health care disciplines at the university level will also be considered for inclusion. Frameworks for utilization in other jurisdictions (e.g. Provincial and Territorial regulatory frameworks) and metrics that assist in measuring, describing and organizing key concepts required for nurse practitioner education will be examined. Outcomes of interest for this review will include framework components in either narrative or illustrative form. Context This scoping review will consider studies that have been conducted in the provision of graduate level education of students in health care disciplines. Specific contextual focus will be directed to identify frameworks for educational programming for nurse practitioner students. Frameworks for curriculum development and/or delivery in other disciplines will also be considered.

Preparing Nurse Practitioner Students for International Experiences Using Skills Acquisition

BackgroundNursing education has utilized international experiences to increase nursing students' education of global perspectives on health care and increase their awareness of cultural differences. Reviews of these learning experiences have primarily focused on student benefits after their completion of the international experiences. MethodDoctorate of nurse practitioner (DNP) students enrolled in a family nurse practitioner (NP) program in a small northeastern university participated in three international experiences in Nicaragua for 2014 (March, June, and November 2014). Analysis of the experience in June 2014 demonstrated performance of several procedures by NP faculty that DNP students were unfamiliar and could be better prepared for the next international experience. ResultsA skills laboratory experience of the most frequent procedures performed in Nicaragua was planned and implemented to better prepare students before the November 2014 international experience. “Hands-on” skills were practiced in the laboratory to familiarize DNP students with the procedures before their international experience. ConclusionsFrom suturing to the dental inferior alveolar blocks, the simulations allowed the students to manipulate the instruments and become comfortable with the procedures. Although there were a wide variety of patient complaints in the nearly 200 patients that were encountered at the November 2014 clinic. Having the students prepared for the most common procedures that have been performed with previous international experiences provides them familiarity with the procedure content before a foreign experience. The purpose of this article was to describe this skills laboratory education of the NP students to prepare them for upcoming international experiences.

Assessing advantages and barriers to telemedicine adoption in the practice setting: A MyCareTeam(TM) exemplar.

Telemedicine is an evolving field that holds great potential to improve patient outcomes. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties core competencies now require all nurse practitioners (NPs) to be competent utilizing telemedicine to address various patient and healthcare system needs. While telemedicine offers advantages to patient care, adoption of new technologies can be challenging. An assessment of perceived advantages and barriers to MyCareTeam, an online diabetes management system, was conducted at an adult diabetes clinic. Two survey questionnaires were developed based on the Diffusion of Innovations (DOI) theory. The surveys were administered to patients in the clinic waiting room and sent to all clinical staff via an e-mail link. The findings of this project suggested a novel way to classify patients with regard to their use of the technology with implications for practice. Recommendations include outreach to enhance knowledge and awareness of MyCareTeam, reinforcing the full scope of the system, and improved technical support. DOI theory is a framework that may be utilized by NPs as a tool for assessing advantages and barriers to telemedicine applications in the practice setting in order to identify strategies to promote adoption and use.