Perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education

BackgroundFaculty practice is believed to positively affect health education, however limited research exists on the impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education.PurposeThe purpose was to explore the perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education.MethodsA preliminary mixed methods approach was used to evaluate nurse practitioner student and faculty perspectives on the impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. Student group interviews were conducted and practicing faculty were surveyed.ResultsStudy findings included student and faculty-perceived benefits and challenges of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education. Specific benefits were increased access to faculty preceptors and clinical sites for nurse practitioner students, influencing faculty-developed education materials, increased number of real-world examples, faculty credibility, applying evidence-based practice, and overall improvement in the quality of teaching. Specific challenges were time, faculty availability to students, managing multiple roles, and clinical sites not conducive to precepting.ConclusionThis study provided preliminary information on the perceived impact of faculty practice on nurse practitioner education including the benefits and challenges. Findings support faculty practice as having a positive perceived impact on nurse practitioner education.     

Preparing the FNP Workforce for the Increasingly Complex Work Environment

In 1965, the University of Colorado became the first university to develop a curriculum for the nurse practitioner role, preparing clinicians to meet contemporaneous, across-the-life span, general-practice health care needs. However, in the succeeding 5 decades, individual- and population-level health care needs have grown both in scope and complexity (eg, management of multifaceted chronic diseases and behavioral health conditions). Therefore, family nurse practitioner (FNP) education programs must themselves evolve to match the current, evolving health care environment. This article reviews how an FNP curricular redesign at a college of nursing assisted the faculty in meeting this charge.     

Integrating practice issues in managed care into the curriculum: a Delphi survey

PURPOSE: This project evolved from a partnership between an advanced practice nurse (APN) graduate program and a care management insurer. The purpose of this Delphi survey was to identify (a) role components germane to the practice of APNs in managed care and (b) topics reflecting these components in the curriculum. DATA SOURCES: Data were gathered from two expert panels, clinician preceptors and faculty members. Each panel had 11 members: 11.3% and 100%, respectively, of the target populations of clinicians and faculty in the partnering agencies. CONCLUSIONS: There was considerable congruence between the panels on the survey. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Case vignettes could be used as a vehicle for discussion of the broader issues of population approaches to specific problems. Faculty could partner with clinicians to develop cases for discussion of evidence-based practice. Faculty and clinicians could create preceptorships focused on business management, postgraduate fellowships within managed care systems, and regular opportunities to dialogue about curriculum and essential attributes of APN graduates.     

Preparing the Next Generation of Nurse Practitioners

Creative solutions are required to grow the nurse practitioner (NP) workforce essential to meet the health needs of the nation. NP programs are best served by filling NP faculty positions with practicing NPs. Clinical practice changes rapidly. Continued immersion in the clinical world allows faculty to present up-to-the minute practice guidelines and to realistically present the challenges and opportunities inherent in the NP role. However, the demands of the clinical and teaching roles are frequently at odds. To overcome this chasm, partnerships between clinical sites and academia will be necessary, along with renewed thinking about educational program structure and demands.     

Columbia University's competency and evidence-based Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Program

New clinical information is being generated faster than practicing clinicians can effectively assimilate it. Since the gold standard of clinical information is evidence-based information, tools and techniques that facilitate both the building of evidence for practice and the application of evidence to practice are essential for practicing clinicians. As such, the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner (ACNP) program at Columbia University's School of Nursing was reconfigured to incorporate both theoretically based competency evaluation standards and strategies to foster an evidence-based practice approach to clinical care. The purpose of this article is to describe a curriculum and set of learning activities used to foster both development of clinical competency and evidence-based practice in students in the Acute Care Nurse Practitioner program.     

Integration of Palliative Care Into a Nurse Practitioner DNP Program

The purpose of this educational project was to integrate end-of-life and palliative care into a nurse practitioner‒doctor of nursing practice course through didactic education and clinical immersion. The innovative and memorable clinical immersion in palliative care was highly rated by the majority of the students, with all students commenting on being positively impacted by observation of the family meeting. Effectiveness of the didactic and clinical immersion was analyzed with a pre/posttest and student evaluations. This project identifies methods for faculty to integrate end-of-life and palliative care into their curriculum to enhance students’ ability to deliver evidence-based and compassionate care.     

Faculty positions as a career choice for professionals--Part I

This article is the first part of a two-part series designed to give the readers an overview of the study, "Faculty Positions as a Career Choice for Professionals." This nationwide study, requested by the AANA Education Committee, investigated the questions, "Why do professionals enter faculty positions?" and "Why do CRNAs with graduate degrees choose to become or choose not to become educators?" An attempt was made to answer these questions by studying demographic, life cycle and certain intrinsic and extrinsic factors of graduate-prepared CRNAs, nursing education faculty, higher education faculty (other than nursing and nurse anesthesia), and nursing service personnel. The authors reviewed the methodology and the results as they applied to the demographic data. The results showed that CRNA faculty were older than practicing CRNAs. Twenty-five percent of the CRNAs had degrees in nurse anesthesia, 16% in education, 13% in nursing, 6% in biology, and 40% in a variety of other disciplines. Sixty-five percent had undergraduate degrees in nursing and 7% in nurse anesthesia. CRNA faculty salaries and practicing CRNA salaries were comparable. The information was presented by the authors at the Assembly of School Faculty Meeting, February 21-24, 1991 in Tampa, Florida. It is hoped that this study will assist nurse anesthesia programs, universities and colleges in their recruitment activities for faculty.     

Faculty mentorship: support for nurse practitioner students and staff within the rural community health setting

As pointed out in the introduction, there are certain practical concepts within our base of nursing knowledge that can only be taught through experience. Many things are easier to teach by example. As we turn back the clock in nursing, we can see how Florence Nightingale, Clara Barton, and Lillian Wald were role models to their nursing peers in their era. They taught nursing by example, by role modeling their clinical expertise. Today, this model is still effective and faculty mentoring of nurse practitioner students and CHNs in a compassionate and collegial leadership results in higher quality of health care for our nation's needy clients and their families. But greater yet are the opportunities for flexible nurse practitioner faculty practice and personal interactions on many levels for nursing faculty who wish to share their expertise. Mentorship by nurse practitioner faculty for nurse practitioner students and CHNs in a rural clinical setting has revealed many positive aspects in providing quality care for rural clients and growth for nurses. Exposure to the rural community health system helps us, as nurses, to identify the many strengths it possesses for innovative rural nursing practice.     

Nursing students' and faculty members' knowledge of, experience with, and attitudes toward complementary and alternative therapies

This study was designed to describe and compare the knowledge, experience, and attitudes of nursing faculty and students (undergraduate and graduate) regarding complementary and alternative therapies (CAT). A cross-sectional survey (N = 153) of undergraduate (n = 41) and graduate (n = 57) students and faculty (n = 55) was conducted in one school of nursing. Most participants were White (87%) and female (78%). More than 70% of the students and faculty agreed that clinical care should integrate the use of CAT. More than 85% desired more education about CAT, especially in undergraduate nursing curricula. More than 65% agreed that the clinical nurse specialist or nurse practitioner role should include the use of CAT in their practice, and more than 50% agreed that they had some knowledge of CAT, but only approximately 30% had some experience with CAT. Faculty and students expressed positive attitudes toward integrating CAT into the undergraduate nursing curriculum and nursing practice. Faculty development and nursing research are needed to facilitate curriculum change and integrate CAT into nursing programs at all levels.     

Evaluation of a tobacco cessation curricular intervention among acute care nurse practitioner faculty members.

BACKGROUND: In 2002, a report indicated that tobacco-related curricular content in educational programs for acute care nurse practitioners was insufficient. To provide healthcare professionals with the necessary knowledge and skills to intervene with patients who smoke tobacco, the Summer Institute for Tobacco Control Practices in Nursing Education was implemented at Georgetown University in Washington, DC. OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a train-the-trainer program in which the Rx for Change: Clinician-Assisted Tobacco Cessation curriculum was used among faculty members of acute care nurse practitioner programs. METHODS: Thirty faculty members participated in the 2-day train-the-trainer program. Surveys were administered at baseline and 12 months after training to examine perceived effectiveness for teaching tobacco content, the value of using an evidence-based national guideline, and the number of hours of tobacco content integrated in curricula. RESULTS: The percentage of faculty members who devoted at least 3 hours to tobacco education increased from 22.2% to 74.1% (P<.001). Perceived effectiveness in teaching tobacco cessation also increased (P < .001), as did mean scores for the perceived value of using an evidence-based national guideline (P<.001). CONCLUSIONS: Use of the Rx for Change train-the-trainer program can enhance the level of tobacco education provided in acute care nurse practitioner programs. Widespread adoption of an evidence-based tobacco education in nursing curricula is recommended to help decrease tobacco-related morbidity and mortality.     

Clinical Care for the Aging LGBT Population

US Census estimates indicate that there are currently 1.75 to 4 million Americans who identify as lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT), which will double by 2030. Life expectancy for the aging LGBT population is lower than that of the same age cohort due to health care disparities. Most nurse practitioners (NPs) and certified nurse midwives (CNMs) are not aware of needs of this population and clinical modifications required to improve access to care and health outcomes. This lack of information adds to the gap in health care services and deepens disparities. NPs and CNMs are in a unique position to improve care by addressing unique the health care needs of the aging LGBT population.     

The experience of undertaking faculty practice

The role of the nurse teacher in practice has been subject to scrutiny by nurse teachers and professional reviews (Clifford 1993, 1996, Crotty 1993, UKCC 1999, Aston et al. 2000). Two models that emerge from the literature to participate in practice are the liaison lecturer or the lecturer practitioner role. A further model of faculty practice is identifiable. Faculty practice has it origins in North America, the consequence of which is there is a dearth of English literature/research enabling analysis of the appropriateness of such a model in the United Kingdom. At a time when nurse educationalists are being encouraged to remain clinically competent it would seem pertinent to explore a further model. In this article the first experiences of faculty pr actice are explored. Key themes to emerge from this experience are gaining access and professional issues arising from the delivery of care, which would benefit from evaluation with Trust colleagues and patients.     

Discovery of Methods to Enhance the Care of the LGBTQ+ Community

Lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer/questioning (LGBTQ+) patients have a greater risk of suicide, depression, anxiety, and sexually transmitted infections. Provider interactions with different cultures related to sexual orientation and gender identification often lack LGBTQ+-specific competence. Marginalized patients may gain greater access to health care with telehealth. A convenience sample of embedded participants, nurse practitioner faculty, and nurse practitioner students participated in the study. Participants were randomly assigned to the simulated patient visit via a telehealth robot (telerobot) or an in-person provider. Differences were noted between an in-person provider and a telerobot. Social presence favored the telerobot provider (P = .006). Telerobot and telehealth visits may mitigate health care barriers.     

Faculty practice: nurse educators' views and proposed models

Faculty practice is an issue that has been extensively debated, yet no consensus about its definition, purposes, or implementation has yet been achieved among nurse educators. This nationwide survey of a random sample of 909 AD and BSN educators was designed to elicit concepts of faculty practice and to find how and why faculty are implementing practice. Sixty percent of the sample are practicing nursing; the reason most frequently given was to maintain clinical skills. The 40% not practicing stated lack of time as the primary reason. Responses demonstrated no differences between AD and BSN educators regarding definition, implementation, and motivation for faculty practice. As a result of the survey, a definition of faculty practice has been formulated and conceptual models of faculty practice delineated. The models that have been developed are the Nurse-Researcher Model, Nurse-Clinician Model, and Nurse-Consultant Model.     

The use of personal digital assistants by nurse practitioner students and faculty

PURPOSE: To describe the prevalence and patterns of use of personal digital assistants (PDAs) by nurse practitioner (NP) students and faculty, examine relationships between patterns of use of PDAs and demographic characteristics of NP students and faculty, and describe patterns of use of PDAs that support evidence-based practice (clinical scholarship). DATA SOURCES: Responses to a 20-item questionnaire administered via electronic or postal mail from 227 NP students and faculty. CONCLUSIONS: A majority (67%) of the participants used PDAs. Use was higher among men (82%) than women (64%) (p < .05). On average, respondents who used a PDA (N = 153) had been using it just over a year (M = 13 months). Respondents reported using a PDA most days of the week (M = 5 days). The top three medical software programs identified by respondents as the most useful in clinical practice were ePocrates Rx (82%), Griffith's 5-Minute Clinical Consult (26%), and MedCalc (22%). Most participants (96%) related that PDA use supported clinical decision making. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: Personal digital assistants may facilitate the application of evidence-based knowledge to practice. However, until there is evidence that PDA software is valid and reliable, clinicians should continue to use a multitude of references to assure the quality and safety of care provided.     

Nursing faculty practice: benefits vs costs

The transfer of nurse education from the hospital setting to the university sector has increased the dichotomy between theory and practice. Nurse academics have been exploring methods of maintaining clinical competence and credibility through organizational structures such as faculty practice. Faculty practice is a formal arrangement which exists between a clinical setting and a university which allows nurse academics to consult and deliver client care resulting in research and scholarly outcomes. The most important advantage of faculty practice is its potential to contribute to nursing knowledge and validate theories through the use of reflective practice and professional Journalling by nurse academics which can help demystify and analyse the intricate elements of nursing. Other advantages of faculty practice are described as improving student's learning and client care through the application of an advanced knowledge base and facilitation by a faculty member. It also facilitates communication with clinical staff and assists in the professional development of nurse academics. The major barriers which need to be addressed to facilitate faculty practice are the allocation of time in the nurse academic's workload which incorporates consultation and faculty administrative support and the recognition of promotion and tenure process of universities.     

Transition of Nurse Practitioner Faculty Practice and Student Clinicals to Telehealth: Response to the COVID-19 Pandemic

The COVID-19 pandemic forced the US health care system to evaluate alternative care delivery strategies to reduce the risk of coronavirus transmission to patients and health care providers. Telehealth modalities are a safe and effective alternative to face-to-face visits for primary and psychiatric care. Federal policy makers approved changes to telehealth reimbursement coverage and allowed flexibility of location for patients and providers. This article describes the transition of patient visits to telehealth by nurse practitioner faculty at an academic medical center to maintain continuity of care of underserved patient populations. This pivot facilitated resumption of clinical learning experiences for nurse practitioner students.     

Bridging the gap: creating faculty development opportunities at a large medical center

Faculty development often focuses on developing practicing professionals into teaching experts within a classroom setting. As such, the topic of nursing faculty development is often written about from the standpoint of an employing traditional academic institution. Nursing faculty also have development needs related to practice within a clinical education institution. How do faculty members maintain a current perspective on endless changes in the clinical setting? This becomes particularly challenging if faculty are not actively engaged in nursing practice at the bedside and utilize a clinical facility for education sporadically throughout an academic year. This article describes the method one large academic medical center used to partner collaboratively with schools of nursing to create opportunities for faculty development. A need for clinical faculty development was recognized and a clinical facility faculty day was created and implemented. Information shared during this faculty development day included institutional practice changes, the implementation of a computerized medical record documentation system, general orientation policies, and procedures related to the conducting of business within the institution. A networking opportunity was also provided for faculty and the institutional healthcare leadership staff. Anecdotal evaluation information is also shared.     

Using High-fidelity Simulation to Teach Acute Care Pediatric Nurse Practitioner Students

Acute care nurse practitioner students do not have the opportunity to practice independent clinical decision making in serious situations in student clinical rotations, and learning this skill is critical to successful role transition. High-fidelity simulation can provide an opportunity for practicing these skills. A pilot study comparing students' knowledge before and after participation in a high-fidelity simulation as compared with traditional learning is presented. The difference between the 2 modes of teaching was not statistically significant. However, these pediatric acute care nurse practitioner students reported satisfaction, enthusiasm, and enjoyment reflected through participation in a structured debriefing process.     

Using student-collected practice data as a teaching tool

Research is an intimidating prospect for many students. This brief and fairly simple foray into data collection and analysis did not convince all students to embrace research. It did, however, entice many to consider how to incorporate data collection into their own beginning practices. Students who had stated their aversion to research found themselves arguing for the necessity of data collection to provide evidence for practice changes. There were also students who found the experience yet another busywork paper trail invented by the faculty. They resented the time and effort required for completion of another form during their busy clinical experiences. Other students remained adamantly opposed to considering any changes in what they saw as "appropriate" practice despite evidence to the contrary. An ongoing goal of education is to facilitate lifelong learning and investigation into clinical questions. The faculty plan to survey the graduates to ascertain what data collection efforts, if any, they are currently using. The educational program described in this project closed in December 1998 because of funding restrictions. One of the faculty in this project (Carr) and current colleagues are continuing to use the NMCDS to encourage students to examine and analyze their own practices. An additional use of the data set is for student-initiated research projects that focus on specific clinical questions. One faculty member was part of an effort to institute a similar project in a master's-based nurse-midwifery education program. That database has currently provided data for two master's degree projects. The uses of the NMCDS are not limited to graduate students or advanced practice clinicians. The tool is being used in an undergraduate maternity nursing clinical course to assist students in seeing differences in practice and the possible reasons for those differences. The Division of Research of the ACNM has sponsored the development of similar data collection tools for both ambulatory prenatal and well-woman care. The wellwoman tool is currently in the pilot stage (1999), and will be refined and further tested this year. The use of these data collection tools by advanced practice nurses would provide a wealth of data for both policy setting and clinical research. Educational programs frequently combine coursework for various advanced practice nursing pathways, and nurse-midwifery and nurse practitioner students would benefit from jointly focusing on practice patterns and participating in the analysis of student-collected data. The standardized tools for intrapartum, well-woman care, and antepartum care will be available to all of the 50 ACNM education programs as well as to practicing clinicians.