A Collaborative Survey of Nurse Practitioner Colorectal Cancer Screening Practice

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the second leading cause of cancer death in men and women in the United States. The opportunity for nurse practitioners (NPs) to initiate preventive measures to guide early detection of CRC is great given its slow progression. We present a collaborative project between a state NP association and colleagues from the Medical Affairs Division of a pharmaceutical company to develop an electronic survey to assess NP knowledge, beliefs, and practice patterns for CRC screening. Survey data identified that NP knowledge of CRC screening guidelines is variable and may contribute to low screening rates.     

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.     

Bridging the Gap Between Acute Care Nurse Practitioner Education and Practice: The Need for Postgraduate Residency Programs

The dearth of specialty training in graduate programs for acute care nurse practitioners (ACNPs) has created a gap between education and practice. The demand in hospitals for ACNPs has risen dramatically across the board. Concerns for patient safety and lowered overall satisfaction with care have led many hospitals to use ACNPs as a solution to the reduction of house staff. However, a lack of specialized training could jeopardize the ability of ACNPs to embrace this opportunity. Postgraduate residency programs could provide formal, mentored, and specialized training over the course of a year, preparing ACNPs to step up to the challenge.     

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.     

Nurse Practitioner Role,Independent Practice,and Teamwork in Primary Care

Primary care nurse practitioner (NP) workforce represents a substantial supply of primary care providers able to meet the demand for care. However, many barriers influence NP practice and care. This study conducted a survey of NPs in New York state to better understand NPs' role, independent practice, and teamwork in primary care organizations. Overall, 278 NPs completed the online survey. Forty-two percent of NPs had their own patient panel. The mean score of the Autonomy and Independent Practice scale was higher than that of the Teamwork scale. These scales were positively correlated, suggesting that NP independent practice may improve teamwork.     

The Role of the Nurse Practitioner in Adult Day Care

During the past 25 years, nurse practitioners (NPs) have become health care providers in a variety of settings. Adult day care is one of the settings in which it is increasingly clear that there is a role for the NP. Nurse practitioners have the potential to provide increased comprehensive primary health care to clients participating in these programs.     

Marketing Nursing in a Nurse Practitioner Practice

This issue of our journal contains the inaugural column of a new feature. When the Editorial Board of the journal met in St. Louis at NANDA's 25th year anniversary celebration, we discussed strategies to further spread the word that nursing diagnosis is alive, well, and at work daily in clinical settings. The idea for this column was born, and it will appear regularly from now on. I can think of no better beginning than the one Dr. Judy Carlson-Catalano has given us. Dr. Catalano not only uses nursing diagnosis in her private nursing practice; she uses nursing diagnosis to advertise her work. I invite you to read and enjoy the first column of Nursing Diagnosis at Work. MKMJ.     

Nurse Practitioner and Pharmacist Collaboration in Ambulatory Care

Collaboration between nurse practitioners (NPs) and pharmacists in an ambulatory care setting was observed for 10 months. In a community clinic, a pharmacist and NP jointly improved medication use across 4 categories: reference to clinical guidelines, potential adverse drug events, alternatives based on treatment failure, and medication cost. They also improved patient care by reviewing treatment guidelines and modifying the drug alert algorithms of a new electronic health record system. Safe use of multiple medications, interpretation of clinical decision support systems, and reference to treatment guidelines each point to the potential benefits of collaboration.