Professional Interview : Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies

The roles of advanced practice nurses have been an ongoing debate in many states. In a globalized world, advance nurse leaders are regarded as forefront leaders that provide first-rate healthcare to the public. However, the role of new advanced practice nurses is known to be complex. Advance practice nurses use countless different strategies and nursing theories to improve the wellbeing of their patient. To improve the well being of all patients, there is a growing demand for advance practice nurses worldwide. The advanced practice roles of CNM, CNP, CNS, and CRNA require a toolbox of skills, understanding, and integrative abilities that synthesize advanced practice nursing knowledge" (Buppert, 2011). With the rapid development of the advance practice nurse leader, the national organization of Nurse Practitioners are eager to help ensure the competencies of the diverse roles of APN.

There are nine core competencies that the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) has adopted in which the nurse practitioner student’s education is based on: scientific foundation, leadership, quality, practice inquiry, technology and information literacy, policy, health delivery system, ethics, and independent practice competencies. This writer will describe and summarize the competencies as they relate to the nurse practitioners practice. After extensive research by this writer, she was able to conduct a thorough interview with a Certified Nurse Practitioner (CNP). This writer has learned how the working CNP utilizes the competencies in her practice as a Neonatal Certified Nurse Practitioner.

A set of nine core competencies was developed by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) in 2011, outlining the skills that doctorally prepared NPs are

There are nine essentials of professional nursing practice that will ensure the professional nurse will be able to practice in complex healthcare systems. The nine essentials are liberal education, basic organizational and systems leadership for quality care and patient safety, scholarship for evidence based practice, information management, health care policy, interprofessional communication and collaboration, clinical prevention, professionalism and baccalaureate generalist nursing practice. These aspects of the baccalaureate education are “essential” for creating a well-rounded nurse able to practice in a variety of settings and provide care for people from “all walks of life.”

Nurse leaders play a vital role in establishing standards and leading organizational change. The effects of the Affordable care Act (ACA) on the healthcare industry is characterized by change (Delmatoff & Lazarus, 2014). Given this ACA paradigm transformation, I believe today’s nursing leaders must adapt quickly and assist new leaders to develop the skills necessary to envision and evaluate new healthcare delivery systems. According to Chism (2009), the roles of the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) prepared nurse graduates may be incorporated to meet the transformation of today’s contemporary healthcare. After reading the assigned material, I gained confidence that the DNP program will prepare me for eligible leadership roles within the healthcare industry.

The Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies (NP Core Competencies) forms and builds upon ongoing Master’s and DNP core competencies and these are the channels and background for all graduating NP students. The NP Core Competencies can input their full scope of practice as an independent licensed practitioner. These essential competencies of an NP is fully developed by graduation, no matter what the NPs preferred speciality is. The core competencies are an essential part to face the multispecialty challenges of the changing health care system. By adding knowledge, skill, and ability to independently handle different

Nurse leaders are the background to the nursing care. Effective nurse leaders can promote a positive workforce and a healthy work place for other nurses. Workplace dynamics is an essential part of how each nurse functions. Nurses, being mentally and physically stressed, need to have support and guidance from a nurse leader to feel confident about performance. The impact of nursing leaders can be a positive and guiding force for the younger or more inexperienced nurse. Having strong relationships with solid leaders can instill values in the beginning stages of a newer nurses’ career. Gaining insight and core concepts from a more experienced leader can make a world of difference in the way a new nurse performs, provides patient care, and sets future goals for themselves. A newer nurse with a positive role model and nurse leader can model themselves to become a leader for future nurses.

In nursing, leadership does not only consist of being in a higher position but in all aspects of nursing, whether one is a staff nurse or a unit manager. A nurse must be able to lead patients, family, or a community, to a higher level of understanding in regards to the over all aspects of people’s health. However, primary degrees in general do not prepare nurses for

The success of NPs depends on practicing evidence-based care with competency in assessment, diagnosing, managing patients, and maintaining a caring practice. The nursing component of the NP role continues to be challenged from within nursing, as well as by large national physician organizations. NPs are extensions of nursing practice who are guided by nursing theory. The transformation from nurse to the advanced practice role of NP involves development of advanced knowledge and skills for listening, knowing, being with patients, connecting patients to their communities, promoting health,

The knowledge of and experience of and Advanced Practice Registered Nurse (APRN) can be of value when examining core competencies. This paper will discuss the nine core competencies stated by The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF). To gain a more complete understanding of how the core competencies integrate into practice an interview of an APRN was conducted. Additionally, an analysis of selected NONPF core competencies will be discussed and how they apply to the roles of the APRN. The paper will end with a conclusion of key points and benefits from interviewing an APRN.

Nurse practitioners, as autonomous health professionals with advanced education, have a moral obligation to provide essential health services grounded in professional, ethical and legal standards (Association of Registered Nurses of Prince Edward Island, 2012).

Not all nurses go into the profession with leadership ideas. The nursing profession must produce leaders throughout the health care system. Leaders must function as workers, and administrators with leadership qualities, while still meeting their budgets and running effective units with high functioning and happy staff members. They need to trouble shoot necessary and work with the medical faculty while pleasing their staff and the administers.

There are many skills, traits, and behaviors one must possess in order to be an effective leader. The American Organization of Nurse Executives (AONE) has compiled a list of competencies and skills that nurse leaders should be proficient in. The five competency domains identified by AONE (2011) are “communication and relationship building, knowledge of health care environment, leadership skills, professionalism, and business skills” (p. 3). The competency domain I believe is essential for one to possess in order to be an effective executive nurse leader is communication and relationship building. The competencies AONE (2011) listed under the domain communication and relationship building are “effective communication, relationship management, influence of behavior, ability to work with diversity, shared decision-making, community involvement, medical staff relationship, and academic relationships” (p.3). I will discuss how Tom (nurse manager of a psychiatric unit) did not meet these specific characteristics under that domain.

The five core competencies identified by IOM and the sixth added by QSEN, safety, are believed to be necessary to improve both quality and safety of the healthcare system within which nurses work (Multimethod teaching). The six core competencies outlined are patient-centered care, teamwork and collaboration, evidence-based practice, quality improvement, informatics, and safety (Diffusing Qsen). While all competencies are significant to the healthcare system, patient centered care is vital to positive patient outcomes and focuses on the patient’s perspective within the healthcare system.

The first core competency is patient centered care. As a nurse, you are the patients advocate. Everything the nurse does, he/she does for the patient. Patient centered care focuses on the patient as a whole, not just a disease process or problem. The nurse should take in to consideration any cultural preferences by the patient and hold no bias or judgment towards the patient and their family. The nurse should respect any wishes of the patient or their designated proxy all while providing age and culturally appropriate care. The second core competency is professionalism. (Ballard, 2015)