Scientific Foundations

The competencies involve using data from both qualitative and quantitative sources to determine best practices to enhance healthcare delivery. It involves data search, analysis and application (Jokiniemi et al., 2021). The competencies primarily aim to enable evidence-based practice. Therefore, it prepares students to classify and use evidence for care delivery needs. Other expectations that belong to the competency category include health literacy and determining vulnerable populations. The course has enabled me to cover the competencies through the assignments and lecture sessions that have required students to critically assess data and apply it to answer questions on various subjects. Students in the course are required to apply information from peer-reviewed sources and other scholarly sources. I have also included information from humanities and the various sciences to enable nursing. I have also interpreted information from research to encourage practice changes. For instance, developing PICOT questions to answer clinical questions enabled students to use science foundations to support their practice.

Leadership

The leadership competencies that the course covered aimed at encouraging accountability and advocacy. NPs must utilize their advanced knowledge and positions to influence improvements (Jokiniemi et al., 2021). the aim is to prepare future professionals to work within their scope and positively influence their teams. The program has prepared me to meet the competency requirements by requiring me and my peers to team up and practice leadership and teamwork skills. For instance, we have done group assignments and studies that have required coordination and various students to do different parts and assemble. The program also covered topics about leadership, including various theories and their application. We also covered laws and ethics that affect nursing and healthcare. Additionally, the course covered advocacy for legislative changes and the steps that policy creation takes to be complete. We also covered and practised communication skills throughout the program.

Quality

Quality concerns assess practices, policies, and research to determine the suitability of nursing. Therefore, the program involved the evaluation of policies and practices to determine how suitable they are in the practice environments. The program prepared me for competency by covering the application of evidence to cause quality improvements. I learned that professionals must collect data continuously on various quality issues to determine if they meet needed standards. The program also covered the evaluation of the costs, safety and accessibility of services. Additionally, it covered how structures, outcomes and processes impact care and how improvements can be made. Additionally, students also covered how prevention is essential to ensure the best outcomes. For instance, applying process and structural measures like preventing pressure ulcers and having adequate staff helps improve results.

Practice Inquiry

Practice inquiry involves professionals assessing their practices and using research to know if there can be improvements. It involves understanding that changes from research constantly impact nursing and that improvements happen when nurses analyze their practices and compare them with what evidence suggests (Jokiniemi et al., 2021). Nurses must critically think about their current standards and determine if they can change the guidelines by translating new research into practice. The program prepared students for the competency by offering opportunities to access their settings and determine if they require changes. For instance, we needed to draft PICOT questions and use them to guide quality initiatives. We also learned evidence dissemination and stakeholder involvement in change management. The program also asked students to assess the current guidelines for various issues and determine their effectiveness.

Technology and Information Literacy

The program recognizes that healthcare technologies evolve fast. NPs must remain educated about the available technologies and be repaired to use them because those who are good at employing the various systems have better chances of improving their effectiveness (Chan et al., 2020). For instance, they must prepare for the electronic records, portals and decision support systems. The program prepared participants for the competencies by explaining how and where information technologies apply. We also learned how technologies can be used to search data and information for evidence from various databases and sources to influence our decisions. We also covered technology implementation and how nurses’ and informaticists’ involvement can improve technology use and effectiveness. The program also covered laws and ethics that impact technology usage. For instance, we covered HIPAA regulations and Telehealth technologies and their usage. We also covered confidentiality and the appropriate use of technologies while protecting information.

Policy

NPs’ roles are mandated and impacted by policies. Hence, students must know their state and federal policies to not only know their functions and cope but also avoid legal problems. The policies also affect how the care is resourced and the sources of funds spent (Chan et al., 2020). For instance, policies control the CMs’ reimbursement of nurses. They also affect NP’s autonomy across the various states. The program covered the state laws and how they vary. For instance, we learned how some states limit NP’s roles and how others empower them to work more. Understanding whether one is in a full practice state or not is essential to respect the laws. Also, knowing how policies change and the NP’s role in the processes are important. The program prepared me for the competency by covering policymaking and current policies. It also required students to analyze their state policies and their impacts on their roles.

Health Delivery System

Nurses must know the various elements that interact in health delivery. For instance, they must know about insurance and the state and federal aspects. They must also know about the professionals and resources involved for effective care delivery (Chan et al., 2020). The program covered knowledge applications from the various systems to advanced care and how organizations work and are led. The program prepared me by exposing me to assignments and reading that enabled me to research and understand how to interact with the various systems and how to include various stakeholders in the care delivery systems to enable change. It also covered the system’s perspectives. Therefore, as an NP, I understand that community and clinical health are parts of a system that seeks to improve outcomes among individuals and groups.

Ethics

Ethics give NPs a means of determining what is acceptable. Therefore, the program also covered healthcare ethics from the ANA Code and bioethics (Chan et al., 2020). The ANA code determines what rules NPs should follow. Therefore, the program covered the application of ethics in various aspects, such as civility, patient care, and interactions with peers. It also had bioethics-related scenarios that students solved to prepare for the use of the principles at work. It prepared me by requiring me to do assignments that allowed me to practice how I may need to apply bioethics and also discuss my rationale for various decisions when caring for culturally diverse patients. Dealing with ethical dilemmas prepared me for the complex decisions professionals must make.

Independent Practice

The higher qualifications grant NPs more freedom in their roles than RNs. NPs have bigger responsibilities that enable them to make more influential decisions in patient care than RNs. Hence, the program prepared us for the responsibilities. For instance, it covered the NP practice scope, the various state laws and their requirements and what the professional bodies say about the subject. For instance, as a citizen of Massachusetts, I had to review the State Practice Act to know how autonomous I would be as a nurse and what I would be allowed to do. The program also covered coordination, transition and how to apply advanced education to ensure evidence-based care.

Social Change

I will use my knowledge to push for changes that would improve healthcare for the disadvantaged through advocating. I have learned advocacy skills like communication and lobbying in my education. For instance, I understand that nurses must assess the current policies and collect the data needed to cause changes. Therefore, as an active NP, I will interact with people to understand their issues and use the information to guide my proposals. I will use my membership in professional organizations like the AANP to learn about current policy proposals and their stages and write to support or oppose them (Scott & Scott, 2021). also, I will represent patients when in interprofessional teams to encourage other members to prioritize patient needs. I will also implement changes using my learned models, like Lewin’s model. Change implementation will seek to improve areas where I will see weaknesses.

Legislative Activities

One advocacy activity that the Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners is advising members to write to let legislators know the limitations of the current policies about determining patients’ capacities to decide about their health (Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners, 2023). Currently, only physicians can determine if patients have the required capacity to make good decisions about the strengths and limitations of their treatment. The policies do not consider that the state now allows NPs to practice fully. The organization wants the legislature to pass a bill to update the law to enable NPs to determine patients’ capacity as primary care providers to protect patients and families from potential harm.

References

Chan, T. E., Lockhart, J. S., Schreiber, J. B., & Kronk, R. (2020). Determining nurse practitioner core competencies using a Delphi approach. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 32(3), 200-217. DOI: 10.1097/JXX.0000000000000384

Jokiniemi, K., Pietilä, A. M., & Mikkonen, S. (2021). Construct validity of clinical nurse specialist core competency scale: an exploratory factor analysis. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 30(13-14), 1863-1873. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15587

Massachusetts Coalition of Nurse Practitioners. (2023). Take Action. Retrieved from https://mcnp.enpnetwork.com/page/37173-take-action

Scott, S. M., & Scott, P. A. (2021). Nursing, advocacy and public policy. Nursing ethics, 28(5), 723-733. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733020961823

NONPF Core Competency Areas Reflection

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