Search

As the fastest growing segment of the healthcare workforce, understanding NP enrollment is vital. This work aimed to guide healthcare workforce forethought, academic planning, and policy initiatives. This secondary data analysis investigated nurse practitioner (NP) program enrollment trends from 2013 to 2022, including sub-analyses of master's versus doctoral enrollment, clinical tracks (acute care, primary care, psychiatric mental health), and enrollment status (part-time vs. full-time). An autoregressive integrated moving average (ARIMA) projection modeling is used to forecast enrollment for four years, 2023–2026. • A shift toward Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) NP program availability and adoption. • Part-time NP student enrollment is the preferred enrollment status across NP tracks through 2026. • Robust growth demonstrated and predicted in psychiatric mental health NP programs. • An expectation that acute care enrollment will recover post-pandemic, while primary care faces a more complex trajectory. Increased enrollments in doctoral NP programs, visible in DNP NP program and enrollment growth, may offer advantages for the healthcare workforce. Part-time enrollment prevalence requires attention in workforce planning due to the potential for extended graduation timelines. These findings hopefully will lead to an effective healthcare response to meet the demand for high-quality care in a changing landscape. • DNP NP program availability and enrollment is increasing. • Part-time enrollment is preferred across all NP populations. • There is robust growth in psychiatric mental health NP programs. • Acute care enrollment is set to rebound, while primary care enrollment faces decline. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nursing leadership programs can have a positive impact on organizations and communities. Health equity in nursing requires leaders who parallel the population demographics. This work evaluated the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Leadership Mentoring Program (LMP) 10 years from its inception. Lessons learned from this evaluation can inform leadership initiatives in nursing and other health professions. This cross-sectional evaluation applied the Context, Inputs, Process, and Products model to gauge effectiveness of the LMP. All 48 participants were invited to participate. Thirty-two survey respondents, a 67 % response rate, demonstrated a 767 % increase in extramural scholarship collaborations and promotion to associate and full professor at 43 % and 90 %, respectively. Academic leadership positions to department chair, assistant/associate dean, and dean increased 200 %, 167 %, and 100 %, respectively. Seventy-seven percent of program participants are engaged on boards and committees at local, state, national, and international levels. These roles significantly impact legislative, policy, advocacy, and regulatory efforts, signifying the LMP's influence on broader societal and professional domains. Identifying clear program outcomes and metrics for leadership program evaluation can advance diversity, equity, and inclusion efforts. Sustainable funding models for leadership development will have a high return on investment for health professions. • Leadership programs broadly impact legislation, regulation, policy, and advocacy. • Professional collaborations increased research and engaged scholarship. • Senior academic leadership positions for program participants increased 100–200 %. • Leadership mentoring programs deliver a high return on investment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Nurse practitioner (NP) programs rely on a highly educated and experienced faculty to deliver the curriculum. Full-time NP faculty are expected to be doctorally prepared, with responsibilities for instruction, an active clinical practice, scholarship, and service. Problem: Although the majority of faculty workload comes from effort in instruction, there is significant variability in how faculty workload is assigned. Absent a national model, schools of nursing are challenged to develop workload models for NP faculty to allocate effort for the full scope of work that NP faculty are expected to perform to meet requirements for academic credentialing bodies, licensure, and academic promotion. Approach: This article examines current practices in NP workload allocation and explores ways to allocate effort to the domains of work integral to NP education. Conclusion: NP faculty workload models should align with academic promotion expectations to encourage equity and transparency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The primary care (PC) physician workforce has consistently been projected as requiring additional numbers to meet the needs of the U.S. The Health Resources and Service Administration (HRSA) has reported the PC nurse practitioner (NP) workforce to be 90,000 NPs more than required to meet the PC needs of the U.S. With both clinician types contributing to the PC workforce in the country, it is difficult to understand such an oversupply of NPs with continued deficit in PC physicians. The purpose of this study was to investigate results and methods used for HRSAs current PC workforce projections and compare those with the same used for Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) and American Association of Medical Colleges (AAMC) projections. Methods included a review of technical documents, dashboards, and published reports. Interviews with subject matter experts were also completed. Projections were found to differ significantly, as did data and assumptions. Two of the three projections modeled physicians as the sole provider of PC. An integrated model gives the most comprehensive and accurate picture of PC workforce needs. The utilization of NPs as PC providers has been demonstrated to be safe and effective, with the potential to alleviate predicted shortages, improve patient care outcomes, reduce cost, and address PC inequities. Implications include improving workforce data, creating projections that mirror clinical integration in PC, adjusting workforce preparation funding, incentivizing interprofessional collaboration in research, addressing barriers to practice among non-physician providers, and leveraging growth in the NP workforce. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

While the number of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs has grown steadily, there is limited data on how national organizations are collecting data on DNP-prepared nurse practitioners (NPs) and no standard instrument exists to collect data on DNP-prepared NPs. The purpose of this study was to develop a universal minimum data set (MDS) for the DNP-prepared NP population. Instrument development consisted of several sequential stages, including conceptualization and item generation, preliminary evaluation of items, field testing the survey, and analysis of scale development data. A set of 16 core variables and 19 additional variables were developed to collect standardized data on the demographics, education, and practice patterns of DNP-prepared NPs. Pilot testing revealed high correlations between the activities DNP-prepared NPs are prepared for and typically participate in a typical workweek and in their career. The MDS demonstrated high reliability in our sample. The DNP NP MDS can be used for data collection by various stakeholders, including national organizations, to facilitate improved tracking of outcome data for the DNP-prepared NP workforce. It can also provide data-driven support for the need and significance of the DNP degree for NPs. • A minimum data set is needed for Doctor of Nursing Practice nurse practitioners. • Collecting data on Doctor of Nursing Practice nurse practitioners improves tracking. • Instrument development included item generation, field testing, and data analysis. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Leaders from national nursing organizations, nursing schools, and health care simulation vendors convened in early 2019 to discuss simulation in nurse practitioner (NP) education. Nurse practitioner clinical education needs a more standardized, efficient, and sustainable model to prepare NPs to provide quality care in complex health care systems. Currently, a major shortage of clinical sites and preceptors to educate students creates challenges for NP programs and nursing faculty. One strategy used by nursing programs to overcome this challenge is using simulation to provide clinical training for NP students in a safe, controlled environment. There remains, however, a lack of evidence linking these simulation experiences with clinical skills acquisition and program outcomes. Implementing competencybased education through standardized simulations has the potential to demonstrate quality, safety, and accountability across NP education programs. Ultimately, the expansion and acceptance of simulation hours in NP education is dependent on strong and favorable evidence from rigorous, high-quality studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]