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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]

Background: Advanced practice nursing education is evolving to the doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) DNP Essentials required 1000 hours of direct patient care, whereas the Report of the National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education (NTF) Criteria for Evaluation of Nurse Practitioner Programs required 500 direct patient care hours. Indirect hours were unclear and undefined. The AACN Essentials changed the 1000-hour requirement to 500 practice hours, and the NTF increased the direct patient care hours to 750. Purpose: The study sought to describe the distribution of direct and indirect hours that the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties member schools offer in their seamless postbaccalaureate-to-DNP nurse practitioner (NP) program. Method: A quantitative survey was distributed to schools of nursing. Results: Eighty-six surveys represented 86 distinct schools and 112 NP programs. Supervised direct patient care hours were an average of 791.31 hours. Indirect hours averaged 170.08 hours. The DNP project hours served as an indirect hour activity. Conclusion: Many schools have more than 750 direct hours adhering to the 2022 NTF Standards. The indirect hour allocation varies and weighs heavily on the DNP project. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Online case studies on disease prevention were used in a nurse practitioner education program. Benefits included accessibility, flexibility, group interaction, and opportunity for self-direction. Primary challenges involved hardware and access problems. (SK)