Creating Curriculums that Prepare Nurse Practitioner (NP) Education for the Future: A Holistic Perspective

Since the recent 2015 mandate addressing the future educational model of advance practice education at the DNP level, recent trends in NP education and practice have focused on maintaining a competitive educational and professional approach to education. As nurse educators move further into the rapidly evolving healthcare reform debate, a connection to nurses’ roots as holistic and person-oriented healthcare providers becomes even more essential. Nursing’s distinction as a unique contributor to the provision and delivery of health care has historically been related to the caring and holism inherent in Nightingale’s visionary philosophy of nursing. In order to manage the complex healthcare needs of persons in our society and assist them in navigating an increasingly complex healthcare system, advanced education for nurse practitioners has been suggested. Models of NP education that are actively grounded in holistic nursing theory and practice serve as a transformative model of healthcare delivery that is person-centered, community focused, and ecologically congruent. The purpose of this panel discussion is to bring together three national experts in NP education and holistic nursing practice to discuss the rationale for a holistically based NP educational model. Topics will include: the current trends in NP education and practice which may be moving us inadvertently away from a patient-centered model; the challenges of targeting medicine as a benchmark for defining NP education and practice; the need to emphasize educational preparation to survive the isolating effect of medically focused NP practice environments; the philosophical and theoretical basis for a holistic model of NP education; the benefits of a holistic and caring educational framework for post Master’s DNP’s; and the development of an integrative educational model for NPs informed by holistic principles. The format will be an interactive moderated panel discussion with three nursing leaders in NP education who have successfully integrated holism and caring into existing NP curricula and a moderator who is both an NP educator and holistic practitioner.