Fostering Clinical Leadership Development Through Innovative Nurse Practitioner Fellowship

FOSTERING CLINCAL LEADERSHIP DEVELOPMENT THROUGH INNOVATIVE NURSE PRACTITIONER FELLOWSHIP PURPOSE In an effort to cultivate clinical leaders and to continue a culture of safety an innovative Nurse Practitioner Fellowship was conceptualized and designed for all newly hired Nurse Practitioners (NPs). The conceptual framework is grounded on the NONPF Core Competencies. The tenets of interprofessionalism and collaboration are intricately woven through the entire curriculum. The goal of the program is to provide structured post-graduate learning for newly graduated NPs. The program is competency based and is designed to promote evidence-based practice learning experiences and develop clinical leadership skills. This structured program will also serve as a safety net for NPs who are newly transitioning into Advanced Practice roles. BACKGROUND & EVIDENCE The IOM, Joint Commission, and AHRQ recognize the lack of transformational and clinical leadership as a major contributor to the failures in healthcare. Collaborative and team oriented clinical leadership is fundamental to best patient outcomes. A gap exists in Master’s degree NP education towards development of NP clinical leadership skills. METHODS The hybrid curriculum development and design is based on organizational needs and regulatory requirements. The content is inclusive of Institute for Healthcare Improvement’s open school, CMS quality measures, Joint Commission standards and the NONPF Core Competencies. Learning is enriched through the leveraging of technology, e.g. high fidelity simulation labs, web based tutorials, professional seminars as well as didactic and technical skill based workshops. Curriculum is facilitated by a panel of multi/interprofessional content experts IMPLICATIONS * Clinical leadership promotes patient safety, quality outcomes, organizational culture and eliminates redundancy of services. * Post-graduate NP competency based learning enhances transition to NP role, evidence based practice and clinical leadership. * Transformational post graduate learning increases patient safety, interprofessional practice and strengthens organizational structure. * Evaluation measures are expected to demonstrate a trending up of anticipated outcomes from the beginning to the completion of the fellowship program. Preliminary data will be collected at 6 months and at 12 months.