National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Competencies

National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Competencies

The core objective of nursing education is to prepare competent nurses who are able to meet the needs of a diverse patient population. Advanced nursing education programs also prepare nurses who can be leaders and researchers with advanced skills to improve and deliver quality and safe patient care. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) has set core competencies applicable across all nursing specializations with the aim of guiding nursing education programs (Pulcini et al., 2019). This paper reviews the nine NP core competencies and their contribution to nursing education and NP practice.

Scientific Foundations

Scientific foundation competencies focus on equipping APRNs with the analytical skills necessary for evidence development through research, evidence assessment, and evidence use in practice (Thomas et al., n.d.). Accordingly, the nursing program has equipped me with the critical skills necessary for data and evidence analysis to be able to improve my practice as an APRN. The program has also taught me how nursing practices require knowledge from other sciences and humanities, such as psychology, to deliver all-around patient care. I have also learned how to translate field research into practice for better patient outcomes.

Leadership

The NP core competencies of leadership are designed to equip APRNs with critical skills necessary for ensuring professional accountability, scholarship, and advocacy for both the patient and other nursing professions (American Association of Colleges of Nursing, 2021). The core leadership competencies are necessary during nurse training as they help NP graduates better understand their scope of practice. The leadership competencies also help them understand the general standards of nursing practice, nursing professional needs, and the necessary leadership and communication skills to lead multi-professional teams and healthcare organizations. The advanced nursing practice education program has equipped me with the necessary skills to lead complex teams, initiate and lead change, and the need as a leader to advocate for better working conditions for other health professionals to benefit not only the care providers but also the patients.

Quality

The NONPF quality competency equips NPs with skills and knowledge to assess research to improve the safety and quality of health services. The nursing program has helped me understand the importance of accessing and assessing updated research data to improve the quality and safety of care. The program has also helped me understand the importance of continuously improving care processes, quality of care, and the relationship between care costs and access to health care.

Practice Inquiry

Practice inquiry competencies are necessary during nursing training to help them understand how to apply research evidence in nursing practice. The practice inquiry competency makes it possible for APRNs to have a deeper understanding of necessary research processes, materials, and how research evidence can be utilized to improve nursing practices. The nursing practice has equipped me with critical and reflective thinking skills that I can utilize to investigate health problems and issues effectively and translate the current research evidence into evidence-based practice. I have also gained the skills to lead and engage in interprofessional research efforts to improve health care and existing practice standards.

Technology and Information Literacy

The technology and information literacy competencies help NPs develop the necessary skills to bridge the technology skills gap in the nursing practice as healthcare technologies are fast advancing. NPs who have been trained under the NONPF-guided curricula are able to efficiently utilize current healthcare technologies to improve healthcare outcomes. As such, the nursing programs have equipped me with the necessary knowledge to use technology in the management of patient health information to improve the efficiency of care delivery. I have also gained knowledge and insights on the importance of integrating nursing informatics in nursing research and improving the effectiveness of nursing practices.

Policy

The NONPF competencies on policy equip nurses with knowledge of healthcare policies, their role in resource allocation and utilization, and their impact on nursing practice. NPs are able to engage in legislation and policy development to guide healthcare practices and education. The nursing program has helped me understand how policies dictate practice and how policies are necessary for the promotion of ethical practices, equitable healthcare access, care safety, quality, and cost. I have also understood my role in developing working policies to improve health care and nursing processes.

Health Delivery System

The focus of the health delivery system competencies is to equip nurses with knowledge and skills in health planning, health development, and implementation of community-targeted health programs. The nursing program has helped me understand complex systems and how to apply leadership skills to manage complex interprofessional teams, various stakeholders, and the community to necessitate efficient healthcare delivery. I have also learned how to develop system-focused programs to meet the needs of the healthcare delivery systems from the perspectives of patients, providers, and stakeholders. I have also gained awareness of the importance of collaborating with the community to necessitate effective and efficient care delivery.

Ethics

An understanding of practice ethics is important in the delivery of community and patient-centred care (Yıldız, 2019). The ethics competency helps NPs gain better insights into the code of ethics in health care and nursing practice. The nursing program under the NONPF has helped me understand nursing ethics, the ethical implications of the decisions I may make during my practice, and how to get through ethical dilemmas during practice. I have also understood the importance of including patients and the community in health decisions.

Independent Practice

The independent practice competency equips nurses with the necessary academic and professional qualities to practice independently. The competency enables nurses to understand their practice scope and the permitted practice. The program has equipped me with the necessary knowledge and skills to independently assess, diagnose, treat, and provide support to patients.

Proposed Plan for Engagement in Social Change within the Community

Nurses are leaders and agents of change (Lathrop, 2020). My plan for engaging in the community to effect social change and advance health equity will focus on donating my skills to the community through volunteering in social and community-based health organizations. I will actively engage and educate community leaders to equip them with the knowledge to become trainers of trainers. This will further help develop a self-sustaining grassroots system of health promotion that can support the community in managing its health needs and developing community-owned health interventions.

Legislative and Advocacy Activities in the American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP)

The American Association of Nurse Practitioners (AANP) is focused on strengthening the NP specializations to help them continuously improve patient care and professional practice. The AANP supports NPs through state and federal advocacy, making NPs aware of NP-related legislation, and promotes the support of legislation adopting a whole-patient approach and NP inclusion. For example, the NP is currently advocating for NP patients to be counted in ACOs by pushing for cosponsoring of H.R. 6308 in Congress. Another example of AANP’s legislative advocacy is the push for Congress to support Improved Medicare Patient Access to Needed Therapeutic Shoes, S. 800/H.R. 4870, to enable NPs to support such services.

Conclusion

The NP core competencies ensure that NP graduates possess the right knowledge, skills, and capabilities to practice independently. In conclusion, the NP competencies help prepare APRNs with the capacity to practice with or without physician supervision, utilize technology in health care, and improve patient outcomes and care experiences through interprofessional collaboration. The NP competencies also ensure the graduates can engage in research, implement research evidence in practice, understand the health care delivery systems and needs, and deliver patient-centred care.

 References

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2021). THE ESSENTIALS: CORE COMPETENCIES FOR PROFESSIONAL NURSING EDUCATION.

Lathrop, B. (2020). Moving Toward Health Equity by Addressing Social Determinants of Health. Nursing for Women’s Health, 24(1), 36–44. https://doi.org/10.1016/J.NWH.2019.11.003.

Pulcini, J., Hanson, C., & Johnson, J. (2019). National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties: A 40-year history of preparing nurse practitioners for practice. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 31(11), 633–639. https://doi.org/10.1097/JXX.0000000000000330.

Thomas, A., Katherine Crabtree, F. M., Kathleen Delaney, F., Mary Anne Dumas, F., Ruth Kleinpell, F., Julie Marfell, F., Donna Nativio, F., & Kimberly Udlis, F. (n.d.). Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies Content A delineation of suggested content specific to the NP core competencies 2017 NP Core Competencies Content Work Group.

Yıldız, E. (2019). Ethics in nursing: A systematic review of the framework of evidence perspective. Nursing Ethics, 26(4), 1128–1148. https://doi.org/10.1177/0969733017734412.

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The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) has determined nine broad areas of core competence that apply to all nurse practitioners, regardless of speciality or patient population focus. NONPF created the first set of Nurse Practitioner Competencies in 1990; the most recent updates were incorporated in 2017. This course was designed to prepare you to synthesize knowledge gained throughout the program and to apply each of the nine core competencies within your selected areas of practice and your representative communities.

National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) Competencies

The nine areas of competency are:

Scientific Foundations
Leadership
Quality
Practice Inquiry
Technology and Information Literacy
Policy
Health Delivery System
Ethics
Independent Practice
To Prepare
Review this week’s Learning Resources, focusing on the NONPF Core Competencies Content.

The Assignment

For each of the nine NONPF competencies, write one paragraph explaining how the program has prepared you to meet the competency (for a total of at least nine paragraphs). Then, propose how you plan to engage in social change in your community as a nurse practitioner. Finally, describe 1–2 legislative and/or advocacy activities in which your state nurse practitioner organization(s) are involved. Be specific and provide examples.