Nurse Practitioner Competencies Professional Development

The demand for advanced practice nurses is on the rise owing to changes that are being experienced in the field of nursing. Essentially, accommodating the said changes requires nurses who have certain skills and competencies. Using advanced practice nurses in nursing practice is beneficial given that it helps in improving patient outcomes. Advanced practice nurses perform diverse roles in the clinical realm. The advanced practice role that I selected is a nurse practitioner. Upon completion of the nursing practitioner program, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties - NONPF (2012) suggests that nurse practitioner graduates must possess nine core competencies. In this text, I will discuss four major core competencies. First, a nurse practitioner graduate should have competencies in scientific foundation. In this competency, the NP should be able to develop new approaches in practice based on practice knowledge, theory, and integration of research. In addition, the NP should be able to translate knowledge and research so as to improve practice outcomes (NONPF, 2012). Further the said graduate should be able to integrate knowledge from sciences and humanities in nursing practice. Moreover, the nurse practitioner should be able to critically analyze evidence and data so as to improve the nursing practice.

The second competency of the nurse practitioner is the leadership competency. Upon completion of NP program, the graduate should be able to assume advanced leadership roles so as to initiate change. Change could be initiated through development or implementation of innovations that incorporate change (NONPF, 2012). The said leadership should demonstrate reflective thinking and critical thinking. The third competency of a NP happens to be quality. Essentially, a nurse practitioner should demonstrate quality competencies by applying peer-reviewed skills to promote excellence. The NP should also be able to apply the best evidence that ensures quality in nursing practice. The fourth core competency of NP is that of practice inquiry. According to NONPF (2012), a nurse practitioner graduate should be equipped with skills to analyze clinical guidelines for individualized application in practice, disseminate evidence from inquiry to diverse audiences using multiple modalities, lead practice inquiry individually or in partnership with others, apply clinical investigative skills to improve health outcomes, and provide leadership in the translation of new knowledge into practice.

Various APN roles can be utilized differently depending with an organization. For instance, NPs might be able to apply project management concepts and tools in their practicum project (Sipes, 2020). According to the author, project management involves planning, initiation, implementation, monitoring, and closure. It is important to note that the said concepts align with the role of a nurse practitioner. For instance, the initiation phase, as Sipes (2020) further indicates, involves setting directions and excellent performance goals. This phase aligns with the leadership competency of a nurse practitioner which requires a nurse practitioner to guide and initiate change by assuming advanced and complex leadership roles. The planning phase involves the process of reviewing the overall performance including the interests and stakeholders. A nurse practitioner is well-equipped to perform the said planning given that the quality competencies ensures that the said graduate is able to promote a culture of excellence by applying peer review skills. The execution phase, which is the implementation phase, ensures that the organizational objectives, goals, and priorities align with the nursing services (Sipes, 2020). The said concept aligns with the leadership competency of nurse practitioners in that a nurse practitioner participates in activities and professional organizations that help in advancement of nursing practice.

Based on the processes and steps used by the team described in the article by Rew et al (2020), it is important to note that I can be able to implement a similar approach for my DNP doctoral project. To support my project, there would be need to apply the project management tools and techniques. Project management tools include steps that can be used by novice researchers to handle evolving and complicated matters when managing research teams and implementing research studies (Rew et al, 2020). There are various project management strategies from project management literature that the team in the article applied that might also be appropriate for my DNP doctoral project. For instance, the first technique that I would apply for my project happens to be that of expert judgment. On this front, I would seek insights on the sample that would be most appropriate for the research design based on the aims of my research. In this case, it would be best to use the research electronic data capture (REDCap) to achieve and collect data. To determine the method that I will use for intervention, there would be need to include a pilot study which will help in the identification of issues that require intervention. To facilitate the process of budgeting, I would also apply the top-down approach which was used by the team in the article. Throughout the project, I would create a register of lessons learnt so as to record knowledge gained during the entire project.