ADULT-GERONTOLOGY NURSE PRACTITIONER STUDENTS’ PERCEPTIONS OF PREPAREDNESS FOR PRACTICE

Abstract

Problem: The role of the nurse practitioner (NP) continues to gain clarity in terms of the skills needed to meet the increasing demands of primary care practice. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) in collaboration with the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) defines competencies or the necessary fundamental skills for each NP specialty. Despite these competencies, many new NPs lack perceptions of preparedness after completion of their education, and these competencies have been difficult to quantify. A skills competency checklist based on the AACN and NONPF criteria provides a standardized measure for students to improve perceptions of preparedness for their new NP role. Project Aim: A skills competency checklist was created for Adult-Gerontology Primary Care Nurse Practitioners (AGPCNP) to complete during their three primary care (PC) clinical courses. The aim of this pilot project was to measure student perceptions of preparedness for practice using the checklist. This tool consisted of a list of competencies the student was encouraged to achieve during their practicum courses to improve perceptions of preparedness for practice. Participation in this study and use of the checklist was optional. The study also explored the most common skills completed at primary care clinics. Method: AGPCNP students who received the checklist and completed their clinical practicum courses were invited to complete the survey using the Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) system. The survey asked students to rate their preparedness to perform individual skills, student time spent to accomplish the skills, if the checklist was used as a guide when selecting a clinical site to help meet their clinical competency needs, and if the checklist influenced the way preceptors guide learning opportunities. Descriptive statistics were computed for each competency skill and survey question. Findings: Seven of eight AGPCNP students in the class elected to participate in the optional, confidential survey. When asked if the use of a skills competency checklist improved their perceptions of preparedness, 100% of the students answered “yes.” Conclusions: Participants using the skills checklist reported that they were generally well prepared for NP practice after completion of their three PC courses. Positive outcomes were found; however, the small sample size, and lack of control group require cautious interpretation of the findings. Future research involving the skills competency checklist is needed. Research focusing on the basic skills required for demonstration of competency as well as student perceptions of preparedness is needed.