Joan Stanley

Positioning Advanced Practice Registered Nurses for Health Care Reform: Consensus on APRN Regulation

Advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) have positioned themselves to serve an integral role in national health care reform. This article addresses both the policy and the process to develop this policy that has placed them in a strategic position. A successful transformation of the nations health system will require utilization of all clinicians, particularly primary care providers, to the full extent of their education and scope of practice. APRNs are highly qualified clinicians who provide cost-effective, accessible, patient-centered care and have the education to provide the range of services at the heart of the reform movement, including care coordination, chronic care management, and wellness and preventive care. The APRN community faces many challenges amidst the opportunities of health reform. However, the APRN communitys triumph in reaching consensus on APRN regulation signifies a cohesive approach to overcoming the obstacles. The consensus model for APRN regulation, endorsed by 44 national nursing organizations, will serve as a beacon for nursing, as well as a guidepost for consumers and policymakers, on titling, education, certification, accreditation, and licensing for all four APRN roles.

Ensuring a nurse practitioner workforce prepared to care for older adults: Findings from a national survey of adult and geriatric nurse practitioner programs

Abstract Purpose: To present the findings from a needs assessment of adult primary care (ANP), gerontological (GNP), and adult acute care (ACNP) nurse practitioner faculty regarding the transition to adult-gerontology NP (A-GNP) programs. Data sources: Data were obtained from two sources: (a) an online survey to identify the facultys primary needs in order to facilitate success in this transition and (b) telephone focus groups to explore survey responses in greater depth. Conclusions: The survey and the focus group findings indicate that there is a strong need for (a) access to a set of nationally recognized competencies for A-GNPs; (b) teaching/learning resources to support faculty in implementation of A-GNP programs; and (c) formal faculty development opportunities to facilitate faculty efforts to engage in curricular redesign and innovations and assure that NP students acquire strong competence in gerontology content. Implications for practice: The transition to A-GNP has implications not only for NP faculty but also for practicing NPs. Almost all NPs care for older adults in a variety of settings. However, most of these NPs are not specialists in geriatrics. This article provides a context for self-assessment by these NPs of their own needs related to this transition.Purpose: To present the findings from a needs assessment of adult primary care (ANP), gerontological (GNP), and adult acute care (ACNP) nurse practitioner faculty regarding the transition to adult‐gerontology NP (A‐GNP) programs. Data sources: Data were obtained from two sources: (a) an online survey to identify the facultys primary needs in order to facilitate success in this transition and (b) telephone focus groups to explore survey responses in greater depth. Conclusions: The survey and the focus group findings indicate that there is a strong need for (a) access to a set of nationally recognized competencies for A‐GNPs; (b) teaching/learning resources to support faculty in implementation of A‐GNP programs; and (c) formal faculty development opportunities to facilitate faculty efforts to engage in curricular redesign and innovations and assure that NP students acquire strong competence in gerontology content. Implications for practice: The transition to A‐GNP has implications not only for NP faculty but also for practicing NPs. Almost all NPs care for older adults in a variety of settings. However, most of these NPs are not specialists in geriatrics. This article provides a context for self‐assessment by these NPs of their own needs related to this transition.

Improving the quality of geriatric nursing care: Enduring outcomes from the Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium

The nations aging demography, few nursing faculty with gerontological nursing expertise, and insufficient geriatric content in nursing programs have created a national imperative to increase the supply of nurses qualified to provide care for older adults. Geriatric Nursing Education Consortium (GNEC), a collaborative program of the John A. Hartford Foundation, the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, and the New York University (NYU) Nursing Hartford Institute for Geriatric Nursing, was initiated to provide faculty with the necessary skills, knowledge, and competency to implement sustainable curricular innovations in care of older adults. This article describes the background, step-by-step process approach to the development of GNEC evidence-based curricular materials, and the dissemination of these materials through 6-, 2-, and a half-day national Faculty Development Institutes (FDIs). Eight hundred eight faculty, representing 418 schools of nursing, attended. A total of 479 individuals responded to an evaluation conducted by Baruch College that showed faculty feasibility to incorporate GNEC content into courses, confidence in teaching and incorporating content, and overall high rating of the GNEC materials. The impact of GNEC is discussed along with effects on faculty participants over 2 years. Administrative- and faculty-level recommendations to sustain and expand GNEC are highlighted.