Np Core Competencies

Core Competencies of a Nurse Practitioner
First of all, let me differentiate a clinical from a non-clinical role. When we say clinical, it has something to do whether or not we treat patients or provide direct patient care of any type. The Nurse Practitioner (NP) role falls under the clinical role since their primary core competency is direct care. Nurse educators and nurse administrators fit in the category of non-clinical role since they don’t render direct patient care. They may interact with patients but do not actually provide medical care.
As a Nurse Practitioner student, there are nine (9) core competencies I need to possess after the completion of the NP program, such as Scientific Foundation Competencies, Leadership Competencies, Quality Competencies, Practice Inquiry Competencies, Technology and Information Literacy Competencies, Policy Competencies, Health Delivery System Competencies, Ethics Competencies, and Independent Practice Competencies (THE NATIONAL ORGANIZATION OF NURSE PRACTITIONER FACULTIES, 2014). These Core competencies serve as guidelines for the NP education in preparing the NPs to become a licensed independent practitioner upon graduation. Meanwhile, the
core competencies of nurse educators are as follows: Facilitate Learning, Facilitate Learner Development and Socialization, Use assessment and Evaluation Strategies, Participate in Curriculum Design and Evaluation of Program Outcomes, Function as a Change Agent and Leader, Pursue Continuous Quality Improvement in the Nurse Educator Role, Engage in Scholarship, and Function Within the Environment (National League for Nursing, 2005). I’ll also enumerate the core competencies of the nurse administrator in order to compare them to that of the NP’s. Their competencies include Communication and Relationship-building, Knowledge of Health Care Environment, Leadership Skills, Professionalism, and Business Skills (The American Organization of Nurse Executives, 2005). As a frontline care provider, my core competencies in the clinical role focus mainly on the knowledge and skills essential in the delivery of safe and effective patient care. Whereas, the nurse educator’s competencies are more directed in teaching and guiding students and staff nurses, making sure their education and skills are up to date in their practice. The nurse administrator’s competencies highlight the management and business aspect of nursing, ensuring smooth flowing of operations. Though the roles we play in the organization may be different in most aspects, there are similarities too. In both clinical and non-clinical roles, leadership competency is common. This competency is about collaboration with patients, other members of the medical team, and policy makers to improve health care. Both roles act as change agents in facilitating and implementing change, utilizing critical and reflective thinking. Also, another similarity in both roles is the continuous seeking of best available evidence to improve quality of clinical practice.
The NP core competencies are acquired through education such as knowledge of advanced pathophysiology, pharmacology, and physical assessment, and also through mentored patient care experiences during the clinical practicum. On the other hand, nurse executives develop their competencies by utilizing a multifaceted curriculum of didactic, experiential learning, project development, and mentoring (Abraham, 2013).
In implementing these core competencies, the approach utilized by the different roles maybe be different, but the end goal is the same, and that is to deliver safe and quality patient care.
Take for example, the evidence-based practices (EBP), which prove beneficial in improving quality and costs of healthcare. The NP in her clinical role incorporates EBP in treating patients. In order to successfully implement these practices, it is vital that nurse administrators and nurse educators provide time, educational skills, and resources necessary to support and sustain EBP (Melnyk, Fineout-Overholt, Gallagher-Ford, & Kaplan, 2012). In this scenario, it is imperative that both the clinical and non-clinical roles need to work together to achieve the common goal of implementing and sustaining
EBP. References
Abraham, P. (2013). Building nurse executives. Nursing Management, 44(8), 52-54. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/01.NUMA.0000432224.94381.5b
CORE COMPETENCIES OF NURSE EDUCATORS WITH TASK STATEMENTS [Educational Standards]. (2005). Retrieved from: http://www.nln.org/profdev/corecompetencies.pdf
Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., Gallagher-Ford, L., & Kaplan, L. (2012). The State of Evidence-Based Practice in US Nurses: Critical Implications for Nurse Leaders and Educators. JONA: The Journal of Nursing Administration, 42(9), 410-417. http://dx.doi.org/10.1097/NNA.0b013e3182664e0a
Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies Content [Educational standards]. (2014). Retrieved from: http://c.ymcdn.com/sites/nonpf.site_ym.com/resource/resmgr/Competencies/NPCoreCompsContentFinalNov20.pdf
The AONE Nurse Executive Competencies [Educational standards]. (2005). Retrieved from: http://www.aone.org/resources/leadership%20tools/PDFs/AONE_NEC.pdf