Seasons come in an array of shapes and sizes. There are seasons of the calendar, life, meteorology, astronomy, and, I believe, seasons in a person's career. Also, the COVID-19 pandemic was a season all unto itself which each of us experienced to varying degrees. I firmly believe though that this is the season for nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners. As Board President for the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD), I have had opportunities recently to talk to NPD practitioners and gain insights about the current season healthcare facilities are experiencing. In addition, I have heard about the impact NPD practitioners are generating to address the ever-changing conditions of the current season.
For us to view this time as the season of the NPD practitioner, it is important to establish a baseline. Nursing has faced varying degrees of shortages for as long as I can remember. I have been a nurse for over 30 years and have personally seen the ups and downs of shortages. Since the COVID-19 pandemic and its ongoing impact, shortages of nurses have crept higher and higher. Nurses are tired and burned out, and many are questioning whether they should stay in the profession or not. There are two recent reports that support this. One report is based on a survey performed by AMN Healthcare (2023), a staffing company that recently reported that three in 10 registered nurses are likely to leave their career because of the pandemic. A second report, from research conducted under the authority of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing (Martin et al., 2023), found that about 100,000 registered nurses have left the profession since 2020. In addition, more than 600,000 reported an "intent" to leave by 2027 because of professional stressors, burnout, and/or they will have reached the age of retirement. The second report's number of nurses potentially leaving the profession is equivalent to one fifth of the total number of registered nurses.
In response to those registered nurses who have already left the profession and those who could potentially exit by 2027, several concerns have been identified with possibly more to come. NPD practitioners may find themselves at the helm to address these issues and to create solutions. From my recent discussions with ANPD members, nurses are once again being asked to do more with less, to take care of patients via a variety of evolving care delivery models, and healthcare facilities are revamping or creating programs to increase the pipeline of nurses that can be onboarded. In addition, the pandemic induced limited hands-on clinical experience of recent new nurse graduates entering the workforce as another level of challenge to be addressed. Each of these responses to the nursing shortage requires the input, leadership, professional knowledge, and actions of NPD practitioners and their respective departments.
I would be remiss if I did not mention that some of the nurses who may choose to leave the profession are NPD practitioners, and those positions will have to be backfilled with potentially less experienced staff. From the recent ANPD Member Survey (ANPD, 2023), 30% of respondents had less than 5 years of experience as an NPD practitioner. Personally, from the 2022 and 2023 in-person Aspire conventions, I saw a large majority of the attendees potentially falling into that same category as that was their first time to attend the annual convention. With many of our members functioning at the novice or advanced beginner level, ANPD is working to meet the needs of those members in this season of their career. In addition to holding annual conventions where networking and professional learning can occur, ANPD provides many products and services for NPD practitioner growth. One of those resources is the 4th edition of The Nursing Professional Development: Scope and Standards of Practice (Harper & Maloney, 2022). The publication provides the framework and describes the competencies necessary to understand and flourish in the role. Other products include the Getting Started in Nursing Professional Development publication, monthly webinars, and NPD Certification Preparation resources. For those NPD practitioners who are aspiring to or are already in a leader role, the 2nd edition of the Leadership in Nursing Professional Development: An Organizational & System Focus would be beneficial. There are many other products available for the season you find yourself in, and I encourage you to visit ANPD's website for the full list. ANPD is continually updating resources to keep up with the ever-changing seasons of health care and the NPD role, so be on the lookout for new editions of the Core Curriculum for Nursing Professional Development and Legal Aspects of Nursing Professional Development Practice both to be released in 2024. The myriad of resources provides for growth and development of NPD practitioners to engage in, support, and lead the solutions for the current season's challenges.
ANPD has experienced many seasons of 2023 as well. A successful in-person Aspire Convention was held in Atlanta, Georgia, with over 1,000 attendees present. Networking, learning, celebrating our specialty, and a little fun abounded! Building off the momentum of the convention, the ANPD Virtual Symposium was held in November and provided live and on-demand sessions, along with virtual poster presentations. The association saw its membership rise to more than 7,500-growing a thousand members since this time last year! I am in awe of our association, the members, the products and services, and the belongingness of our community! Although ANPD celebrated many successes of the 2023 season, we also experienced a season of loss. ANPD Board Director Dennis Doherty, PhD, RN, NPDA-BC, lost his battle to cancer on February 12, 2023. Dennis was in the prime of his career, a season he was proud of, and he will truly be missed. Dennis left behind a great legacy with his NPD contributions. His death also serves as a reminder that although our work as an NPD practitioner is extremely important and of great value, we must also enjoy life outside of work. Take time to care for yourself, spend quality time with family, travel, read, garden, or engage in whatever activity fills your heart with joy.
My fellow NPD practitioners, no matter the season you find yourself in, please know that there is a community of peers willing to share, network, mentor, and coach you. All you need to do is ask. Whether you are attending an ANPD affiliate meeting or the annual Aspire Convention, make connections with the members from our community. The connections you establish now will reward you many times over through the seasons of your career. Not only are NPD practitioners impacting the seasons of health care today and tomorrow, but we are also impacting and advocating for our profession into a future full of potential. I am excited for what the future holds for our organization and our specialty.
I am grateful for this season in my career to serve as President for ANPD. My term will come to a close at next year's Aspire Convention to be held in Chicago, Illinois, in April. As I transition to a new season in my career, I take comfort in knowing there are 7,500+ members who are committed to the practice of NPD. You are an agile, flexible, strong, steady, and smart group! Thank you for your commitment and enjoy this wonderful season you are in! I would also like to extend a special thank you to Editor-in-Chief Dr. Kathleen Burke for asking me to write the Guest Editorial for this month's Journal for Nurses in Professional Development.
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