1. What are the significant professional milestones in your career journey?
PD: I have been involved in continuing professional development since the 1980s-as a nurse planner and provider of continuing nursing education, as an appraiser and commissioner with the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation, as a volunteer member of provider and approver continuing education committees, as a lead nurse planner for an accredited provider unit, and as a nurse peer review leader for an accredited approver unit. My current role as director of professional development for the Montana Nurses Association encompasses these latter two roles. Key milestones include achieving approved provider status for my entrepreneurial business as a continuing education provider in the early 1990s; being one of the first nurses in the country to earn certification in nursing professional development; being selected as a Commissioner for the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation three times-once in 1995 and again in 2008 and 2018; being elected by my colleagues to serve as Chair of the Commission (2009-2014); and guiding significant change and improvement in an accredited approver unit (2012 to present). In 2013, I was honored to be one of very few NPD professionals selected for induction as a Fellow in the American Academy of Nursing. Serving as editor of the fifth edition of the Core Curriculum for Nursing Professional Development was a significant milestone, challenging me to reach for excellence in sharing best practices, mentoring colleagues in authoring and reviewing chapters, and guiding the significant work that led to publication of the Core in 2017. Most recently, I have been part of the leadership team for a collaborative effort between ANPD and Montana Nurses Association to establish an official role description and resources for professional development associates, whose competency-based knowledge and skills are critical to the effective and efficient functioning of our professional development departments.
2. How have you seen the specialty of npd grow/evolve/change during your career?
PD: There has been a tremendous change from focus on process to emphasis on outcomes. Another major shift is the concept of interprofessional education and collaborative practice, rather than the more traditional "silo" uniprofessional approach to learning and practice. Reports from the National Academy of Medicine, the Macy Foundation, and others over the past 20 years have addressed the critical need for healthcare providers to work as teams, engaging the patient and family as significant partners. Historically, our education has been profession specific, and there has been little focus on true interprofessional education and collaboration. Retooling our system to address team learning and team competency is a seismic shift, and NPD practitioners play a key role in facilitating that transition. Use of the updated Nursing Professional Development: Scope and Standards of Practice (ANPD, 2016) to guide our work has fostered the emergence of the NPD practitioner as a leader in supporting the professional development of nurses and members of interprofessional healthcare teams through lifelong learning.
3. From your perspective, what do you see as significant trends or gaps in nursing practice that npd could address?
PD: The major trends already noted include the shift from process to outcomes and the focus on interprofessional education. The biggest gap in practice right now is the knowledge, skill, and ability of the NPD practitioner to implement strategies leading to success in these two areas. Teaching "the way we've always taught" does not provide quality outcomes, and NPD practitioners must develop new skill sets to facilitate learning in today's complex healthcare environment. Focusing on learner needs and learning strategies rather than developing content to "present" is an extremely important asset for today's NPD practitioner.
As healthcare organizations shift to an outcomes-based approach to care, we in the educational arena need to be able to speak that same language and "walk the talk" through our practice. For example, we need to be articulate in addressing return on investment as a result of changes in practice based on learner education. We must be able to select relevant outcomes and measure our success in achieving them to reflect not only our own goals but also those of the systems in which we practice. The ability to collect and analyze data reflective of outcomes that advance the practice of nursing and improve patient care is critical. Validating our worth to our organizations is key to our survival as a specialty practice!
4. What insights can you share related to the value of NPD in healthcare organizations now and in the future?
PD: NPD practitioners play critical roles in enhancing professional development and helping nurses and others practice effectively in their roles as clinicians, educators, administrators, and/or researchers. Providing evidence of outcomes at both activity and department levels will solidify the value of the NPD role in healthcare organizations.
Today's learners do not respond well to lecture "presentations." Research clearly supports the need for active learner engagement. A key opportunity for the NPD practitioner is to create and role model innovative learning strategies and validate the difference in learner outcomes with creative approaches.
Another example is related to the NPD practitioner as a member of a planning team for an interprofessional conference. True collaboration requires more than a presence at the table-it means thoughtful consideration of the role of nursing in the context of the entire clinical picture and in relationship to the knowledge, skills, and expertise of other members of the healthcare team, including patients and families. Guidance and leadership in planning interprofessional learning experiences solidify the nurse as a key player on the healthcare team for both education and practice. Working collaboratively with our colleagues in other areas of healthcare practice strengthens our collective work and improves the quality of patient care.
5. What advice do you have for npd practitioners in the context of today's healthcare and learning environments?
PD: Lifelong learning is critical for us, just as it is for our learners. Keep learning and enhancing your own professional development so that you can be effective in your position. Embrace the expectations of the NPD standards to be change agents, collaborators, innovators, and mentors. Be present, be visible, be a leader!