Integration of Interprofessional Learning Into an Accredited Nurse Residency Program.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) annually awards the Program Director of the Year at the ANCC Transition to Practice (TPP) Symposium. This year the Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs (COA-PTP) and ANCC PTAP/APPFA team is ecstatic to announce Dr. Simmy King, from Children's National Hospital, as the awardee. Dr. King's dedication to nurses in transition and quality improvement is impressive. Learn about the Children's National Hospital's ANCC PTAP journey and how they integrated interprofessional learning into their nurse residency. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(5):197-200.].

How Should State Licensing and Credentialing Boards Respond When Government Clinicians Spread False or Misleading Health Information?

The spread of health misinformation by health care professionals who also hold government positions represents a long-standing problem that intensified during the COVID-19 pandemic. This article describes this problem and considers legal and other response strategies. State licensing and credentialing boards must use their authorities to discipline clinicians who spread misinformation and to reinforce the nature and scope of professional and ethical obligations of government and nongovernment clinicians. Individual clinicians must also play an important role by actively and vigorously correcting misinformation disseminated by other clinicians.

A Systematic Review on Professional Regulation and Credentialing of Public Health Workforce.

The public health workforce (PHW) counts a great variety of professionals, and how services are delivered differs in every country. The complexity and the diversity of PHW professions also reflect structural problems of supply and demand of PHW in various organizations and health care systems. Therefore, credentialing, regulation, and formal recognition are essential for a competent and responsive PHW to address public health challenges. To ensure comparability of the credentialing and regulation systems for the PHW and to enable its collective action at the macro level in the event of a health crisis, we systematically analyzed documented evidence on the PHW. A systematic review was selected to answer the research questions: (1) what are the most effective aspects and characteristics in identified programs (standards or activities) in professional credentialing and regulation of the PHW and (2) what are common evidence-based aspects and characteristics for the performance standards to support a qualified and competent PHW? The identification of professional credentialing systems and available practices of the PHW was performed systematically using a systematic review of international resources in the specialized literature published in English. The PRISMA framework was used to verify the reporting of combined findings from three databases: Google Scholar (GS), PubMed (PM), and Web of Science (WoS). The original search covered the period from 2000 until 2022. Out of 4839 citations based on the initial search, 71 publications were included in our review. Most of the studies were conducted in the US, UK, New Zealand, Canada, and Australia; one study was conducted in an international context for professional credentialing and regulation of the PHW. The review presents specific professional regulation and credentialing approaches without favoring one of the proposed methods. Our review was limited to articles focused on professional credentialing and regulation of the PHW in the specialized literature published in English and did not include a review of primary PHW development sources from international organizations. The process and requirements are unique processes displaying knowledge, competencies, and expertise, regardless of the field of practice. Continuous education, self-regulatory, and evidence-based approach can be seen as common characteristics for the performance standards on both community and national levels. Certification and regulation standards should be based on competencies that are currently used in practice. Therefore, answering questions about what criteria would be used, what is the process operation, what educational background the candidate should have, re-examination, and training are essential for a competent and responsive PHW and could stimulate the motivation of the PHW.

Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Respiratory Care Student Enrollment, Retention, and Success on the National Board for Respiratory Care Credentialing Examinations.

BACKGROUND: The purpose of this study was to ascertain whether the COVID-19 pandemic and the instructional changes implemented in response to it affected student enrollment, retention, or success on the National Board for Respiratory Care credentialing examinations at an associate degree respiratory care program in the state of Texas. METHODS: A retrospective analysis of student enrollment, retention data, and graduate success rates on the National Board for Respiratory Care credentialing examinations were used in this study. The data were collected from an associate degree respiratory care program in Texas and included 69 graduates for the 5-year study period. The 3 academic years that led up to the COVID-19 pandemic served as a "pre-pandemic" baseline for comparison. The cohort of 2019-2020 was labeled "early pandemic," the cohort of 2020-2021 was labeled "mid pandemic," and the cohort of 2021-2022 was labeled "late pandemic" for data comparison purposes. Descriptive statistics, the Kruskal-Wallis test, and the Mann-Whitney U test were used for data analysis (P < .05). RESULTS: The number of program applicants significantly decreased between the pre- and late-pandemic groups (P = .001), but overall student enrollment (P = .42) and retention (P = .95) were not significantly affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The first-time pass rate on the Therapist Multiple-Choice examination low-cut score (P = .005) and high-cut score (P = .007) were significantly reduced in the mid-pandemic group when compared with the previous cohorts. There were no statistically significant differences in the demographic data or online questionnaire responses from the early- and mid-pandemic groups. CONCLUSIONS: The COVID-19 pandemic and the instructional changes implemented in response to it decreased students' first-time pass rate on the Therapist Multiple-Choice examination in the mid-pandemic group compared with the pre- and early-pandemic groups.

Educating APRN Students About Telehealth Credentialing, Licensing, and Billing.

BACKGROUND: An essential component of advanced practice nursing (APRN) education includes how to facilitate and adopt telehealth into practice, which includes becoming familiar with what is needed to practice telehealth and how to effectively bill for this service. This article describes the integration of telehealth credentialing, licensing, and billing into a preexisting APRN Role Practicum course. METHOD: Participants consisted of two cohorts (n = 129) of APRN students enrolled in a role preparation course within a Doctor of Nursing Practice curriculum. Students' knowledge and perceptions regarding the content of a prerecorded lecture were assessed using a pretest/posttest design. The posttest also included optional module assessment questions. RESULTS: Student knowledge regarding the information presented increased, and overall student feedback was positive. CONCLUSION: Telehealth content was successfully integrated into a preexisting APRN Role Practicum course. Students found the information relevant to future practice and became knowledgeable regarding telehealth laws and regulations. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(7):413-416.].

The 2022 ANCC Institute for Credentialing Research and Quality Management Priorities: A Path Forward in Nurse-Led Research.

ABSTRACT: It is imperative that we listen to our nation's nurses, who have a unique vantage point from their clinical environments. Clinical research nurses have greatly contributed to studying the delivery of care over the years; however, since 2020, COVID-19 has brought unprecedented changes within the nursing profession. Each wave of the pandemic has created a worrisome landscape where nurse researchers face multiple challenges in implementing and funding practice-based nursing-led research projects. To raise nurses' voices and promote nurse-led research, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Research Council 2022 Research Priorities include the dissemination of a research agenda for practice-based research, promoting interprofessional research, and encouraging equitable and inclusive participation on research teams.

Best of the 2021 ANCC PTAP Symposium: Create, Cultivate, Celebrate.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) sponsors an annual symposium for participants to share in best practices across the globe. Due to COVID-19, the 2021 symposium was held virtually. With close to 700 participants, the ANCC PTAP team was challenged to provide an engaging virtual conference. This column speaks to the success of the symposium based on creating, cultivating, and celebrating best practices. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(8):352-354.].

Magnet® and Pathway: Partners for Nursing Excellence.

This month's Magnet® Perspectives column examines American Nurses Credentialing Center's Magnet Recognition Program® and Pathway to Excellence® Program as partners for nursing excellence. We explore the differences between the programs, how they complement one another, and how they can be combined to impact a host of key measures, including nurse engagement, interprofessional collaboration, and patient safety. Nursing leaders at 2 dual-designated hospitals share their decision to pursue both credentials and ways in which the combined designation adds value for nurses and the patient care environment. They discuss how the essential elements of a Magnet and Pathway culture contributed to a nimble, innovative response to the COVID-19 pandemic and strategies nursing leaders can employ to create and sustain an environment where change flourishes and nurses thrive.

Achieving American Nurses Credentialing Center Magnet® Designation With a Virtual Site Visit.

Innovation has enabled organizations to highlight and engage during the COVID -19 pandemic. The use of virtual site visits to assess the organizations 's culture and sustainability of the Magnet components during initial designation and redesignation allows for ongoing support of nursing excellence.

Facilitating credentialing and engagement of international physician-migrants during the COVID-19 crisis and beyond.

CONTEXT: Physicians who migrate globally face a daunting series of time-consuming, labor- and resource-intensive procedures to prove their clinical competency before being allowed to practice medicine in a new country. ISSUES: In this commentary, we describe licensing barriers faced by physician-migrants based on the authors' experiences, and reflect also on rapidly implemented measures to address COVID-19 pandemic related workforce shortages. We offer recommendations for potential reductions in bureaucratic regulatory barriers that prohibit mobilization of international medical graduate talent. LESSONS LEARNED: Licensing boards and authorities should strive for standardized, competency-based basic professional recognition. Professional medical societies are well-positioned to guide such competency-based recognition as a more organized, international collaborative effort across specialties. The COVID-19 pandemic facilitated cross-state and international licensing in some regions, highlighting a key opportunity: streamlining professional recognition requirements is achievable.

Pivoting During a Pandemic.

When the coronavirus hit the United States earlier this year, hospitals across the country were forced to quickly convert to crisis mode. Overnight, health systems transformed clinical and administrative operations to care for rising numbers of COVID-19 patients. Now, as the country slowly reopens and we move back to "normal," hospitals again face a major reboot to regroup and recover. Those that meet this challenge successfully will survive. Many others will not. This month's Magnet Perspectives column examines how Magnet hospitals are uniquely positioned to ride the waves and manage the chaos. What are the components that helped them adapt and adjust when COVID-19 struck, and how are those elements facilitating response and recovery? The column also looks at how the Magnet Recognition Program itself responded to challenges posed by the coronavirus and altered some of its long-standing processes to meet customer needs.