Promoting understanding of medical decision-making coding for nurse practitioner students.

ABSTRACT: Nurse practitioners (NPs) are often responsible for coding patient encounters for reimbursement. Students should learn the basics of this skill during their educational preparation. On January 1, 2021, the American Medical Association and the Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services implemented new guidelines to the evaluation and management office appointment documentation and coding. The new medical decision-making (MDM) guidelines created a learning curve for NP students, faculty, and preceptors. An additional obstacle was encountered when on-campus preclinical intensives, which included a coding practice session, were canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The faculty of an NP program identified MDM coding as a difficult concept to teach in an asynchronous learning environment. In response, the faculty developed and implemented synchronous online case study sessions that incorporated active student participation and real-time feedback, thus increasing engagement with peers, faculty, and the MDM concepts. The purpose of this article was to present a synchronous method for teaching MDM coding to NP students, and the outcomes, lessons learned, and implications for nursing education and practice.

Innovative Team Approach for Achieving DNP Program Competencies for Distance Learners During the COVID-19 Pandemic.

ABSTRACT: Doctor of nursing practice (DNP)-prepared nurses must be competent in organizational and systems leadership, advanced clinical skills, and initiation of policy and programmatic changes. Students develop competencies in the DNP advanced practice and nurse administrator specialty tracks through online didactic and in-person practicum experiences within various settings. The COVID-19 pandemic created a barrier to in-person practicum experiences and an urgent need for flexible practicum opportunities. In response, faculty developed, implemented, and evaluated an innovative pedagogical strategy utilizing a team-based case study assignment to facilitate achievement of DNP program competencies for distance learners in these specialty tracks.

Ideal and perceived satisfaction of patient care providers.

This study compared the ideal job satisfaction and perceived job satisfaction levels of patient care providers from labor and delivery, coronary intensive care, pediatric outpatient, and perioperative areas. Of the 243 surveys distributed, 112 (46%) patient care providers responded. The respondents included registered nurses, licensed practical nurses, patient care assistants, and a scrub technician. A dependent t test revealed a statistically significant difference in the providers' ideal job satisfaction and perceived job satisfaction (t = 16.66, df = 87, p = < .001). The mean ideal satisfaction as compared to the mean perceived satisfaction was 88.70 to 65.65.