Incorporating the Transitional Care Model within NP program curricula to achieve care coordination competency.

PURPOSE: Education for nurse practitioners (NPs) requires knowledge and skill acquisition for managing transitions in care, especially among older adults with complex care needs. A team of nurse researchers and educators provided a competency-based approach for educating future NPs on the care delivery of older adults using the Transitional Care Model's (TCM) evidence-based interventions. METHODS: NP faculty integrated an online course offering didactic teaching that would enhance clinical learning. The online content included a case study of an NP navigating an older adult through transitions in care. Students completed evidence-based interventions with patients while in their clinical rotations. RESULTS: Using the structured and purposeful interventions within the clinical practicum provided exposure to and experience with the application of the model's nine components. NP students applied knowledge and demonstrated skills through direct care experiences in the clinical setting. This learning supports the achievement of advanced nursing practice competencies depicted in the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN)'s The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education (2021). CONCLUSIONS: This is one example of how a NP program integrates evidence-based interventions to ensure that NP graduates are well-positioned and ready for managing transitions of complex care for older adults.

A call to act: RN volunteers needed in their communities.

OBJECTIVE: Recognizing registered nurses (RNs) as valued, trusted professionals to lead and advocate for healthier communities (Pittman, 2019), the New Jersey Action Coalition (NJAC) developed a model designed to match RN volunteers to community projects. DESIGN: Using a descriptive study design, researchers examined the numbers of RN volunteers and projects across 21 counties in NJ from 2016 to 2018. SAMPLE: The sample consisted of the numbers of volunteers and projects from every county retrieved from the NJAC's website. MEASUREMENTS: In addition to the NJAC data, researchers examined the percentage of RNs living in each county as well as data from County Health Rankings & Roadmaps© (University of Wisconsin Population Health Institute, 2019). The counties were divided into three groups: high, moderate, and low overall health counties. RESULTS: After 2 years of implementing the NJAC model, the data revealed that, at minimum, there was one RN coach per county in the high overall health counties group. In the lower overall health counties group, there were fewer community projects, less RN coaches, and volunteers. CONCLUSION: Engaging RN volunteers requires raising awareness of the needs of the community and the ways in which a RN can take action to promote public health and health equity.

Innovative PhD-DNP Faculty Collaboration to Advance Baccalaureate Student Population Health Competencies.

Entry-level nurses require health promotion, chronic disease self-management, care coordination, data utilization, and evidence translation competencies to address complex population health needs. An innovative PhD-DNP faculty collaboration implemented a descriptive survey design to evaluate simulation-based strategies using an unfolding chronically ill adult case to address population health. Results showed the PhD-DNP faculty team was effective in developing clinically meaningful learning experiences to assist baccalaureate students to develop population health competencies. This project provides strong evidence supporting the value and positive impact of engaging faculty from research and practice for future educational research.

Simulation Innovation to Redesign the Baccalaureate Curriculum to Address Population Health.

Prelicensure nursing curricula need to be redesigned to integrate and achieve key population health competencies. Nursing students in generic and second-degree programs had improved learning outcomes and significant increases in population health competencies across the curriculum using simulation-based learning activities developed through an academic-practice partnership. Simulation is an effective, interactive strategy that enhances student knowledge, skills, and competencies in addressing population health.

Teaching the business of health care.

This column identifies teaching modalities for assessing economic value, creating strategic plans, supporting implementation of cost-saving initiatives, and constantly evaluating.