Greetings and congratulations to all Nursing Professional
Development Specialists!
We are celebrating NPD week in honor of all of us and the
work that we do every day as NPD specialists. As practitioners we should be
proud. Our role is unique and diverse. As our recent NPD Role Delineation study
found, we fill several important roles.
First, transitioning new graduate and experienced nurses
for success in their practice specialty is a key role. As an NPD specialist
role we prepare student nurses to transition to the “real world” of
nursing. We also partner with
experienced nurses as they transition to new practice areas or new levels of
leadership. Through this NPD role new graduates as well as experienced nurses
gain competence and confidence, are retained by the organization, and are
prepared to meet the needs of our constantly evolving healthcare environment.
Not only do we impact the professional growth of individual nurses, we impact
the organization. Successful role transition ensures high quality and safe
patient care. Our impact on positive
patient outcomes and nurse retention saves organizational dollars. Take a
moment this week to walk the halls and meet with the many nurses you
transitioned into practice.
As NPD specialists we are also facilitators of learning.
In this role, we are accountable for educating staff for the future. Every day we
are challenged to create and implement cost effective, efficient, and timely
education for staff. We use innovative teaching methods and technology to
facilitate knowledge retention and competence. Not only are we expected to be
knowledgeable about patient populations, we must be experts in learning - two
very diverse yet complimentary skill sets. Take advantage of NPD week to
highlight the many innovative education programs you have conducted and
demonstrate how these have impacted nurses’ knowledge and patient outcomes. Both staff and leadership should know!
Next we are change agents. Healthcare is rapidly changing
and we are essential in translating new knowledge into practice and then
motivating and educating staff to adopt these new practice changes. As an
adaptive expert, we must implement sustainable rapid cycle change and must be
knowledgeable about strategies to influence practice change and ultimately
patient outcomes.
Perhaps one of the most rewarding roles of NPD specialists is the role
of mentor. Think about it - we influence and change people’s livelihood.
Helping others to help themselves to become successful in achieving their
personal and professional goals is a rewarding experience. Reflect on the many
nurses you assisted in obtaining certifications or advanced nursing degrees and
how these nurses have advanced professionally in their careers either at the
bedside or as nurse leaders.
Leadership is the most important role we have as NPD
specialists. In today’s healthcare environment we must demonstrate leadership
to be successful in our roles. Yet we often fail to think of ourselves as
leaders. Learn from Miss Colorado and do
not refer to yourself as “just the educator”. If we are to be true
organizational leaders we must be engaged at all meetings. Since we are experts in facilitating
learning, practice change, nurse transitions and patient care, it’s important
for us to highlight our expertise and let members of committees know our value
to the organization. Further steps to
enhance your leadership include the following:
- Learn and be able to articulate your hospital’s, department’s, and unit’s quality, patient safety and patient experience scores.
- Know your organization’s strategic plan and be able to explain your role in helping to achieve it.
- Lead teams and share your outcomes.
- Don’t wait for others to acknowledge you – take an active role in sharing your value.
- Participate in ongoing learning, growth and
development opportunities to enhance your leadership abilities.
This week’s blog is full of suggestions for optimizing our roles and promoting our specialty. Develop your action plan – not just for this week, but for the whole year!
Have a wonderful NPD week………
