Nursing practitioners (NP) play a fundamental role in modern healthcare. They perform various tasks, work directly with patients, and impact treatment outcomes. Their skills, knowledge, and experiences are essential contributors to the overall success and the increased level of patient satisfaction. Under these conditions, much attention is devoted to preparing NPs and ensuring they can overcome all challenges they meet. The National Organization of Nurse Practitioners Faculties (NONPF) (2017) outlines the nine core competencies that should be considered when creating NP programs. The ability to demonstrate these competencies is essential for a nurse.
Core Competencies: Scientific Foundation and Leadership
The scientific foundation is the first necessary competence mentioned by NONPF. It emphasizes evidence-based care supported by qualitative and quantitative research methods (NONPF, 2017). A nurse should be able to critically analyze data available to him/her to improve outcomes and transfer research results into practice (Clarke, 2022). Leadership is also considered the core competence by NONPF(2017) as an NP should foster collaboration with numerous stakeholders responsible for positive outcomes. In such a way, it is vital to understand the scope and standard of practice and be ready to lead other team members to ensure they are united around improvement and continuous growth (Clarke, 2022). Communication is also vital for the leadership sphere meaning that an NP should effectively explain tasks and interact with patients.
Quality and Practice Inquiry
Quality is the third core competence outlined by NONPF as part of NPs’ preparation programs. Its central idea implies improving practice and its outcomes via accessing and evaluating the relevant data linked to safety, costs, and treatment (NONPF, 2017). Utilizing the available evidence and making it a part of everyday practice, a nurse can significantly improve the quality of provided care and promote new standards critical for increased patient satisfaction. Practice inquiry is another competence critical for NPs working in the modern healthcare setting. It guarantees that a specialist will continuously work with available research results and make them part of his/her practice (Clarke, 2022). At the same time, the clinical practice should also be viewed as a source of information necessary for generating new knowledge and improving the existing approaches and methods (Clarke, 2022). It will help to create the basis for continuous care and outcomes enhancement.
Technology and Information Literacy and Policy
Innovation and science are two basic components of the modern world. For this reason, NONPF (2017) views technology and information literacy as another necessary NPs’ competence. It means that a nurse should be able to use the recent advances in the given field to promote better outcomes (Clarke, 2022). New technology should be employed to manage, create, and share health-related information to increase the effectiveness of provided care (Clarke, 2022). It will create the basis for new achievements and future success. NONPF (2017) offers policy as another core competence necessary for NPs. A specialist should know the existing guidelines and recommended methods and instructions to create the most effective care paradigm and help patients in various cases. At the same time, nurses might promote the establishment of new policies by sharing data they acquire during their work (Clarke, 2022). It will create the basis for the healthcare sector’s continuous improvement.
Home Delivery System and Ethics
Home delivery system is a core competence focused on planning the work with communities. NONPF (2017) emphasizes that an NP should be ready to select and develop the most effective methods of care delivery to meet the needs of various communities and guarantee that every individual is provided with the necessary treatment. It will reduce the risks of being untreated and resolve problems with the accessibility of care and its affordability. Ethics competency is another critical aspect mentioned by NONPF (2017). Every NP should understand the existing code of ethics and integrate its major principles into decision-making (Clarke, 2022). It will contribute to better cooperation with clients and minimize the number of cases of patient dissatisfaction (Chan et al., 2020). At the same time, the selected approaches should also be offered regarding the code of ethics and major standards to meet clients’ needs.
Independent Practice
Finally, NONPF views independent practice as another core competence vital for NPs. It means a nurse should possess the required academic knowledge, skills, experiences, and professional training to work as a licensed and independent practitioner (Singh et al., 2022). It is vital for the stable work of the sector as NPs can work with clients in terms of existing law. Under these conditions, it becomes critical to create the basis for nurses’ independent work and readiness to resolve complex cases.
In such a way, mastering these competencies is a key to becoming an effective NP. I can attain success in these fields in several steps. First, it is critical to continue reviewing the guidelines offered by NONPF to ensure the newest information is considered. Second, mastering the competencies implies continuous learning as new information should be acquired and integrated into the practice. Third, I plan to communicate with more experienced colleagues to acquire information from them. Finally, it is vital to support the evidence-based approach by collecting information from practice and conducting research.
How to Demonstrate Competencies
In such a way, the outlined competencies are critical to the practice. For this reason, I am planning to demonstrate them in my everyday work. Leadership skills and knowledge can be manifested by working with colleagues and interacting with them. It is vital to accept responsibility for specific decisions and actions and lead teams to promote positive change. I plan to monitor the collective’s work and offer views on how some aspects can be improved.
Quality is another field outlined by NONPF and vital to me. I plan to base my clinical practice on the recent evidence acquired from the research and practice. Moreover, I want to promote a culture of excellence by raising the standards of care and guaranteeing that all patients are provided with necessary treatment in the most effective ways. At the same time, the newest methods to work with complex cases should be used, and I want to focus on this aspect. It will help to improve outcomes and reduce the number of problems affecting the unit.
Finally, I view technology and information literacy as essential components of an NP’s work today. For this reason, I plan to improve my skills in the given area by learning how to work with new devices and integrate them into the organization’s work. It will cultivate a culture of innovation and replace outdated methods with new ones necessary for better information sharing, knowledge generation, and patient data management. Additionally, I want to align better cooperation between various units by using technology to align the continuity of care and attain better results in complex cases.
Conclusion
Altogether, NP is a fundamental figure in the modern healthcare sector. He/she faces a wide range of tasks, meaning he/she should possess specific competencies necessary for successful functioning. That is why the nine competencies outlined by NONPF are fundamental for every specialist working within the sphere. I plan to master these aspects by continuing my learning, reviewing recent research, and communicating with more experienced workers. At the same time, I also want to demonstrate leadership, quality, and technology competencies as it would help me to become a respected specialist and promote a positive change within a unit.
References
Clarke, E. (2022). What are the NP Core Competencies?Nurse Journal. Web.
Chan, T. E., Lockhart, J. S., Schreiber, J. B., & Kronk, R. (2020). Determining nurse practitioner core competencies using a Delphi approach.Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 32(3), 200–217. Web.
The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF). (2017). Nurse practitioner core competencies content.Web.
Singh, H. K., Kennedy, G. A., & Stupans, I. (2022). Competencies and training of health professionals engaged in health coaching: A systematic review.Chronic Illness, 18(1), 58–85. Web.