Measuring Return on Investment for Professional Development Activities: A Review of the Evidence

Quantifying and Qualifying Nursing Professional Development Practitioner Workload

Nursing professional development practitioners are integral leaders who continue to seek tangible ways to show their value. A tool was designed to capture workload based upon the scope and standards of nursing professional development practice and successfully captured the workload of over 200 practitioners. The measures used in this project can serve as a guide for others to describe nursing professional development practitioner workload.

Leveraging NCPD Departments to Achieve Strategic Goals in Health Care Organizations

Nursing professional development practitioners and nurse planners lead the charge in providing and evaluating nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) to achieve strategic goals. Organizations accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) have well-structured nursing professional development departments uniquely positioned to leverage NCPD to achieve organizational goals. This column will demonstrate how ANCC Accreditation in NCPD, in conjunction with the Association for Nursing Professional Development's Nursing Professional Development: Scope & Standards of Practice, underpins the critical role of NCPD and the nurses within the specialty of NCPD. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(8):341-343.].

Outcome assessment of medical education fellowships in emergency medicine

OBJECTIVES

Medical education fellowships in emergency medicine (EM) provide training in teaching, assessment, educational program administration, and scholarship. The longitudinal impact of this training is unknown. Our objective was to characterize the career outcomes of medical education fellowship graduates.

METHODS

We solicited curriculum vitae (CV) from graduates of U.S. EM education fellowships by email. We abstracted data from CVs with a standard instrument that included program characteristics, employment history, leadership positions, awards, and scholarly productivity. We calculated and reported descriptive statistics.

RESULTS

A total of 71 of 91 (78%) graduates participated. Thirty-three completed a 1-year fellowship and 38 completed a 2-year fellowship. Nineteen (27%) completed an advanced degree during fellowship. Median (range) graduation year was 2016 (1997-2020). The majority, 63 of 71 (89%), work in an academic setting. Graduates held leadership positions in continuing medical education, graduate medical education, and undergraduate medical education. Forty-eight (68%) served on national medical education committees. The mean ± SD number of national medical education awards was 1.27 ± 2.03. The mean ± SD number of national medical education presentations was 7.63 ± 10.83. Graduates authored a mean ± SD of 3.63 ± 5.81 book chapters and a mean ± SD of 4.99 ± 6.17 peer-reviewed medical education research publications. Ten (14%) served on journal editorial boards, 34 (48%) were journal reviewers, and 31 (44%) had received a medical education grant.

CONCLUSION

EM medical education fellowship graduates are academically productive and hold education leadership positions.

The Paradox of Empathy and Data: Measuring Outcomes of Empathic Communication Education

This article addresses the nursing professional development practitioner's role in the design and management of the evaluation process used for a large-scale educational intervention developed to improve patient satisfaction with the use of empathic communication skills. The scope of this educational activity and the direct alignment with organizational priorities necessitated that a robust and comprehensive evaluation strategy be implemented to demonstrate the connection from the education to performance and, ultimately, organization-level results.

Umbrella review: Impact of registered nurses' continuing professional education informed by contemporary reviews of literature

This paper aims to explore and classify studies of the impact and effectiveness of continuing professional education for registered nurses, using existing reviews of literature. Four healthcare databases were searched for publications from 2010 to July 2019 and electronic keywords searches were conducted. Umbrella review methodology was applied and Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Model of training evaluation was used to synthesise results and explicate the levels of educational impact. Of 16 included reviews, 13 were of simulation-based education activities. Three reviews of experimental studies demonstrated strong positive evidence of education impact on nurses' learning. Objective evidence of transfer of knowledge and skills into practice included improved interprofessional team performance and less time taken to complete clinical tasks. Reports of practice improvements and intention to change practice provided further evidence of impact. A small number of individual studies measured impact on service delivery, reporting positive and neutral results. We conclude that nurses learn and newly acquired knowledge and skills are often transferred into practice. Collection of robust evaluative data after completion of education is limited by practical considerations such as access to learners, resources and time constraints. Further studies of translational impact are needed, specifically, of the impact on patient care.

Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Advisement: A Roadmap for Faculty and Student Success

BACKGROUND

Robust enrollment in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs has created a need for faculty teaching in other nursing programs to be project advisers. Faculty may lack the knowledge and skills needed to advise projects that are evidence-based practice (EBP) or quality improvement (QI) initiatives. A project roadmap with tools and resources was needed.

METHOD

Practice-based evidence from members of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) DNP Leadership Taskforce was used to inform the process for DNP project advisement. This evidence was integrated with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Taskforce 2015 recommendations and literature on DNP project criteria to develop a roadmap.

RESULTS

Twenty-two students and six faculty have piloted the DNP Project Roadmap and provided positive feedback. Eight peer-reviewed presentations and three manuscript submissions with one acceptance have resulted from using the roadmap.

CONCLUSION

Data support that the project roadmap phases and associated tools and resources facilitate faculty project advisement and offer students clear project guidelines and a foundation for future practice scholarship. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(12):728-732.].

Prepared to Care: An Exploration of Continuing Education Trends of Nurses Caring for Injured Children

The significance of nursing competence in the care of pediatric trauma patients has been well documented. Continuing education for trauma nurses is a critical component of maintaining competence in pediatric trauma care; yet, there is significant variability in the programs and resources used to support this goal. The purpose of this current study was to describe the educational activities that practicing registered nurses engage in to inform their care of injured children. A quantitative, descriptive nonexperimental research design was utilized to describe the educational programs that members of the Society of Trauma Nurses (STN) must complete to work in verified and designated trauma centers. Participants completed a survey instrument that included demographic questions, pediatric trauma educational programs required/offered by their employer, and feedback about pediatric trauma nursing education. A total of 266 STN members completed the electronic survey, reflecting a 9% response rate. Most of the participants reported that the verifying body required trauma nursing education hours (n = 187, 70.3%). The number of required courses ranged from 1 to 6, with 33 (12.4%) reporting this 3-course combination-emergency nursing pediatric course (ENPC), pediatric advanced life support (PALS), and trauma nursing core course (TNCC). The second most common combination of courses (n = 30; 11.3%) was required to take both PALS and TNCC. No significant relationship was found between verifying agency type and continuing education program required (p> .05). Trauma nursing core course was the most popular course (n = 208; 79%), followed by PALS (n = 194; 73%) and ENPC (n = 103; 38%). Participants also shared barriers to continuing education activities. It has been 10 years since pediatric trauma nursing course utilization was first explored in the literature. There continue to be significant opportunities to support nurses in continuing education activities related to the care of injured children. While barriers to accessing these types of activities sometimes exist, it is the responsibility of the pediatric trauma community to explore these challenges even further and collaborate with others interested in improving the care of injured children.

The doctorate of nursing practice and entry into midwifery practice: Issues for consideration and debate

The American College of Nurse-Midwives represents two cadres of midwifery professionals: certified nurse-midwives who are educated in both midwifery and nursing, and certified midwives who are educated in the discipline of midwifery. Certified nurse-midwives are designated by nursing professional organizations as advanced practice nurses. The United States nursing profession is advancing toward adoption of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree, as the entry into practice credential for advanced practice nursing. There is no evidence to date to demonstrate differences in clinical practice outcomes between certified nurse-midwives and certified midwives. A secondary analysis of data from a series of compensation and benefits surveys did not demonstrate differences in salaries between respondents who held a practice-focused doctoral degree compared to a master's degree. The requirement of the practice-focused nursing doctoral degree for entry into midwifery practice for certified nurse-midwives would require additional evidence to support both a professional and a business case for such a change in policy. It would also require consideration of the professional and business impact that such a policy would have on certified midwives who do not hold the nursing credential. Equivalent entry into practice pathways would need to be developed.

Return on Investment: Building the Case for a Nurse Manager Certificate Program

Nursing professional development practitioners are frequently asked about program return on investment. A pre-postprogram self-assessment was developed for a Nurse Manager Certificate Program using the American Nurses Credentialing Center Nurse Executive Certification blueprint. The results identified knowledge and skill gaps, defined program outcomes, and helped determine return on investment. The results revealed improvement of knowledge, skill, and evidence for return on investment. J Contin Educ Nurs. 2018;49(10):446-448.

[How can employers support home care nurses’ continuing education and nursing professional development at workplace? Results of a Canadian qualitative survey.]

INTRODUCTION

this article provides a new knowledge on employer's support for home care nurses' continuing education.

CONTEXT

so far, literature has sustained that providing support to nurses in continuing education is mainly a matter of money. However, only few researchers have been interested in home care, especially in continuing education.

OBJECTIVE

one of the objectives of the survey was to identify factors that could influence nurses' commitment, participation and choice in the matter of continuing education activities.

METHODS

a qualitative survey was conducted with eight nurses, coming from one clinical home care setting (Québec, Canada), who participated in a semi-structured individual interview. Thematic analysis was used. Results were validated by intra- and inter-rater controls. Furthermore, participants were involved in the process of validation. Results have shown that support given by the employer in the matter of continuing education can be seen into five different aspects : financial, training, affective, instrumental and normative. Despite a lack of financial and training support, most of home care nurses have a positive perception of their employer's support.

DISCUSSION

nevertheless, employers should pay more attention to nurses' needs. To do so, nurses should be involved into the process of continuing education at their workplace.

Implementing a Process to Measure Return on Investment for Nursing Professional Development

Return on investment (ROI) is one way to quantify the value that nursing professional development brings to the organization. This article describes a process to begin tracking ROI for nursing professional development. Implementing a process of tracking nursing professional development practitioners' ROI increased awareness of the financial impact and effectiveness of the department.