By Tabitha Kinlaw and James X. Stobinski
Perioperative nurse educators are essential to the work of perioperative nursing and are often charged with fulfilling a variety of roles in addition to staff education. Such roles may include learning facilitator, change agent, mentor, leader, champion for scientific inquiry and/or a partner for practice transitions (Harper & Maloney, 2022). Thus, it might be more appropriate to refer to perioperative nurse educators as perioperative nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners.
This title encompasses the broad nature of their work and contributions to health care organizations. But such titles are not common in perioperative nursing and would require a change in perspective on this essential role. Embracing the full potential of perioperative nurse educators recognizes the unique and crucial responsibilities of these health care professionals (Woolforde, 2019).
Perioperative nurse educators may be unaware of a variety of key resources available to support the perioperative NPD practitioner and the valuable networking opportunities found with the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD). The mission of ANPD is to “advance quality health care by defining and promoting nursing professional development practice.” (“About ANPD,” n.d.) Additionally, ANPD develops and publishes the “Nursing Professional Development Scope and Standards of Practice,” which outlines the scope of NPD practice as well as the standards and related competencies for NPD practitioners.
There is also opportunity for the perioperative NPD practitioner to broaden their personal professional development via credentials related to the NPD specialty. The base credential in Nursing Professional Development, NPD-BC, is offered via the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). The NPD-BC certification is a competency-based examination that “provides a valid and reliable assessment of the entry-level clinical knowledge and skills of registered nurses in the nursing professional development specialty.” (“Nursing professional development,” n.d.) However, the professional development opportunities for the perioperative NPD practitioner do not stop there.
For those perioperative practitioners that function at the NPD specialist level and who are prepared at the graduate level in nursing or a related field and certified in NPD (e.g., NPD-BC), there is the opportunity to pursue certification via the Nursing Professional Development Advanced-Board Certified (NPDA-BC) certification program. This portfolio-based certification program, administered by the Competency & Credentialing Institute (CCI), “acknowledges the professional achievement of a nursing professional development specialist who fulfills all NPD roles and responsibilities while demonstrating adherence to professional practice and performance standards.” (Nursing professional development advanced,” n.d.)
The advanced certification assesses the knowledge and skills of an NPD specialist with at least 5 years’ experience utilizing a peer-reviewed professional portfolio to validate a candidate’s demonstration of advanced levels of knowledge and skills in NPD. The NPDA-BC portfolio articulates the candidate’s competency for each of the six throughputs of the NPD Practice Model – education, role development, collaborative partnerships, inquiry, onboarding/orientation and competency management. (Harper & Maloney, 2022)
There are various advantages to this innovative method of certification. First, portfolios are a portable avenue by which to evaluate and validate competencies that are often more abstract and difficult to assess via the more common knowledge-based tests. (Byrne et al., 2007) Second, portfolios allow for the assessment and evaluation of one’s actual work and/or practice. (Schnipke & Wiley, 2019).
CCI nurses believe that the ANPD resources and these innovative NPD credentials will facilitate the professional growth and strengthen the practice of perioperative nurses. But this change will require a shift in perspective from nursing education to nursing professional development. At CCI, we believe it is time to begin that pivot to an emphasis on professional development over the span of a career.
To learn more about the innovation of the NPDA-BC certification visit https://www.cc-institute.org/npda-bc/learn/.
Tabitha Kinlaw, MBA, MSN, RN, NPD-BC, CNOR, ONC, is a nurse manager – education and development at the Competency and Credentialing institute.
James X. Stobinski, Ph.D., RN, CNOR, CNAMB, CSSM(E), is the CEO of the Competency and Credentialing Institute.
References
About ANPD. (n.d.). Association for Nursing Professional Development. Retrieved on July 19, 2022, from https://www.anpd.org/page/about
Byrne, M., Schroeter, K., Carter, S., & Mower, J. (2009). The professional portfolio. An evidence-based assessment method. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing, 40(12), 545-552.
Harper, M. G., & Maloney, P. (2022). Nursing professional development: Scope & standards of practice (4th ed.). ANPD.
Nursing professional development advanced – board certified. (n.d.). Competency & Credentialing Institute. Retrieved on July 19, 2022, from https://www.cc-institute.org/npda-bc/learn/
Nursing professional development certification. (n.d.). American Nurses Credentialing Center. Retrieved on July 19, 2022, from https://www.nursingworld.org/our-certifications/nursing-professional-development/
Schnipke, D., & Wiley, A. (2019). Selection and use of item types.
In J. Henderson (Ed.), Certification: The ICE handbook (3rd ed., pp. 289-322). Institute for Credentialing Excellence.
Woolforde, L. (2019). Nursing professional development practitioner or nurse educator: What’s your response? Journal for Nurses in Professional Development, 35(3), 174–175.
