Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
What is every nurse practitioner (NP) required to know once he or she graduates from NP school? These requirements are defined and agreed upon by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF). The NONPF created the first set of competencies in 1990; the most recent updates were incorporated in 2012.
These core competencies apply to all nurse practitioners, regardless their medical specialty or patient population focus. Nurse practitioner core competencies were created by experts in clinical practice and education. The task force behind the 2012 update included various nurse practitioner organization and certification boards, and they created sub-groups of experts for each population focus. Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
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NONPF has defined nine broad areas of core competence:
- Scientific foundations
- Leadership
- Quality
- Practice inquiry
- Technology and information literacy
- Policy
- Health delivery system
- Ethics
- Independent practice
Each of these is subdivided into specific objectives that every nurse practitioner must demonstrate in order to graduate NP school. Furthermore, NP schools use the core competencies to design their curricula to ensure that students gain the knowledge, skills, and abilities to practice as licensed independent practitioners. The NONPF asserts that achievement of these competencies is of greater value than the total number of clinical hours a student performs.
Scientific Foundation Competencies
These competencies ensure that nurse practitioners graduate with a comprehensive background in medical sciences. All nurse practitioner students are required to take foundational pathophysiology and pharmacology, but depending on their specialty, they may take additional courses. Psychiatric nurse practitioners often take courses in neuroscience whereas neonatal nurse practitioners take courses in neonatology. Scientific core competencies also include knowledge and understanding of clinical practice guidelines, evidence-based practice, translational research, and treatment of vulnerable and diverse patient populations. Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
The scientific foundation core competencies defined by the NONPF include the following:
- Thinks critically about data and applies this evidence to improving practice.
- Allows knowledge from the humanities and other disciplines to inform one’s work in nursing.
- Incorporates research findings to enhance practice methods and patient outcomes.
- Creates fresh evidence-based approaches and techniques, paying thought to research findings, core theory, and experience from practice.
Leadership Competencies
Leadership competencies focus on professional accountability, scholarship, and advocacy. These skills ensure that nurse practitioner students understand their scope and standards of practice and that they are prepared to lead healthcare teams. The leadership competencies also encompass cultural sensitivity, engagement in professional organizations, and communication skills.
The leadership core competencies include the following:
- Embraces high leadership opportunities to facilitate change.
- Liaises effectively between various parties (e.g., healthcare teams, patients, community, policy advocates) in efforts to improve healthcare.
- Applies critical and reflective thinking to one’s leadership.
- Acts as an advocate for resource-efficient, cost-effective, and quality care.
- Elevates practice by incorporating innovations.
- Has excellent oral and written communication skills.
- Joins professional associations, advocacy groups, and other activities to improve healthcare. Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
Quality Competencies
Quality care, as defined by the NONPF, refers to the degree to which health services increase the desired health outcomes consistent with professional knowledge and standards. Quality competencies focus on understanding how to access and use information databases and how to critically evaluate research findings.
The quality core competencies include the following:
- Applies the best and most contemporary research findings to clinical practice.
- Considers the complex relationships between cost, safety, access, and quality in healthcare delivery.
- Assesses the effects of organizational structures, financial management, policy, and other factors on healthcare.
- Offers feedback in peer reviews to “promote a culture of excellence.”
- Tailors care to each practice situation and uses interventions as necessary.
Practice Inquiry Competencies
Practice inquiry competencies focus on translational research, i.e., taking academic research and applying it to the clinical setting. These competencies ensure that nurse practitioner students understand how to apply research to improve their patients’ health outcomes.
The practice inquiry core competencies include the following:
- Translates new knowledge into practice through leadership.
- Uses clinical experiences to inform practice and improve patient outcomes.
- Applies investigative abilities in a clinical setting to improve healthcare.
- Facilitates practice inquiry, both individually and in partnerships.
- Transmits knowledge from inquiry to others.
- Thinks critically about the individual applications of clinical guidelines.
Technology and Information Literacy Competencies
Information literacy, as defined by the NONPF, refers to the use of digital technology, communications tools, and/or networks to access, manage, integrate, evaluate, create, and effectively communicate information. The goal of these competencies is to teach nurse practitioner students how to use available technology to enhance the safety and health outcomes of their patients. To achieve these objectives, NP schools may require students to take an informatics course.
The technology and information literacy core competencies include the following:
- Uses appropriate technology to manage information.
- Translates health information for various users.
- Helps patients and caregivers understand conditions and treatments.
- Motivates patients and caregivers to make positive changes.
- Excels at complex decision-making.
- Informs the design of effective clinical information systems. Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
