Nurse practitioner education: Uniting the 2021 essentials with The Core Competencies on Disability Health Care...

Area of Science:

• Health Equity
• Nursing Education
• Disability Studies

Background:

• People with disabilities (PWD) represent the world's largest minority (16% of global population), experiencing poorer health outcomes and higher mortality rates.
• Health inequities for PWD stem from socioeconomic and political factors, social determinants of health, increased risk factors, and systemic healthcare barriers.
• Current healthcare training often lacks specific standards for disability competence, hindering effective care provision.

Purpose of the Study:

• To map the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials with The Core Competencies for Disability Health Care Education.
• To identify synergistic opportunities for integrating disability competencies into advanced practice nursing curricula.
• To enhance the preparedness of future nurses in delivering comprehensive care to people with disabilities across the lifespan.

Main Methods:

• Comparative analysis of two key educational frameworks: AACN The Essentials and The Core Competencies for Disability Health Care Education.
• Identification of overlapping and complementary domains within the competency sets.
• Framework mapping to illustrate integration points for curriculum development.

Main Results:

• A clear alignment and synergistic potential were identified between the AACN Essentials and disability-specific competencies.
• Specific integration points were mapped, demonstrating how existing nursing education standards can incorporate disability health knowledge and skills.
• The mapping provides a roadmap for curriculum enhancement in advanced practice nursing programs.

Conclusions:

• Integrating disability competencies into nursing education, guided by the AACN Essentials, is essential for addressing health disparities.
• This integration will equip advanced practice nurses with the necessary skills to provide high-quality, person-centered care to people with disabilities.
• A standardized approach to disability training in nursing education will improve health outcomes for this underserved population.