Incorporating the Transitional Care Model within NP program curricula to achieve care coordination competency

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Geriatric Care
• Transitional Care Models

Background:

• Managing care transitions for older adults with complex needs is crucial for nurse practitioners (NPs).
• Effective education is needed to equip future NPs with specialized knowledge and skills for this population.
• The Transitional Care Model (TCM) offers evidence-based interventions for improving care transitions.

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe a competency-based approach for educating future NPs on managing older adults' care transitions.
• To integrate the Transitional Care Model (TCM) and its evidence-based interventions into NP education.
• To enhance NP students' readiness for complex geriatric care delivery.

Main Methods:

• An online course combined didactic teaching with a case study of an NP managing an older adult's care transition.
• NP students applied TCM evidence-based interventions during their clinical rotations.
• Competency-based education focused on the nine components of the TCM.

Main Results:

• Clinical practicum provided students with hands-on experience applying TCM interventions.
• NP students demonstrated acquired knowledge and skills in direct patient care settings.
• The educational approach supported the achievement of advanced nursing practice competencies outlined by the AACN Essentials (2021).

Conclusions:

• This NP program effectively integrated evidence-based interventions for managing complex care transitions.
• Graduates are better prepared to manage transitions of care for older adults.
• The described approach serves as a model for enhancing NP education in geriatric care transitions.