An Evaluation of a Virtual Seminar Series for Doctor of Nursing Students to Promote Advanced Nursing Practice

Background: Advanced practice nurses (APNs) have been responding to worldwide changing patient comorbidities, inequalities within access to care, and a shortage of primary care physicians. The scope of practice for these nurses has been expanding internationally but varies across different jurisdictions. For a period of time during the COVID-19 pandemic, APN trainees' opportunities to work with international mentors in-person were limited. Objective: This study aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of a virtual seminar series in supporting growth in clinical judgment, skills in nursing leadership, and advocacy to optimize APNs' scope of practice. Methods: A preexperimental study was conducted in one cohort of students in the Doctor of Nursing (DN) program at The Chinese University of Hong Kong. A total of 10 prerecorded seminars were presented by nurse practitioners (NPs) in Canada on various disease topics. The evaluation of these seminars focused on the effectiveness of teaching by each speaker and the perceived confidence of learners in carrying out each domain of the APN scope of practice. Results: The study found that the virtual seminar series was effective in improving learners' perceived confidence in carrying out each domain of the APN scope of practice. The perceived teaching effectiveness of each speaker was also evaluated and found to be positive. Conclusions: The virtual seminar series was an effective strategy in supporting newly graduated APNs' professional transitions, particularly when opportunities for collaboration and education were limited due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Implications for Nursing: Mentorship, experiential learning, interprofessional training, and professional socialization are vital strategies for supporting APNs' professional development. The virtual seminar series can be an effective strategy for supporting APNs' scope of practice growth, especially in the current global pandemic context.