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Scaffolding Case Studies: Advancing Competency-Based Nurse Practitioner Education
Marcy Ainslie1, Danielle Hebert, Joseph Miller
1Author Affiliations: Department of Nursing, University of New Hampshire, Durham, New Hampshire (Dr Ainslie); Tan Chingfen Graduate School of Nursing Worcester, University of Massachusetts Chan Medical School, Worcester, Massachusetts (Dr Hebert); Aquifer, Inc., Hanover, New Hampshire (Dr Miller); Biobehavior Health Department, University of Pennsylvania School of Nursing, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania (Dr Griffith); The Catholic University of America, Conway School of Nursing, Washington, District of Columbia (Dr Moore); School of Nursing Graduate Department, University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston, Texas (Dr Luke); and School of Nursing, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia (Dr Venzke).
Background:
Nursing education is transitioning to competency-based education (CBE). A key principle of CBE is scaffolding curricula from simple to complex to facilitate student learning.
Problem:
There is no standardized method of scaffolding nurse practitioner (NP) curricula.
Approach:
A workgroup of NP educators analyzed visit types-such as wellness, acute, chronic, and transition of care visits-to determine the appropriate placement of case scenarios for early, middle, or late-stage learners. Each case was then aligned with the educational preparation requirements for specific NP populations to identify which populations would benefit most from the scenario.
Outcomes:
A structured classification system, using predefined criteria, was developed to scaffold case scenarios in NP education. This systematic arrangement supports the implementation of CBE and facilitates learning.
Conclusions:
The scaffolding model can be used with a variety of learning resources and provides a standardized method for scaling complexity within NP curricula.
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