Nursing Professional Development Practitioners in the Clinical Environment: A Qualitative Exploration

Area of Science:

• Nursing
• Healthcare Administration

Background:

• Nursing Professional Development (NPD) practitioner roles lack standardized practice guidelines.
• Existing literature offers limited support for effective NPD practitioner role utilization.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore the practice variations and time allocation of NPD practitioners within a multihospital system.
• To evaluate how NPD practitioners spend their time across key responsibilities outlined in the NPD Practice Model.

Main Methods:

• Qualitative study conducted over 12 months in a multihospital system.
• Utilized open-ended survey responses to gather data on practitioner activities.
• Assessed time spent in collaborative partnerships, competency management, education, onboarding/orientation, inquiry, and role development.

Main Results:

• Significant variation observed in NPD practitioner practice across the multihospital system.
• Data revealed specific time allocation patterns within the NPD Practice Model domains.
• Qualitative insights into the practical application of NPD roles were gathered.

Conclusions:

• Understanding practice variations is crucial for optimizing NPD roles.
• The findings highlight the need for further research into standardized NPD practitioner responsibilities.
• This study provides a foundation for developing evidence-based strategies to enhance NPD practice and role effectiveness.