Structured Specialty-Focused Educational Onboarding Curricula for Newly Hired Advanced Practice Providers: A Scoping...

Area of Science:

• Healthcare Education
• Advanced Practice Provider Training
• Specialty Practice Integration

Background:

• Advanced practice providers (APPs), encompassing physician assistants and nurse practitioners, require structured onboarding for successful specialty practice transition.
• Effective onboarding enhances evidence-based knowledge, clinical skills, and core competencies, crucial for improving provider performance and healthcare quality.

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically map the existing literature on specialty-focused onboarding practices for APPs.
• To identify knowledge gaps in current APP specialty onboarding research and practices.

Main Methods:

• A comprehensive systematic literature search was performed across Medline, CINAHL, and SCOPUS databases.
• The review adhered to Joanna Briggs Institute methodology and PRISMA Extension for Scoping Reviews guidelines.
• Data extraction and management were facilitated by Zotero and Covidence, utilizing Joanna Briggs templates.

Main Results:

• The reviewed studies predominantly originated from academic medical centers, covering both inpatient and outpatient settings.
• The most frequently reported onboarding strategies included clinical mentorship and educational modules, supplemented by shadowing and skills sessions.
• Performance reviews and competency checklists were the primary methods for evaluating onboarding effectiveness.

Conclusions:

• Specialty-focused APP onboarding is optimized through a combination of clinical mentoring, structured shadowing, and multimodal training tailored to specific needs.
• Such programs contribute to improved integration, job satisfaction, and clinical competency, while also reducing APP turnover.
• Further research is essential to refine onboarding methodologies and optimize the transition of APPs into specialized healthcare roles.