Deploying an APP Preceptor Development Program: Preparing Preceptors for Collaborative Practice and Evaluation to Support New Graduate Apps
Seminar Description: One post graduate transition-to-practice program for Advanced Practice Registered Nurses (APRNs) and Physician Assistants (PAs), also known as Advanced Practice Provider (APP) Fellowship, onboards and supports new APPs across seven specialties throughout a large health system. In 2020, the program was awarded partial funding through a HRSA federal grant to improve the educational training of novice APRNs in rural and undeserved medicine. During that time, the APP Fellowship faculty recognized a high need to prepare experienced APPs to support, educate, and evaluate transition to practice APP fellows. A Preceptor Development Program was launched in early 2021, to initially educate APP Preceptors in Primary Care. Since that time, the APP Fellowship Program has expanded into six additional specialties: Urgent Care, Adult Critical Care, Neonatal Critical Care, Pediatric Critical Care, Neurology, and Pediatric Primary Care. To adapt to this rapid expansion and continue to support preceptors across all specialties and interprofessional settings, the APP Fellowship team quickly re evaluated the program to launch a new and revised Preceptor Development Program in January 2023.
The Preceptor Development Program is composed of one eight hour in-seat orientation session and quarterly four hour in-seat sessions throughout a 12 month period. The curriculum is designed to educate and support experienced APRNs and PAs to teach, mentor, and evaluate APP Fellows in a variety of workplace settings including inpatient, outpatient, rural, and underserved, where not only resources, but the interprofessional collaboration and education models are variable and directly impact learning. Interprofessional speakers including pharmacists, physicians, and experienced APP Fellowship preceptors created ample opportunity for learners to gain additional skills to optimize their teaching in the clinical setting. Successful implementation of the Preceptor Development Program was demonstrated through evaluation data collected at the end of each in-seat session and on evaluations done in the clinical setting by APP Fellowship faculty and fellows. Kirkpatrick’s level 1 and level 2 self-reported data is collected at the end of each curriculum session. Level 1 data revealed aggregate scores of 4.6 on a five point likert rating scale across five indicators. Level 2 data revealaed an average 23% increase in perceived knowledge and confidence. Sustained success has been observed during montly on site preceptor evaluations, where APP Fellowship faculty visualizes real time implementation of the skills learned in the Preceptor Development Program.
Rapid expansion of the APP Fellowship has grown the Preceptor Development Program to over 40 active preceptors in the program and 14 graduates. As the Fellowship gains more traction across specialities and sites, expansion to support not only APPs, but physicians and other interdisciplines is on the horizon.
Session learners will be able to identify a need for a preceptor development program in their setting, develop curriculum structure, and establish working tools to evaluate preceptors.
In support of improving patient care, this activity is planned and implemented by The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education Office of Interprofessional Continuing Professional Development (National Center OICPD). The National Center OICPD is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
As a Jointly Accredited Provider, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
The National Center OICPD (JA#: 4008105) is approved by the Board of Certification, Inc. to provide continuing education to Athletic Trainers (ATs).
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Physicians: The National Center for Interprofessional Practice and Education designates this live activity for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should only claim credit commensurate with their participation.
Physician Assistants: The American Academy of Physician Assistants (AAPA) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME.
Nurses: Participants will be awarded contact hours of credit for attendance at this workshop.
Nurse Practitioners: The American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Certification Program (AANPCP) accepts credit from organizations accredited by the ACCME and ANCC.
Pharmacists and Pharmacy Technicians: This activity is approved for contact hours.
Athletic Trainers: This program is eligible for Category A hours/CEUs. ATs should claim only those hours actually spent in the educational program.
Social Workers: As a Jointly Accredited Organization, the National Center is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. State and provincial regulatory boards have the final authority to determine whether an individual course may be accepted for continuing education credit. The National Center maintains responsibility for this course. Social workers completing this course receive continuing education credits.
IPCE: This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credits for learning and change.
Learners can claim CE credit by completing the Daily Evaluation.