For each of the nine NONPF competencies, write one paragraph explaining how the program has prepared you to meet the competency (for at least nine paragraphs). Then, propose how you plan to engage in social change in your community as a nurse practitioner. Finally, describe 1–2 legislative and advocacy activities involving your state nurse practitioner organization(s). Be specific and provide examples.
National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Competencies
Nursing competencies detail the core nursing abilities required for fulfilling their healthcare roles. These competencies integrate nursing knowledge, professional skills, values, and judgment, which are utilizable in each healthcare situation and adaptable to the dynamic healthcare landscape. To acquire nursing competencies, nurses must possess the prerequisite skills and knowledge and have the personal traits necessary for their performance in healthcare (Pulcini et al., 2019). The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) defines core competencies that apply to all nurse practitioners. This paper details these competencies.
Scientific Foundations
This competency focuses on the nurses’ ability to utilize and analyze data that can enhance healthcare delivery. It emphasizes nurses’ utility of innovative interventions in care provision. The nursing program equips nurses with skills to integrate research data into Practice. It also expands their data analysis skills, enabling them to analyze data critically to inform adjustments in their nursing practices.
Leadership
Nurses are expected to be healthcare leaders. They apply their leadership knowledge and skills to navigate clinical complexities and ensure better outcomes. The program equips nurses with the prerequisite leadership strategies for effective healthcare leadership. Nursing skills in critical thinking, advocacy, decision-making, and nursing care make them future healthcare leaders.
Quality
This competency requires nurses to use their knowledge and translational science to improve their patients’ and colleagues’ quality and safety. In this aspect, they evaluate quality improvement measures and their outcomes using quality improvement principles and contribute to the organizational culture of safeguarding the safety of their patients (Clarke, 2022). The program equips nurses with investigative skills to interrogate healthcare quality and safety safeguard measures. It also provides nurses with knowledge of systems promoting quality and safe care.
Practice Inquiry
The practice inquiry competency implores nurses to translate new evidence-based nursing or healthcare knowledge into nursing practice. In this regard, nurses are expected to generate knowledge from research to improve Practice and apply their investigative skills to enhance patient experiences and optimize their care outcomes (Clarke, 2022). The program equips nurses with prerequisite skills in nursing research. It accords nurses with the skills to interpret and apply evidence-based findings in their Practice to enhance clinical outcomes.
Technology and Information Literacy
Nurses must use health information technologies per professional, legal, and ethical standards. Nurses can use these technologies to ensure quality care provided to their patients and to promote organizational accountability to uphold efficient interprofessional communication (Clarke, 2022). The program acknowledges the significance of health information technologies in care operationalization. It equips nurses with the prerequisite knowledge of nursing informatics, enhancing their capacity to integrate and use data from various health information technologies.
Policy
Nurses are expected to advance equitable population health policy as a measure for promoting the health of communities. In this regard, nurses identify specific areas in healthcare to influence the policy formulation process and design comprehensive advocacy initiatives to support the process (Clarke, 2022). The program equips nurses with health advocacy and policy formulation processes. It readies nurses to be policy formulators and health advocators in their future nursing practice.
Health Delivery System
This competency focuses on the nurse’s ability to plan, design, and implement community healthcare programs. Therefore, it enables them to address community needs and the needs of their colleagues and other stakeholders in healthcare. Nursing programs teach nurses appropriate methods for determining population needs and designing strategies to manage them. This will enable future nurses to apply this knowledge to improve healthcare delivery processes.
Ethics
Nurses are expected to demonstrate ethics in their Practice. Nurses should, thus, apply ethical principles in their decision-making and clinical judgment. They also analyze current healthcare policy and operational framework through the lens of ethics. The program equips nurses with the ethical principles and provisions that guide nursing practice.