Inside Looking Out: Updated Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing Practice.

BACKGROUND: The original Association of Rehabilitation Nurses (ARN) Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing published in 2016, and updated in 2020, provides a framework for rehabilitation nursing practice. AIM: This companion, but stand-alone, article to a 2022 publication further explicates and informs the updated Competency Model from inside looking out toward an increasing application for evidence-based practice (EBP). APPROACH: An eight-member 2020 ARN Task Force used an iterative process to review the original four domains and related competencies and came to consensus for the updated model. OUTCOME: This model provides revised competency role descriptors or behaviors that guide nurses practicing at different proficiency levels in various settings. CLINICAL RELEVANCE: The Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing is a premier resource that can advance professional rehabilitation nursing and guide EBP, including evaluation, quality improvement, and research. The model describes the nurse's role on the intra/interprofessional team and fosters collaboration with other healthcare professionals to enhance the quality of life for those affected by disability and chronic illness. CONCLUSION: The domains and associated competencies of this model clarify nursing roles at different proficiency levels, and role descriptors reflect current practice, supporting advancement of the specialty practice of rehabilitation nursing well into the 21st century.

Updated Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing: Practice Applications.

BACKGROUND: The Competency Model for Professional Rehabilitation Nursing is a lens through which nurses can view their practice; the four domains provide a template that guides that practice. PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to describe a task force's review procedures and share the updated model. APPRAISAL PROCESS: A rehabilitation nursing task force appraised the model over the course of 1 year. REVISION OUTCOMES: The original four domains remain, with wording changes for content and clarity throughout. Notable changes include (1) new competency for Domain 1 that focuses on the understanding of the worldview of individuals who are culturally different and (2) case stories for each domain related to nurses' proficiency (beginner, intermediate, and expert). CLINICAL RELEVANCE: This updated model can be used to explicate the rehabilitation nurses' role on intra/interprofessional teams, as well as provide a framework for education and staff orientation/performance evaluation. CONCLUSION: This competency model reflects the current practice and advances of the specialty practice of rehabilitation nursing.

Career progress in online and blended learning environments.

OBJECTIVE: The authors examined the career achievement of early- and mid-career researchers in social, behavioral, and mental health who participated in a career-development conference. METHOD: Trainees participated in a career-development conference either through attending a live conference supplemented with an online version of the conference (Combined: N=46) or through the online version of the conference alone (Web-Only: N=60). An objective measure tracked the trainees' publications, involvement in research projects, honors and grant awards, collaborations, and scientific presentations before and 9 months after participation in the career-development conference. RESULTS: Statistical analysis showed that trainees improved for each category measured, with no significant differences across the Combined and Web-Only groups. The strongest variable affecting improvement was Time, and the most significant time effect was seen in the production of presentations and publications. A significant Gender difference was present, with women showing greater total career progress than men. CONCLUSION: Career-development conferences can support career growth for trainees. Online training provides a cost-effective and time-efficient alternative to in-person methods, while still enhancing key markers of career progress.