2023: A Year in Review.

In 2023, the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Nursing Continuing Professional Development (NCPD) and Transition to Practice Directors highlighted the ever-changing professional development environment. This column highlights this year's key topics: academic and practice partnerships, workforce development, updated accreditation standards, and mentoring. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(12):545-547.].

Integration of Interprofessional Learning Into an Accredited Nurse Residency Program.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) annually awards the Program Director of the Year at the ANCC Transition to Practice (TPP) Symposium. This year the Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs (COA-PTP) and ANCC PTAP/APPFA team is ecstatic to announce Dr. Simmy King, from Children's National Hospital, as the awardee. Dr. King's dedication to nurses in transition and quality improvement is impressive. Learn about the Children's National Hospital's ANCC PTAP journey and how they integrated interprofessional learning into their nurse residency. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(5):197-200.].

Transition to Practice Accreditation: Raising the Bar in Nursing Excellence.

The Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) at the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) sets global standards for registered nurses' transition to practice programs. The ANCC PTAP/APPFA Team and Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs (COA-PTP) issued its latest version of the ANCC PTAP standards in January 2023. Explore the five domains of the ANCC PTAP conceptual model, explore ANCC PTAP eligibility criteria, and learn about some of the enhancements to the ANCC PTAP standards in this article. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(3):101-103.].

Elevating Advanced Practice Provider Fellowships Through Accreditation.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) launched its newest credentialing program, Advanced Practice Provider Fellowship Accreditation™ (APPFA). This credential will provide Advanced Practice Provider fellowships with the ability to seek and earn recognition for excellence against a set of evidence-based standards. Explore the five domains that make up APPFA and learn about a few highlighted standards. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2023;54(1):6-8.].

2022: A Year in Review.

In 2022, program directors in ANCC accredited nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) organizations and transition to practice (TTP) programs embraced innovative and dynamic ways to envision the future of nursing and health care from a new vantage point. This column highlights key topics from the year: workforce development; the interprofessional learning environment; return on investment for NCPD and TTP programs; and outcomes-driven professional development. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(12):525-527.].

Measuring Nurse Residency Program Outcomes: Selecting the Right Tool.

Nursing professional development practitioners are critical to nurse residency program (NRP) development, implementation, and evaluation. Conducting a program evaluation provides an opportunity to collect and analyze data on identified goals and outcome measures and determine if the program components need to modified or changed. Health care organizations need a systematic process for evaluating NRPs to ensure effectiveness of program delivery, provide evidence to demonstrate program value to the organization, report achievement of program outcomes, and for continuous quality improvement. With the growing importance of offering high-quality NRPs, nurses in professional development must critically consider the type of data required to demonstrate program value and use the best tools to collect outcome data. This article discusses a variety of data collection tools that can be selected to measure NRP outcomes. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(9):389-392.].

Development and Implementation of a Nurse Residency Program Stakeholder Evaluation.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program® (PTAP) annually awards the Program Director of the Year at the ANCC PTAP Symposium. This year the Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Programs and ANCC PTAP team is ecstatic to announce Dr. Kim Failla, from Sharp HealthCare, as the awardee. Dr. Failla's dedication to nurses in transition and quality improvement is impressive. Learn here about the Sharp HealthCare PTAP journey and their stakeholder evaluation tool. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(5):195-197.].

The Foundation for Operational Excellence: Being Accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center.

What is accreditation? Why is accreditation important? Is accreditation the same thing as getting certified? We receive these common questions about accreditation at the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). This column will explore the concept of accreditation and ANCC Accreditation. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(3):100-103.].

Creating an Optimal IP Learning Environment: NCICLE Pathways to Excellence.

Clinical learning environments are a shared space for various professions working together to provide the best care for patients. The National Collaborative for Improving the Clinical Learning Environment (NCICLE) published the NCICLE Pathways to Excellence: Expectations for an Optimal Interprofessional Clinical Learning Environment to Achieve Safe and High-Quality Patient Care as a tool that can be used to assess and develop ways to optimize learning and patient care. This framework provides guidance for health care professionals to collaborate with executives to transform the clinical learning environment and patient outcomes. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2022;53(4):150-152.].

Best of the 2021 ANCC PTAP Symposium: Create, Cultivate, Celebrate.

The American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) Practice Transition Accreditation Program (PTAP) sponsors an annual symposium for participants to share in best practices across the globe. Due to COVID-19, the 2021 symposium was held virtually. With close to 700 participants, the ANCC PTAP team was challenged to provide an engaging virtual conference. This column speaks to the success of the symposium based on creating, cultivating, and celebrating best practices. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2021;52(8):352-354.].

A Framework for Nursing Excellence.

As the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) marks its 30th anniversary in 2021, the world's largest and most prestigious nurse credentialing organization has unveiled a new Credentialing Framework for Nursing Excellence. In this month's "Magnet Perspectives," the directors of the ANCC's 6 credentialing programs introduce a new conceptual framework, outline the key concepts for exceptional nursing practice, and describe how ANCC's programs interconnect to invoke a powerful model that healthcare organizations can use to develop and sustain nursing excellence.

COVID-19: Perspectives From Nurses Across the Country.

The COVID-19 pandemic that is sweeping across the globe has impacted all health care professionals in multiple ways. This article surveyed a cross-section of the nursing profession from across the United States from the ANCC Practice Transition Accreditation Program® and ANCC Commission on Accreditation in Practice Transition Program. The article summarizes how they responded to the pandemic, addressed challenges, and learned valuable lessons. [J Contin Educ Nurs. 2020;51(7):304-308.].

Is Open Visitation Really "Open" in Adult Intensive Care Units in the United States?

BACKGROUND: Evidence indicates that open visitation in adult intensive care units is a best practice for patient- and family-centered care, and nurses substantially influence such visitation patterns. However, it is unclear whether intensive care units in Magnet and Pathway to Excellence (MPE) facilities nationwide implement this in practice. OBJECTIVE: To describe current national visitation practices in adult intensive care units and determine whether they have changed since the last national study, which used data from 2008 to 2009. METHODS: From February through April 2018, websites of MPE hospitals were reviewed in order to identify their adult intensive care unit visitation policy. If this information was unavailable online, the hospital was telephoned to obtain the policy. From May through August 2018, follow-up telephone calls were made to hospitals that reported open visitation, during which intensive care unit nurses at the hospitals were asked to verify that the policy did not restrict visiting hours or the number, type, or age of visitors. RESULTS: Among the 536 MPE hospitals contacted, 51% (n = 274) indicated that they allowed open visitation. Further examination, however, revealed that 64% (n = 175) restricted the number (68.2%), age (59.5%), or type (4.4%) of visitors, or visiting hours (19.8%). Only 18.5% of MPE hospitals (n = 99) allowed unrestricted visitation. CONCLUSION: This study suggests a lack of progress toward implementing open visitation in adult intensive care units nationwide. Research on MPE hospitals that have adopted truly open visitation policies is needed to identify successful methods for implementing and sustaining open visitation.

Accreditation of Transition to Practice Programs: Assessing the Value and Impact.

Accreditation of transition to practice (TTP) programs are rapidly increasing. A review was completed on 13 TTP programs, accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center Practice Transition Accreditation Program. The review found six benefits of TTP accreditation that can translate into value for organizations. Nursing professional development practitioners should seek accreditation for TTP programs to elevate the potential for funding from national agencies.