Preparing Nurse Practitioner Graduates for the Transition to Practice.

BACKGROUND: Educators ensure that nurse practitioner (NP) students meet core competencies prior to graduation. Post-graduation, students navigate certification, licensure, resume building, and job searches. A statewide virtual conference was developed to help students during the transition to advanced nursing practice. METHOD: Information was presented on professional role development, resume writing, interviewing, licensure, certification, contract negotiation, and transitioning to a provider role. RESULTS: Nearly all participants (92%) were able to describe the status of NP practice and licensure requirements. Most attendees (90%) valued the insight shared by panelists. Many students (88%) felt more prepared to negotiate a contract. CONCLUSION: Current educational programs lack the time to thoroughly address NP graduates' learning needs regarding transition to practice. A partnership between faculties and a state professional organization is an innovative approach to meet students' educational desires. Delivery of a virtual conference during the pandemic proved to be cost effective. [J Nurs Educ. 2024;63(X):XXX-XXX.].

Health History Skills for Interprofessional Learners in Transgender and Nonbinary Populations.

INTRODUCTION: Transgender and nonbinary peoplehave been identified as vulnerable and clinically underserved and experience health disparities. Lack of health care provider knowledge about transgender and gender diverse populations is a barrier to care, impacting health outcomes. The aim of this project was to develop, implement, and evaluate a simulation learning activity for midwifery and women's health nurse practitioner students and obstetrics and gynecology residents to interact with transgender and nonbinary individuals, with the goal of enhancing health history taking comfort and skills. METHODS: A partnership was formed among University faculty and simulation educators, a community clinic providing gender-affirming care, and members of transgender and gender diverse populations who served as patient-teachers. Two cases frequently encountered in clinics providing care to transgender individuals were developed for the simulation. Learners were divided into interprofessional groups of 3 and completed one of 2 case scenarios with a patient-teacher. Learners and patient-teachers debriefed after the simulation to discuss and reflect on the experience. RESULTS: Thirty-three learners participated in the simulation, 12 midwifery students, 16 women's health nurse practitioner students and 5 obstetrics and gynecology residents. Significant differences were observed for all comfort and skills questions, showing increased perceived comfort and skills from pre- to postsimulation. There were no significant differences in attitude responses. DISCUSSION: We successfully created and implemented a new sexual and reproductive history taking skills simulation in partnership with community clinic staff and transgender and nonbinary persons. The session was well received by learners and patient-teachers. Learners demonstrated significant improvements in comfort and skills in history taking in this setting and provided favorable feedback about the experience. This simulation can serve as a guide to others providing education to future midwives, women's health nurse practitioners, and obstetrician-gynecologists.

Extragenital Screening for Chlamydia and Gonorrhea Among Adolescents and Young Adults at a Sexual Health Clinic.

OBJECTIVE: To increase screening rates for oropharyngeal and rectal (extragenital) chlamydia and gonorrhea infections among adolescents and young adults by 20% and for 90% of nurses to demonstrate a change in behavior and knowledge surrounding extragenital screening. DESIGN: A pre- and posttest design to evaluate nurse knowledge and the percentage of extragenital chlamydia and gonorrhea screenings completed before and after a 2-month intervention period. SETTING: Reproductive health clinic for adolescents and young adults up to age 25 years in the Twin Cities metropolitan area of Minnesota. PARTICIPANTS: Four registered nurses who provide direct client care at the identified sexual and reproductive health clinic. INTERVENTION/MEASUREMENTS: We implemented an education session for four staff nurses, a standardized sexual history taking tool, and protocols for obtaining oropharyngeal and rectal specimens. We measured extragenital chlamydia and gonorrhea screening rates, as well as knowledge and behavior change among registered nurses. RESULTS: Data came from records for 623 individuals who were deemed at risk for extragenital chlamydia and gonorrhea infection. Extragenital chlamydia and gonorrhea screening rates increased by more than 700% from before to after the intervention. Five out of nine (55.6%) extragenital chlamydia and gonorrhea infections diagnosed would have been missed with urogenital screening alone. One hundred percent of nurses demonstrated an increase in their knowledge of the 5 P's of sexual health (Partners, Practices, Protection from sexually transmitted infections, Past history of STIs, and Prevention of pregnancy) to conduct a risk assessment, the eligibility criteria for extragenital testing, and the actual collection processes of pharyngeal and rectal swabs. CONCLUSION: Use of evidence-based recommendations and a collaborative team facilitated a more consistent approach to the assessment and diagnosis of extragenital chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. Generalizability is limited to the project site; however, this process could be implemented in other clinics to determine if similar results can be achieved.

Cultural Humility in the Care of Individuals Who Are Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, or Queer.

Health care providers' knowledge about the health issues of individuals who are lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, or queer (LGBTQ) has increased in the past few years, but significant gaps still exist. Nurses and other clinicians may be unfamiliar with current concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity, as well as with current language and terminology. Health care settings that lack informed staff or have environments that are not inclusive can influence the quality of care delivered or whether care is pursued at all. This article describes the application of cultural humility in the care of people who are LGBTQ, reviews key concepts of sexual orientation and gender identity, and provides definitions of common terms. Two brief case examples are provided, as are suggestions for creating welcoming and inclusive settings and providing person-centered care.