Nurse Practitioner Regulatory Assessment: Transitioning From an Onsite to a Virtual Format

Abstract

The Nurse Practitioner Onsite Peer Review is an integral part of the British Columbia College of Nurses and Midwives Quality Assurance program. Traditionally an in-person assessment, Nurse Practitioner Onsite Peer Review involves a critical review of documentation by an experienced nurse practitioner assessor against regulatory standards and entry-level competencies. The onset of the COVID-19 pandemic and resulting environmental limitations required the college to rethink its approach to onsite reviews, resulting in the quality assurance program embarking on a pilot project to explore the feasibility of conducting reviews virtually. As there are many factors that can affect the transition of an onsite assessment to one that is virtual, it was important to consider the technical, workflow, and usability aspects in developing this new method of performance assessment. Therefore, including usability testing and a human factors approach to exploring this emerging method was vital to ensuring its success. In this article, we discuss our experience, including benefits, technical and administrative considerations, barriers, challenges, and lessons learned.