Developing Nurse Practitioners for Hospitalist Roles: Lessons Learned From an Academic Practice Partnership

Abstract

Background: There are numerous benefits to academic practice partnerships. While there is great emphasis on the new graduate nurse transition to practice, there is less intention placed on the new nurse practitioner (NP) role transition. In a rural teaching hospital, leadership perceived a need for more support to successfully transition NPs into hospitalist practice roles. Objective: One academic practice partnership developed and implemented a grant-funded program to support advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) transition to practice at a rural teaching hospital. Methods: Informed by the results of a needs assessment, faculty and practice partners delivered lecture content in a face-to-face setting during scheduled hours. Results: Although the content was well received, attendance to and engagement with the program were suboptimal. Conclusions: Upon reflection, the program team gained valuable lessons regarding role expectations, intentional interdisciplinary collaboration, timing, alignment, delivery format, and the need for a dedicated program coordinator. Implications for nursing: APRN transition programs can provide much-needed support with dedicated structure, clear communication, and individualized content. It can also be a recruitment and retention strategy for healthcare organizations.

Keywords: APRN; academic practice partnership; fellowship; hospitalist; novice advanced practice registered nurses.