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. 2025 Jul-Aug;39(4):591-604.
doi: 10.1016/j.pedhc.2025.01.007. Epub 2025 May 17.

A Novel Approach to Competency-Based Education for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners: Bringing Clarity to Competencies

Kristina L Banks, Carol L Savrin
Free article

A Novel Approach to Competency-Based Education for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners: Bringing Clarity to Competencies

Kristina L Banks et al. J Pediatr Health Care. 2025 Jul-Aug.
Free article

Abstract

Introduction: Guidance for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) competency-based education (CBE) is provided by the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) and the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) The Essentials: Core Competencies for Professional Nursing Education ("Essentials"). The 2021 AACN Essentials update prompted a significant shift from traditional to (CBE)for Nurse Practitioner (NP) faculty. NONPF has responded, updating its NP Role Core Competencies and domains to be congruent with the AACN 2021 Essentials, but NONPF's population-specific competencies remain unchanged since 2013.

Methods: Two PNP faculty conducted a multistep crosswalk between the NONPF 2013 population-based competencies for Primary and Acute Care PNPs to the AACN Essentials competencies.

Results: The crosswalk provides CBE implementation support for PNP educators.

Discussion: The authors introduce Clarity to Competencies, an innovative exercise adapted from Madness to Methods, based on the NONPF to AACN crosswalk, to provide novel methods for teaching and assessing PNP competencies.

Keywords: Education: Competency-based; advanced practice nursing; clinical competency; educational measurement; pediatric nurse practitioner education.

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Conflict of interest statement

CONFLICTS OF INTEREST The authors adapted From Madness to Methods, an evidence-based educational exercise developed by faculty at the Medical College of Wisconsin (Simpson et al., 2010). One of the authors attended a workshop presented by the Medical College of Wisconsin, where attendees were encouraged to adapt the exercise for their own use. Materials for this exercise are also freely available on the University of Washington Center for Health Sciences Interprofessional Education Research and Practice website within the Faculty Development IPE Training Toolkit (University of Washington, 2024). We have no additional disclosures.

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