What are the Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies?
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The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties (NONPF) established nine core competencies to guide nurse practitioner (NP) programs. These guidelines help ensure that NPs acquire the necessary skills in the field.
NP students must learn the core competencies taught in NP programs, including skills in care planning, patient advocacy, self-awareness, and leadership.
NPs are held to the highest standards of advanced nursing practice. They provide up-to-date, evidence-based care and educate patients and their caregivers. Learn about the NONPF’s core NP competencies in this guide.
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Nurse Practitioner Core Competencies
While the NONPF does not require institutions to use its suggested curriculum, it provides a roadmap to help students practice successfully by measuring their strengths and abilities before graduation.
The core competencies apply to all NP specializations. There are 10 broad competency domains, and within each domain, there are more role-specific NP core competencies.
Historically, NP programs have focused more on knowledge-based education: faculty observed students and clinical skills and marked them as complete. NP programs have since adopted competency-based education (CBE) to observe and measure student behavioral assessments.
Below is a summary of each competency domain and some core competencies it contains.
- 1
Knowledge of Practice
By graduation, NP students should understand an NP’s role and responsibilities and share their perspectives with other disciplines. Core behaviors observed include the NP’s ability to describe their role, knowing the science behind the role, and analyzing literature on NP practice.
- 2
Person-Centered Care
By graduation, NP students should engage with individuals and/or caregivers in establishing a caring relationship, communicating effectively, and integrating cultural competencies, which include patients’ spiritual preferences and spiritual needs. They must also collaborate with family members and share care plans.
- 3
Population Health
NP graduates should demonstrate population health management. Their behaviors should demonstrate an understanding of the ethical, legal and social factors that affect populations. NPs must know how to advocate for patients and create health promotion programs.
- 4
Practice Scholarship and Translational Science
By graduation, NP students should be able to integrate evidence-based practices and peer review knowledge to support and improve their clinical care.
- 5
Quality and Safety
By graduation, NP students should be able to demonstrate their knowledge of quality improvement and implement safety measures for providers, patients, populations and systems of care. Core behaviors NP students should demonstrate are defining, identifying, and applying quality improvement measures.
- 6
Interprofessional Collaboration in Practice
NP students learn communication skills to collaborate with other professional healthcare team members to improve the quality of patient care. The core behaviors NP students should demonstrate include communicating with peers, identifying key disparities and lack of access in communities, and practicing active listening among peers, patients and family members.
- 7
Health Systems
By graduation, NP students should demonstrate an understanding of healthcare systems, how to incorporate cost-effective care and how to improve systems through innovation and evidence-based practice. Core behaviors NP students should demonstrate include transitioning patients through the healthcare system, understanding billing to optimize reimbursements, and practicing value-based care.
- 8
Technology and Information Literacy
By graduation, NP students should have a general understanding of technology and information literacy which includes telehealth, artificial intelligence (AI), and network security. NP students should demonstrate the ability to assess learning needs with digital and communication technologies for patients and families in addition to a self-assessment. NPs should collaborate with other professions to gain new technological skills, and evaluate and identify biases of AI and non-AI tools used in healthcare.
- 9
Professional Acumen
By graduation, NP students should remain professional and practice ethically, reflecting on the nursing mission to society. Core behaviors NP students should demonstrate are identifying and maintaining professional boundaries between the provider and patient, practicing with integrity with all stakeholders while incorporating a core commitment to diversity, equity, and integrity (DEI), and accepting accountability for clinical decisions.
- 10
Personal and Professional Leadership
NPs should continue to grow personally and professionally by participating in professional development and focusing on self-care. NPs should also continue to develop leadership skills.
Core behaviors NP students should demonstrate are self-awareness, knowing how and when to access support systems, and understanding the scope of practice as defined by the Consensus Model for APRNs.
These NP core competencies are not established globally. However, efforts are being made to develop collaborative guidelines for NPs worldwide.
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