BACKGROUND

I was a nurse educator and the former Director of Professional Practice and Development at the University of Rochester Medical Center: Highland Hospital and now the undergraduate co-chair of the baccalaureate program at the Wegmans School of Nursing, St. John Fisher College in Rochester, NY. In both these settings, I provided leadership in developing online learning programs and integrating educational technology. I held roles in the past that supported academic-practice partnerships such as a research coordinator for Highland, dual appointment at Highland and the University of Rochester School of Nursing, and consultant with the University of Rochester Medical Center, Strong Memorial Hospital in the Center for Nursing Professional Development. At Fisher, I have taught courses on nursing leadership and patient-centered care in the baccalaureate program, nursing as a profession and informatics in the registered nurse (RN) to bachelor of science (BS) online program, teaching methods and evaluation in nursing education in the Master's program, and clinical program development in the doctor of nursing practice program.

I have authored articles and book chapters, including chapters in the first and fourth editions of the Core Curriculum for nursing professional development (NPD), and presented on topics related to NPD, educational technology, online learning, flipped classrooms, project management, scripting for cognitive rehearsal, and various educational technology topics.

I belong to several professional nursing organizations; I am on the Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) National Faculty teaching the certification preparation course, a Fellow in the National League for Nursing's Academy of Nursing Education, and currently the Editor of the new Association for Nursing Professional Development textbook coming out in June 2016 entitled Leadership in Nursing Professional Development: An Organizational and System Focus.

1. What are the significant professional milestones in your NPD journey/career?

C. M. S.: I always wanted to be a teacher and was fortunate to have wonderful mentors and a MSEd degree, in addition to my nursing education, that helped me tremendously in my NPD journey. From my first Nursing Staff Development conference I attended in the early '90s, presented in collaboration with the Medical College of Pennsylvania at Philadelphia, "you had me at hello"! The people and energy I found at the conference solidified I was on the right career path. I was privileged to be present at the signing of the Charter for the inception of the National Nursing Staff Development Organization (NNSDO), now know as ANPD, and subsequently presented a concurrent session, "Operationalize a Competency-Based Assessment Program: Tips from the Trenches", at the first independent NNSDO convention in 1994 at Chicago. I also sat for the first offering in 1992 of the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) certification exam in staff development and continuing education (now NPD). In 2006, I was the recipient of the NNSDO Research grant award for my doctoral dissertation on the "Comparison of Web-Based Instructional Design Strategies in a Pain Management Program for Nursing Professional Development." I believe two of my favorite milestones on my NPD journey were my selection as Editor of the new ANPD leadership textbook and as national faculty for ANPD.

2. How have you seen the specialty of NPD grow/evolve/change during your career?

C. M. S.: It certainly has changed for the good with a robust focus on NPD as a specialty practice with its own:

* Professional organization to advocate for the specialty practice and support the initial and ongoing development of NPD practitioners

* Nursing Professional Development Scope and Standards of Practice

* Research agenda and research grant awards

* Resources such as the Journal for Nurses in Professional Development (JNPD), ANPD Core Curriculum for NPD, certification prep course, and textbooks dedicated to NPD topics

* Requirements for ANCC board certification

* Practice differentiation between the NPD generalist and specialist

3. From your perspective, what do you see as significant trends or gaps in NPD practice?

C. M. S.: I believe the increased focus on articulating the value of NPD program interventions to align with the overall organization's mission, goals, and strategic plan has been a valuable trend in NPD. By developing business acumen, program/project management skills, and skills in evaluation methods, the NPD practitioner can identify and showcase outcome and impact for what they do in the organization.

4. What insights can you share related to the value of NPD in healthcare organizations now and in the future?

C. M. S.: The NPD specialty will be needed more than ever in our health systems given the increasing complexity of healthcare and technology, resulting in constant change and the need for knowledge workers. The NPD practitioner is well positioned in their roles as a change agent, leader, facilitator of education, champion, partner, and advocate to lead critical initiatives to improve the workplace environment, quality and safety of care, interprofessional collaboration, academic-practice partnerships, and ongoing professional development of employees. We must never lose sight of the fact that NPD interventions have a direct impact on employees, patients, families, populations, and communities.

5. What advice do you have for NPD specialists in the context of today's healthcare and learning environments?

C. M. S.: Lead and do not follow, be an innovator, and take risks. Everyone told me in the late '90s that online education would never work! Create the business case for change, and become savvy in organizational politics; develop partnerships with leadership sponsors and stakeholders; keep an eye on the horizon for change; communicate, communicate, communicate; create collaborations; and plan and evaluate your programs and projects for success and sustainability!