Dr. Aucoin has served in nursing professional development (NPD) since 1981 when she began providing clinical updates to coworkers and quickly moved into leadership of an education department. Service to the National Nursing Staff Development Organization helped her move through committee roles to a 4-year term as the National Nursing Staff Development Organization Treasurer and navigator through the transition to the Association for Nursing Professional Developmentand the current management firm. Service to the state nurses' association as a continuing education reviewer led Dr. Aucoin to 18 years as a consultant for theAmerican Nurses Credentialing Center continuing education guidelines. Concurrent service as academic faculty provided her with a view of the dichotomous education circumstance that leads to the academic/practice gap. Thus, she has spoken on issues to close that gap for many years.
1. What are the significant professional milestones in your career journey?
JA: I was in the first testing cohort for certification in Nursing Professional Development in the fall of 1992. Soon thereafter, I began preparing other NPDs to take the certification exam. Due to this experience, I was invited to join a think tank in 2001, for advancing the practice of academic educators. We recommended a certification exam and a scope of practice. Yes, NPD had these long before academic educators. In 2005, after 3 years of volunteer leadership, I proudly witnessed the NLN launch of the first Certified Nurse Educator and contributed to the Scope of Practice. Being able to describe the NPD specialty as separate but equal to that of academic educators is my most significant professional milestone to date.
2. How have you seen the specialty of NPD grow/evolve/change during your career?
JA: The term inservice was first documented in 1928, meaning provision of education while in service. For decades, we were known as inservice educators. In the 1980s the term began to shift to staff development, and in the 1990s the term moved once again to nursing professional development. Each time the terminology changed, it was an accurate representation of the role that our specialty plays. Most recently, we have evolved from NPD specialists to NPD practitioners, suggesting that we are advanced in our practice and able to deliver changes that affect our learners and their practice in very clear ways. While a term does not have much meaning in the present tense, when we look back at where the specialty started-training on policy, procedure, and product-and see today that we cover clinical, informatics, and leadership competencies, the evolution is evident.
3. What do you see as significant trends or gaps in NPD practice, from your perspective as an expert in leadership?
JA: The era of everyone gets a star has not helped us to bring the best and the brightest to every healthcare organization. It is our responsibility to help all coworkers to become the best and the brightest by building upon their basic education, and setting a higher standard for practice than they may have thought possible. We not only need to convince our leadership peers that there are better ways to teach; we also must convince ourselves that we can change behaviors in all our coworkers. Teaching clinical decision-making and accountability are within our reach through example, clarity, and shared expectations. Frank discussions among leaders are critical to set the professional expectations and develop a culture that supports autonomy and creativity, resulting in safety. We can close the retention and achievement gaps through showing our colleagues how to teach each other, to increase the personal value of their contributions to coworkers as well as patients.
4. What insights can you share related to the value of NPD in healthcare organizations now and in the future?
JA: Intellectual capital is an asset for every organization, yet that capital must continue to grow with the evolving healthcare system. Investing in our staff and assisting them to their own exponential growth an advance the outcomes of a healthcare organization. Demonstrating that value to others is important in order to gain attention in the constant flow of information. A celebratory note is often more effective than a report of how many learners were touched.
Being nimble and immediately responsive to learning needs also demonstrates value through final tweaks in behavior changes. Finding just the right approach to get the attention of the staff through constant contact can also demonstrate value. As more evidence is documented to support our practice, more regulatory guidance is provided, and as learners continue to enter into practice, it is incumbent upon the NPD to be visible, supportive, and accurate.
5. What advice do you have for NPD practitioners in the context of today's health care and learning environments?
JA: The focus of the NPD practitioner should not be on avoiding errors alone; it should be on achieving greatness. While we are complication prevention officers, we should see ourselves more as outcome achievement coaches. My advice is to always spin toward the positive, promoting the knowledge wealth of the collective staff. If we are merely avoiding errors, then our day is putting out fires and applying bandaids to problems. Take time to thoroughly diagnose your situation, so that you can identify the appropriate learning need to address, design the targeted intervention to make the improvement, and then celebrate the achievement of fabulous outcomes for our patients and our staff. Try new approaches and celebrate every success!