Throughputs
ANPD Virtual Symposium Preview: Home Healthcare Nursing Transition-to-Practice Program Evaluation
October 04, 2023 — Lindsay Bowler, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Transition to practice (TTP) programs are often thought of exclusively as programs for new graduate nurses in acute care environments. ANPD staff spoke with Lindsay Bowler, MSN, RN, NEA-BC, about her team's implementation and evaluation of a novel transition to nursing practice program in a nonprofit home healthcare agency within a large medical academic center ahead of their on-demand session at the ANPD Virtual Symposium on November 7.
Our session looks at a post-acute care TTP program for new graduate nurses—also known as a residency program—and how we implemented, evaluated, and continue to evolve it to meet today’s needs.
While this presentation will address our program in the home health care setting, anyone looking to start a TTP program will find this information useful. Nursing professional development (NPD) specialists are being charged with doing more with less, making creativity and innovation a necessary approach to health care. Our program is novel and requires creative thinking to make it work in our post-acute care space—where TTP programs are not the norm.
Listeners may find how to define the role of the residency coordinator to be an interesting aspect of our session. Dedicated resources are necessary for these types of programs to be successful, but not everyone has resources to do so. We made it work in our organization by utilizing our residency coordinator in a few different capacities. We hope attendees will be able to take this information and apply it at their own organizations.
We evaluated various components of our program, but ultimately confidence and job satisfaction speak volumes for how the nurses are faring at the 12-month mark. Home health care can be challenging but very rewarding as you build relationships with patients and communities over time. Operating as autonomous clinicians in a complex care setting can also prove difficult, and our program sets them up for success.
Our session attendees will be able to:
- Determine approaches for gaining executive sponsorship of a non-acute care TTP program;
- Describe key factors foundational to the success of this type of TTP program;
- Examine methods for developing a non-acute care TTP program curriculum;
- Appraise the role of a nurse residency coordinator;
- Evaluate the curricular components and implementation of this type of TTP program; and
- Analyze the measures of program success.
Enhance your professional development at the ANPD Virtual Symposium. This unique education offering includes both live and on-demand sessions, as well as virtual poster presentations, and allows the opportunity to earn up to 11.75 nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) contact hours. Registration includes access to all sessions on November 7, 2023, as well as on-demand access through December 6, 2023.
Lindsay Bowler, MSN, RN, NEA-BC
Director of Practice and Professional Development, Penn Medicine at Home
Lindsay Bowler is a board-certified nursing leader with over ten years of healthcare experience. She currently serves as the director of practice and professional development for Penn Medicine at Home, leading a team of eleven professional development specialists, both nursing and therapy, and overseeing CWOCN practice. In her current role, she promotes professional development at all levels and collaborates with leadership to design, implement, and evaluate orientation and educational programs while upholding evidence-based practice standards and improving quality care. Within professional development, she participates in clinical advancement work as well as Distinguished Nurse Clinician Academy and Clinical Nursing Clinical Excellence Awards selection committees. Bowler serves as the chair of the Patient and Clinical Subcommittee of the Diversity and Inclusion Committee as well as Stewardship Council for Penn Medicine at Home.
Bowler is an authentic leader passionate about interprofessional collaboration and streamlined, efficient workflows. She also has a particular interest in fiscal management of clinical supplies and conducting product trials with frontline staff. She lives in the tri-state area with her husband Dan, daughter Eleanor, and her beloved cat Frances.