Spring 2016 Advanced Practice Nursing Forum Alexa Muñoz Discussion The purpose of this project was to provide information to the students in URI’s College of Nursing on advanced practice nursing roles as experienced through the practitioners themselves. Based on the results of the evaluations completed by the forum participants, all objectives identified for the Spring 2016 Advanced Practice Nursing Forum were met. Future development of this project should involve diversifying the panel by including more APRN roles and more culturally diverse APRNs. An APRN forum should be included as part of the undergraduate nursing curriculum to support the Nurse of the Future IOM initiatives and encourage baccalaureate nursing students to pursue advanced practice nursing education. Results There was a 67 percent completion rate of the evaluations given to the forum participants. Attending participants were asked to evaluate the Spring 2016 APRN Forum using a Likert Scale to answer to these five statements. Based on the participant’s responses, all participants strongly agreed or agreed that all objectives set for the participants of the forum were met. Purpose and Objectives The purpose of the Forum was to provide critical information to College of Nursing students on advanced practice nursing roles, as experienced by the practitioners themselves. Participant objectives were to: 1) identify educational pathways to becoming an APRN, 2) describe a variety of APRN roles, 3) obtain knowledge and a better understanding of advanced practice nursing, 4) consider advanced practice nursing as a possible career path, and 5) feel that the Forum provided valuable information for their future educational endeavors. The Forum panel was composed of a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Family Nurse Practitioner, and two Clinical Nurse Specialists. Methods The Spring 2016 APRN forum took place on April 4, 2016 from 5:30 – 7:00pm. The forum was attended by 120 undergraduate nursing students from URI’s College of Nursing and members of Alpha Tau Delta-Alpha Omicron, URI’s Professional Nursing Fraternity/Sorority. Each APRN panelist spoke for five to ten minutes on their current practice, educational trajectory, experience in their role as an APRN, and the reasons that motivated them to pursue an advanced practice degree in nursing. Following the panelists’ presentations, a question and answer session took place with questions that had been previously identified by URI’s College of Nursing’s May 2016 graduating class. After these questions, an open question and answer session was provided to the participants so additional inquires could occur. The participants were asked to complete a forum evaluation based on the objectives. Literature Cited American Nurses Association. (n.d.). Advanced Practice Nurses. Retrieved February 01, 2016, from Institute of Medicine of the National Academies. (2010). The Future of Nursing Leading Change, Advancing Health Report Recommendations Retrieved February 01, 2016, from Health.asp#sthash.dAOCP3h6.dpuf Hamric, A., Spross, J., & Hanson, C. (2005). Advanced practice nursing: An integrative approach. St. Louis, MO: Elsevier Saunders. Acknowledgements I want to thank Tasia Henderson MS,FNP-BC, David M. Dawson MS, CRNA, LCDR, Nancy Bushy MS, RN, CNS, CCRN-K, and Patricia Carlton MS, RN for participating as APRN panelists in the Spring 2016 Advanced Practice Nursing Forum. Thank you to URI College of Nursing for facilities support. I would also like to thank my mentor and sponsor Katherine Paquette for advising me and supporting me throughout this entire project. Strongly AgreeAgreeDisagree Strongly Disagree I can identify educational pathways to becoming an advanced practice nurse. 96%4% I can describe a variety of advanced practice nursing roles. 95%5% After attending this Advanced practice nursing forum I have more knowledge and better understanding of advanced practice nursing. 91%9% This advanced practice nursing forum has stimulated my interest in considering advanced practice nursing as a possible career path. 89%11% The spring 2016 advanced practice nursing forum provided me with valuable information for my future education endeavors. 95%5% Introduction The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health (2010) by The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is a clinical report that sets initiatives and recommendations for the future of the nursing profession. This report suggested increasing the number of nurses in advanced practice nursing roles in the future years. It proposed that “each accredited nursing school should ensure that at least 10 percent of all baccalaureate graduates matriculate into a master’s or doctoral program within 5 years of graduation.” Advanced practice nursing is defined by Hamric, Spross, and Hanson (2005) as “the application of an expanded range of practical, theoretical, and research-based competencies to phenomena experienced by patients within a specialized clinical area of the larger discipline of nursing” (p. 89). The Spring 2016 Advanced Practice Nursing (APRN) Forum was conceived and developed to fulfill the Nurse of the Future IOM initiatives by providing timely and real-life information on APRN roles to baccalaureate nursing students. Anecdotally, my College of Nursing colleagues and I have expressed our desire to be better informed and gain a deeper understanding of advanced practice nursing education and clinical practice. Nursing practice is continuously evolving and changing so obtaining information on advanced practice nursing roles from nurses who are currently practicing within these roles is invaluable. Personal Goals M y personal goals for this Forum were to improve my task organization and prioritization skills, enhance my nursing research skills, and gain knowledge and information on different areas of advanced practice nursing. These goals were achieved.