Leveraging NCPD Departments to Achieve Strategic Goals in Health Care Organizations.

Nursing professional development practitioners and nurse planners lead the charge in providing and evaluating nursing continuing professional development (NCPD) to achieve strategic goals. Organizations accredited by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC) have well-structured nursing professional development departments uniquely positioned to leverage NCPD to achieve organizational goals. This column will demonstrate how ANCC Accreditation in NCPD, in conjunction with the Association for Nursing Professional Development's , underpins the critical role of NCPD and the nurses within the specialty of NCPD.

Reducing Patient Length of Stay After Surgical Correction for Neuromuscular Scoliosis.

Background: Surgical correction remains the most effective treatment of patients with severe neuromuscular scoliosis (NMS). However, postoperative inpatient clinical care after spinal surgery for NMS patients is highly complex and variable, depending on the provider and/or institution. Our project used a quality improvement methodology to implement a standardized clinical care pathway for NMS patients during their primary spinal surgery, with the global aim of decreasing postoperative hospitalized length of stay (LOS).

2020: Association for Nursing Professional Development's Year of Resources and Resilience.

The coronavirus pandemic has undoubtedly challenged the nursing professional development community to adeptly navigate unchartered territory to meet the needs of frontline staff. To ease the struggles of its membership, the Association for Nursing Professional Development conducted, summarized, and provided meaningful environmental scanning and just-in-time resources. Numerous resources were created to ensure nursing professional development practitioners were equipped to navigate the challenges presented throughout 2020.

Professional Development Associate: Resource Update.

Data from a 2017 survey of the Association for Nursing Professional Development members informed the development of resources to support the role of the professional development associate. Competency-based educational programming, a position description and evaluation templates, and other professional development resources were developed in response to this need. A follow-up survey in 2019 validated the need for continued support of this vital role in professional development departments.

The Professional Development Associate: A Key Role in Professional Development Departments.

The professional development associate is a key player in the effective and efficient functioning of a professional development department. This article describes the role as defined by the Association for Nursing Professional Development, provides examples of how the role enhances quality of departmental operations, and identifies resources to support the continual professional development of this individual. [J Contin Educ Nurs.