If you are in the process of comparing reputable nurse practitioners MBA programs, you may be wondering what body develops the curriculum requirements and competencies for accredited graduate programs. As a nurse practitioner, you play a very important role in healthcare and hold many responsibilities that the average nursing professional does not. Not only can you diagnose and treat as a licensed practitioner, you can also aide communities by starting your own clinic to provide care for minor ailments and sickness. When you can work independently like this, a reliable body must oversee education and competencies to ensure that practitioners can uphold a high standard. Read on and learn more about this body and what the body does.
The Body Developing Nurse Practitioner Competencies at all Levels
The National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties, also known as the NONPF, is responsible for developing graduate education competencies for nurse practitioners at domestic and international levels. This body was established in 1974 and since has been the sole organization to oversee nurse practitioner education, and has built a large global network of educators over the past 3 decades.
What Are the Competencies That Have Been Developed?
Core competencies have been developed by the NONPF, and these competencies have changed over the years. All of the competencies are standards that are necessary for Nurse Practitioner students to learn everything that they need to know to be an expert. To ensure that all graduate programs accredited by the body adhere to the standards, the NONPF will publish curricular frameworks on an semiannual basis.
Currently, the curriculum that is require by the organization includes 9 different domains of competencies. These domains include: Leadership, Scientific Foundation, Policy, Healthcare Delivery System, Quality, Practice Inquiry, Independent Practice, Ethics, and Information Literacy. All NP’s will need to know these core competencies to meet the complex challenges of the field. Any Nurse Practitioner who would like to enter the field, even in other countries, will need to complete each competency before doing so.
How to Find an Accredited Graduate Program for Nurse Practitioners
Now that you understand who develops the competencies and why these competencies are important, the next step is learning how to find a program that meets all of these competencies and that is accredited. The National Task Force on Quality Nurse Practitioner Education is another body that was developed to overlook programs and to issued accreditation to programs that cover all 9 domain competencies. Any program that applies for a voluntary accreditation will be evaluated by the NTF with criteria that had been developed by the NONPF. To find an accredited school, you need to perform a search with the NTF and also with the US Department of Education.
The NONPF is often called the backbone of nurse practitioner education. In an environment like healthcare, where procedures and policies change regularly, it is important to have a body that sets high standards and changes these standards when necessary. By keeping the domains up to date and raising the challenge of the NP curriculum, the NONPF has advanced the field and make the demand for NP rise as well. If your goal is to earn your Nurse Practitioners MBA, check to see if all 9 competencies are covered and chose a quality program.
