This project explores what is needed to expand a qualified emergency department (ED) nurse practitioners (NP) work force in central Florida. With only 233 certified emergency nurse practitioners (ENPs) nationwide and the increasingly aging emergency physician cadre, there is a growing gap between the need and supply of ED providers (American Academy of Nurse Practitioners National Certification Board, Inc, 2018). Family Nurse Practitioners (FNPs) frequently are expanding staffing the ED. However, current FNP curriculum and training prepares them well for primary care which may or may not translate to the ED. This can lead to underutilization and underprepared providers. Postgraduate fellowships expand and fortify medical professionals’ knowledge and skillset, in a specialized area of interest. This project examines the expected skillset FNPs need for work in the emergency department as a component to design a formal post graduate FNP to ENP fellowship.
Two focus groups were held to investigate the skillset utilization and expectations of FNPs hired to work in central Florida EDs. The findings from these groups reflect current literature: FNPs in the ED are largely underutilized due to the uncertainty about their role, scope of practice (SOP) guidelines, and the lack of proper training. The project is guided by the Johns Hopkins Nursing Evidence-Based Practice model and the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) improvement process with the goal of establishing community perceived curricular needs for a formal post-graduate fellowship program for FNPs who wish to practice in the ED setting. These fellowships will not only improve FNPs’ knowledge and skillset; by gaining more skills, FNPs will be better utilized in the ED as their role and preparation will be clearly established. The quality of patient care along with wait times and satisfaction will improve as a result of high quality Post Graduate Fellowship increasing a quality workforce in emergency care.
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