Meritorious Academic Partnership Designation: Recognizing Nursing Professional Development in Graduate Curricula Graduate nursing education programs’ focus on preparation for academia results in many graduate nurses being unprepared to function as nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners in the practice environment. This article describes the development of an innovative collaborative partnership designation program and how a specialty organization, health system, and academia partnered to create an educational program to prepare NPD practitioners. The designation program provides a practical tool for use by NPD departments to advocate for the NPD specialty.

Communication Under Pressure: A Quasi-Experimental Study to Assess the Impact of a Structured Curriculum on Skilled Communication to Promote a Healthy Work Environment Effective communication in health care is a mainstay of patient safety and staff perception of a healthy work environment. A quasi-experimental study was conducted to assess the impact of a course on staff perceptions of communication. A Wilcoxon signed-ranks test indicated a statistically significant difference between pre and post scores for the self-assessment component of the Heathy Work Environment Instrument (p = .0005); coworker assessments revealed borderline statistical significance (p = .056).

Game On: Evaluating the Impact of Gamification in Nursing Orientation on Motivation and Knowledge Retention The purpose of this descriptive correlational study was to determine if implementing gamification teaching methodologies in nondigital format into nursing orientation has a positive effect on orientees’ motivation and knowledge retention. The study included a convenience sample of 152 registered nurses who attended the nursing orientation class at a Midwestern acute care facility. This study found that gamification had a positive effect on the orientees’ motivation and knowledge retention.

Using the Delphi Technique to Determine Core Components of a Nurse Competency Program This modified Delphi study determined consensus on core nurse competency program components that apply across the continuum of transition to initial practice, to new specialty practice, to a new role, or within general nursing orientation. The literature review found no published agreement on support and systems for universal transition programs. This broad-based study addressed this gap by identifying core elements within a competency or transition program and then ranking their importance within program structure.

Innovation During Orientation: How Does Rhetoric Drive New Graduate Nurse Performance? Modern health care demands knowledge, swift action, and critical thinking from nurses. New and experienced registered nurses are better able to provide excellent care when they are supported by documents that drive consistent nursing action. The process of developing these documents is critically important. Technical writers can improve the adoption of carefully designed forms that help newly licensed registered nurses develop a foundation in critical thinking as they move through orientation.

Testing the Nursing Quality and Safety Self-Inventory The Nursing Quality and Safety Self-Inventory (NQSSI) is a valid and reliable instrument for measuring self-assessment of confidence in attaining Quality and Safety Education for Nurses competencies in student nurses. This article reports on the psychometric analysis of the NQSSI for newly licensed registered nurses. Findings support NQSSI as a valid and reliable instrument for nursing professional development practitioners to use to evaluate newly licensed registered nurses’ competency attainment and the effectiveness of transition to practice programs.

Preparing Nurse Leaders in Nursing Professional Development: Educational Technology Resources No abstract available

Nurse Residency Program Expansion to Ambulatory Care Areas No abstract available

Evaluating Simulation Education: Kirkpatrick’s Levels 2 and 3 From the Learner’s Point of View No abstract available