The Creation of a Cardiac Education Program for Neonatal Nurse Practitioners in a Level IV Neonatal Intensive Care Unit

There is a movement in neonatal intensive care toward specialized care teams based on primary diagnoses. Graduate level education prepares the Neonatal Nurse Practitioner (NNP) for entry-level practice. They have a basic knowledge of the medical/surgical management of cardiac patients. These patients can often be extremely complex beyond what is studied at a graduate level. The creation of a cardiac education program will meet the educational demands of cardiac care. A literature review was performed and discussions took place to determine what is learned at the graduate level and what is required to be an expert in specialized care. This knowledge gap can be narrowed by providing a training or education program specific to the specialized patient population. Adult learning theories can be utilized to create an education program Simulation lab scenarios provide an opportunity to practice patient care based on the skills and content acquired from the didactic education in a safe, controlled environment away from the patient's bedside. Mentorship programs provide the opportunity for the participant to gain confidence in their clinical skills and abilities with help from an expert in their field. The objectives began with gathering information to determine the knowledge gap between a new graduate NNP and a competent NNP with specialized cardiac training. Additional research from other hospital organizations as well as information procured from the literature review provided the background for the outline of the cardiac education program. The proposed cardiac education program contained three sections. The first section consists of a didactic portion with cardiac education classes reviewing concepts of medical/surgical cardiac care. The second section requires participation in simulation scenarios. The third section involves mentored shifts in both the cardiac intensive care unit and the neonatal intensive care unit utilizing the skills and knowledge gained in the first two sections of the program. Curriculum objectives for the three sections of the education program were developed based on research, evaluation of cardiac programs in similar units, and recommendations by cardiac experts. The finalized cardiac education program outline was approved by the lead cardiac NNP and content expert for this project. The program was then presented to the DNP committee and is ready for further development followed by implementation at a local children's hospital that provides neonatal cardiac care. To develop the outline of a cardiac education program, adult learning theories were reviewed and chosen to guide the creation of the program. Cardiac content was reviewed with the content expert and other experts in NICU cardiac care. From this information the objectives for education classes were developed along with an outline for a simulation scenario and the objectives for the mentorship portion of the plan. Methods for evaluation of each portion were produced. After multiple reviews the format was finalized and the program is prepared for implementation. The purpose of this project was to produce an education program to meet the training and educational demands of complex cardiac care in a specialized team.