The Geisinger School of Nursing, in collaboration with the Pennsylvania Nursing Workforce Center (PA-NWC) and the National Nurse-Led Care Consortium (NNCC), is addressing nursing faculty and instructor shortages by participating as one of ten Nurse Education, Practice, Quality, and Retention Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Academies (NEPQR-CFPAs).
The collaborative is executing the program with funds awarded by the U.S. Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA), CFDA#93.359 and is focusing on HRSA Region 3 (including Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, West Virginia, and Washington, D.C.).
The purpose of the NEPQR-CFPA is to close the clinical faculty gap by leveraging new and/or existing nurse education and forward-facing staff nurses to participate as skilled clinical instructors and/or preceptors through the development of a comprehensive, self-guided training program.
The CFPA 101 facilitates the growth and development of bedside nursing staff, nursing schools’ educators, clinical faculty, and preceptors, which in turn will improve the severe nursing shortage through stronger clinical educational opportunities that has worsened since the pandemic. The CFPA 101 aims to empower and encourage nurses to work as preceptors and clinical faculty to undergraduate PN and RN nursing students during clinical rotations and will be widely available for use by healthcare systems and academic institutions in October 2024. The CFPA 101 was created by Geisinger, PA-NWC, and NNCC.
To develop this curriculum, the PA-NWC assembled an Advisory Board reflective of diverse practice areas, academic pathways, geographic locations, and populations served across HRSA Region 3. The Advisory Board oversaw curriculum development and determined metrics of review. The PA-NWC and Advisory Board stakeholders ensured that the course content is engaging, thoughtfully articulated, and caters to a wide audience. Currently, employees across the Geisinger health system are piloting and evaluating the curriculum. The PA-NWC and CFPA Advisory Committees will use lessons learned to prepare the program for implementation across the HRSA Region 3 beginning in the Fall of 2024.
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Eligible CFPA 101 participants include undergraduate nursing student preceptors or clinical faculty with at least an LPN or RN license in good standing. The CFPA 101 training addresses professional development needs of clinical faculty and preceptors working in a variety of settings. However, this initial version of the CFPA 101 curriculum includes teaching scenarios and activities particular to the ambulatory, in-patient setting.
The CFPA 101 course curriculum is divided into 6 modules. Some content is specific to a particular module, while other content areas carry across modules. The modules are as follows:
Each module contains clear learning objectives, interactive learning activities, periodic learner knowledge checks, and links to vetted resources. Enrolled CFPA 101 learners must complete each module in order, pass knowledge checks, and submit a series response capstone to be reviewed by Geisinger's expert reviewers. The CFPA 101 course is hosted on Geisinger's online learning management system and open to enrolled users from approved pilot testing organizations.
Nurses who enroll in and complete the CFPA modules will be awarded a certificate of completion and can receive continuing education units (CEUs) that can be used to fulfill educational requirements for re-licensure and/or nursing certifications, for a small fee. In addition to the CEUs, nurses who participate in the CFPA 101 course may be eligible for a financial incentive based on level of participation. Grant funding for financial incentive payments is not guaranteed and will be determined on a case-by-case basis with identified pilot sites.
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The Clinical Faculty and Preceptor Advisory Board is supported by the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) as part of an award totaling $4 million dollars with no percentage financed with non-governmental sources. The contents are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily represent the official views of, nor an endorsement, by HRSA, HHS or the U.S. Government.
