LAUSR

Demonstrating and articulating the strategic alignment of nursing professional development (NPD) activities with an overarching strategic plan is essential in today’s healthcare organizations. Susan Copley Cobb states ‘‘Being able to define the goals of the bNPDÀ department and how they align with those of the overall organization requires shifting from a learning framework to a framework that combines learning with business perspectives and clinical outcomes’’ (Smith & Harper, 2016, p. 125). Alignment with organizational strategic priorities guides the NPD practitioner to prioritize and reprioritize work to match the direction and goals of the organization. The throughputs and NPD roles in the NPD practice model (Harper & Maloney, 2016) define our specialty. When these are aligned with the healthcare organization’s strategic goals, the outputs contribute to goal achievement and predetermined metrics. As NPD practitioners, we are accountable for communicating how the outputs of our practice align with and contribute to the organization’s goals. For example, an NPD practitioner may have completed a revised 12-month nurse residency program. It is essential to communicate the outcomes of the revised program, for example, increased newly licensed nurse productivity or improved retention. Another way to consider this is that senior leaders in our organizations would not think of exploring a new program or process without input from the NPD practitioner. NPD practitioners need to demonstrate knowledge of organizational metrics or success measures that are used to evaluate progress toward goals and, therefore, evaluate goal achievement (Harper et al., 2017). In my experience over the past 20 years, NPD practitioners are becoming more knowledgeable about their organization’s overall strategic goals and are proactively involved in consulting related to strategic projects. Being at the table and providing insights in change management, project planning, and facilitating learning can accelerate progress. In the daily challenge of competing priorities, it is a constant challenge to be actively involved in numerous projects and task forces. Yet our presence is essential. When NPD practitioners deliver on key outcomes that are critical to the organization’s success, we add value to our organizations and enhance our credibility as key contributors with stakeholders. The complexity of health care provides ample space for NPD practitioners to contribute to achieving organizational goals and ultimately to affect optimal patient care and protection of the public. What incredible opportunities we have!