Beyond competence and retention: Developing a comprehensive evaluation framework for a rural primary care nurse practitioner residency program

Abstract

With the rise in nurse practitioner (NP) residency programs, evaluations have largely focused on retention and competency completion for residents. There is a need for expanded evaluation to ensure the sustainability of NP residency programs, to ensure timely adaptations to address resident satisfaction, and to solidify a long-term pathway of NPs well prepared for rural practice. We created a family nurse practitioner (FNP) residency program with a comprehensive evaluation framework to prepare residents for practice in rural settings. The evaluation framework was developed through collaborative engagement of an external evaluation team, program leadership, and clinical site representatives. The evaluation framework of the FNP residency program combined resident assessment and holistic program evaluation, using a rapid continuous quality improvement (QI) approach. The evaluation considered three distinct perspectives: the resident, the peer coach, and the clinical site. The rapid continuous QI approach allowed program leadership to respond swiftly to programmatic challenges, improve the residency program in response to residents' reported experiences, and emphasize sustainability for continued program impact, while assessing residents' learning and performance. The program's data-driven evaluation approach has demonstrated its success in meeting the goals of the Health Resources and Services Administration funding by increasing the number of primary care providers in rural settings. The program's expansion and continued success have further validated the efficacy of this evaluation framework in assessing, improving, and ensuring the sustainability of APRN residency programs. This article calls for the adoption of similar evaluation strategies in future residency programs to promote their long-term success and impact in rural health care settings.