Increasing the Sense of Power by Those We Lead: APP Council Development

The purpose of an advanced practice provider (APP) council is to provide a platform for APPs to identify and impact patient care and outcomes through trust, interconnection, and collaboration. The mother of modern management declared that a leader’s most important role is to develop other leaders and their sense of power (Follett, 1924). Presented in this abstract is a plan to promote the empowerment of APPs through the implementation and evaluation of an APP council focused on increasing the social capital of APPs. The United States health care system is transitioning from fee-for-service based care to value-based quality care. APPs play a valuable role in providing vital care to patients in care coordination, including annual wellness visits, sick visits, and post-operative care. Health care leaders must offer ways for APPs to obtain and sustain the support that promotes professional practice environments (Buckler, 2019; Kirkman, Wilkinson, & Scahill, 2019). Specific outcomes include achieving quality improvements, leading change, applying current evidence-based practices, supporting compliance with APP rules and regulation requirements, addressing issues of concern, and unifying the organization. This council development is program implementation and evaluation. The methods to implement the project included 1) structure: identify APPs employed at the organization, establish a steering committee of APPs to guide the development of the council, reserve time to meet, send invitations, plan agenda items, and classify the placement of the council within the organizational structure; 2) process: design and distribute pre- and post-needs assessment surveys, conduct APP council meetings; 3) outcome: pre- and post-survey data results, initiatives established through the council, number of APP attendants, and transitions of practice initiatives including compliance with APP rules and regulatory requirements. As health care continues to evolve, the roles and responsibilities of APPs continue to change. It is crucial for health care leaders to support and empower other health care leaders, such as APPs, to engage in their work environments to impact patient safety and outcomes. Implementing an APP focused council provides an opportunity to build social capital among APPs within the organization’s medical practice.

References
1. Buckler, L.T. (2019). Building a home for advanced practice: An academic health care system experience. VOICE of Nursing Leadership, 17(3), 12-14.
2. Follett, M.P. (1924). The Creative Experience. New York, NY: Longmans, Green.
3. Kirkman, A., Wilkinson, J., & Scahill, S. (2018). Thinking about health care differently: Nurse practitioners in primary health care as social entrepreneurs. Journal of Primary Health Care, 10(4), 331-337. doi:101071/HC18053