Elsevier

Journal of Pediatric Health Care

Volume 17, Issue 5, September–October 2003, Pages 232-239
Journal of Pediatric Health Care

Original Article
Integrating healthy steps into PNP graduate education

https://doi.org/10.1016/S0891-5245(02)88309-2Get rights and content

Abstract

Introduction

The purpose of this project was to explore a) the value of an adapted version of the Healthy Steps program for Pediatric Nurse Practitioner (PNP) graduate students and b) the perceptions of PNP program directors regarding practice issues, educational preparation and the Healthy Steps program.

Method

A four-part workshop was offered to students in their final year of the program. Outcomes were measured through evaluations and a pre-test/post-test design. A survey was also mailed to 24 PNP program directors.

Results

More than 90% of the participating students rated this workshop as “good or excellent.” All of the students recommended integration of Healthy Steps content into PNP graduate education. PNP program directors voiced concern about the effect of the managed care environment on PNP practice, acknowledged the importance of strengthening health supervision visits, and expressed interest in the Healthy Steps program.

Discussion

This project demonstrated that an adapted version of the Healthy Steps program enhanced the education of final year PNP students. PNP program directors expressed concern about practice issues, preparation for practice, and would consider potential adoption of portions of the Healthy Steps curriculum.

Section snippets

Healthy steps workshop

Preparation. Preliminary work to develop the Healthy Steps pilot workshop for final year PNP graduate students took place in several stages. Information from the Healthy Steps trainings that Boston University conducted was compiled and compared with core PNP course content. In this workshop, the major topical areas of Healthy Steps (see Box) were emphasized rather than the role of the Healthy Steps Specialist. A syllabus for the workshop was developed with the goal of avoiding overlap between

Healthy steps workshop

Session evaluations. The results of individual session evaluations (see Table 1) indicated that with the exception of the Healthy Steps model, students had previously been exposed to most of the topics included in the workshop. However, with the exception of breastfeeding (73.7%) and building relationships/interviewing skills (70.6%), fewer than 50% of the students felt that the topics had been previously covered in sufficient depth. In addition, approximately 50% or more of the students

Discussion

This initiative examined the value of integrating the Healthy Steps curriculum into PNP graduate education. The project had two major components: a) adaptation, delivery, and evaluation of the Healthy Steps Program for final year PNP graduate students and b) a survey of 24 PNP directors to assess their attitudes about PNP education, practice issues, and interest in the Healthy Steps Program.

More than half of the sample of PNP directors were not previously familiar with the Healthy Steps

References (12)

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