Acknowledgements
We would like to acknowledge the work and support of the project team for this resource:
- Erin Ziegler, NP-PHC, PhD. Assistant Professor, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Carrie Heer, NP-PHC, BScN, MN. Nurse Practitioner, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Adhiba Nilormi, HBSc, MPH. Research Assistant, Toronto Metropolitan University
- Kelly Kay, MA, PhD. Executive Director, Provincial Geriatrics Leadership Ontario
- Luisa Barton, NP-PHC, BScN, MN, DNP. Athabasca University
- Shirin Vellani, NP-Adult, PhD. Nurse Practitioner
- Katherine S. McGilton, RN, PhD, FAAN, FCAHS, FCAN. Senior Scientist, KITE Research Institute: Toronto Rehabilitation Institute: UHN
- Michelle Acorn, DNP, NP PHC-Adult. CEO, Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO)
- Dana Cooper, MBA, CAE. Nurse Practitioners’ Association of Ontario (NPAO)
- Alice Ormiston, Provincial Program Director, PHCNP
We also wish to acknowledge the support of Team Primary Care.
Introduction
LTC residents are increasingly unstable, unpredictable and in need of complex care due to high levels of frailty requiring an integrated interprofessional approach to care. LTC is a specialty practice area and requires additional education and training.
This curriculum was developed to support nurse practitioners and nurse practitioner students working or planning to work in the LTC setting. This program will enhance role clarity, build clinical capacity, improve LTC resident outcomes and satisfaction while contributing to NP optimization, integration and retention.
Through a series of modules completed asynchronously, nurse practitioners/nurse practitioner students can expect to obtain increased knowledge, capacity and confidence to deliver quality, evidence based, integrated and interprofessional primary care to LTC residents.
Overview
Access to comprehensive, evidence based and collaborative primary care in the LTC setting aligned with resident goals of care, will support residents in their home, improve health outcomes and satisfaction and reduce health costs in avoiding unnecessary acute care. Nurse Practitioners play a key role in providing such care in the LTC setting. Specialty education is a crucial need for care provision and health system optimization
Program Objective
By the end of the program, participants will:
- Increase knowledge, capacity and confidence of NPs to deliver quality, evidence based, integrated and interprofessional primary care to LTC residents
Expected Program Results
This program was developed with the following results in mind:
- New certification program and pathway for NPs providing primary care to residents in LTC settings including urban, rural and remote areas
- Scale up and spread the developed curriculum within existing NP educational programs and support the LTC NP education within existing positions while also making practice and research recommendations.
Program Sustainability
For this curricula project to successfully contribute to advancing comprehensive primary care, it is important for the project to:
- Foster partnerships with academic institutions, clinical geriatric experts, and system partners supporting LTC residents
- Support sustainable LTC primary care practices through linking education and NP practice transformation
- Improve access to high quality, comprehensive primary health care in the LTC setting aligned with evidence based practice, guidelines and research
