Nurse Competency in the Practice of Dermatology Nursing: Basis for Professional Development

Raphael Victor V. Santiago

Association of Dermatology and Aesthetic Nurses of the Philippines Inc, Philippines

Competency plays a pivotal role in advancing the practice of nurses. Knowledge, skills and attitude influence the success of the nurses in promoting safe, effective and quality health care delivery system. As the nursing profession evolves, a pioneering field of specialization in the Philippines is beginning to progress through the advanced practice of Dermatology and aesthetic.

The study aimed to assess the entry-level competencies of the nurseʼs knowledge, skills and attitude in the practice of dermatology and aesthetic and to identify its impact in delivering safe and effective patient care.

Descriptive inferential design was used for this research and dermatology and aesthetic nurses were purposively selected. A modified Kimberly Robin Andrew self-administered questionnaire was utilized to assess the gathered data from the respondents. Quantitative data was analyzed using weighted mean. Mann Whitney U test was used to compare the differences of two independent groups while Kruskal-Wallis test was performed to assess the difference between the variables.

The findings revealed that the dermatology and aesthetic nurse competencies and performance in terms of knowledge, skills and attitudeare not competent with an over-all mean of 1.63. Meanwhile, at 0.05 level of significance, there was no significant difference on the assessments of the competencies when gender was taken as a test factor. On the other hand, there was a significant difference when educational attainments were taken as a test factor.

The development of a competency-based curriculum through a graduate degree program underpins nurseʼs professional development in dermatology and aesthetic nursing practice. Thus, assessing a competent dermatology and aesthetic nurse lays its foundation on the level of education and scope of practice.

Biography:
Raphael Victor V. Santiago is the founding president of the Association of Dermatology and Aesthetic Nurses of the Philippines. He has been an advocate of the advanced nursing practice through a specialized field in dermatology and aesthetic. Currently, he is a professor in Research and he is finishing his Doctorate Degree in Nursing Management at the Trinity University of Asia. The author is also the founding president of International Academy Manila and Skinnovate Skin Care Clinic.

Evolution of Nurse Practitioners in the United States and International Scene

Angelina Leong Chau

Samuel Merritt University, USA

The first Nurse Practitioner (NP) program was created in 1965 due to a shortage of medical providers. Today, Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are still the solution to Americaʼs primary care crisis. In the last 50 years, the roles and education requirements for NPs have evolved. One thing that has not changed is that Nurse Practitioners have been proven to be costeffective providers who provide high-quality and compassionate care. In this session, topics to be discussed include: A brief history of Nurse Practitioners and the educational and licensing requirements. What is the difference between Registered Nurse vs a Nurse Practitioner and Nurse Practitioner vs a Physician Assistant? Are Nurse Practitioners junior doctors? What is the scope of practice of Nurse Practitioners? Can Nurse Practitioners open clinics or medical practices? Other than in the United States, what other countries utilize Nurse Practitioners? Finally, what are the future opportunities andoutlook for Nurse Practitioners?

Biography:
Nothing in life is certain, except taxes, death and change (Franklin, 1789). Dr. Angelina Chau has dealt with all three in her career. Formerly an IRS Revenue Agent and entrepreneur of an accounting practice, after 20 years of being in the business arena, Dr. Chau returned to school and earned her MSN in Family Nurse Practitioner from Samuel Merritt University and Doctor of Nursing Practice from Duke University. She has served as a nurse practitioner in underserved communities, a director of Student Health Center and currently, she is a full time assistant professor. Dr. Chau is a compassionate and culturally sensitive clinician that utilizes evidence-based practice to provide quality healthcare. She is also an innovative educator, motivational leader and a change agent. She believes that it is a privilege to educate and train the future leaders in healthcare.