» UPMC Critical Care Medicine Practice Provider Transition to Practice Program

Grant Application

Robert Bauer, CRNP, UPMC Critical Care Medicine, and Amy Haller, MBA, MPAS, PA-C, UPMC Office of Advanced Practice Providers

Proposed Innovation

With every newly hired advanced practice provider (APP), a gap exists between what the APP knows at the time of hire and what they must know to be safe, competent, and successful in their role. When caring for critically ill patients, APPs must work independently and have advanced abilities and competency in clinical decision making and procedures. But the steep learning curve that comes with this transition gap can negatively impact their clinical confidence and lead to costly turnovers in staff.

Through this project, a transition to practice (TTP) program will be developed to support newly hired APPs. Designed to bridge the transition gap for APPs transitioning to critical care medicine, the program will provide virtual training, mentorship, and hands-on experiential learning.

Improvements in Action

UPMC Critical Care Medicine and the University of Pittsburgh School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences (SHRS) will work together to design a virtual, on-demand asynchronous TTP program. The program will include:

12-week course, including lectures, assigned readings and exams, hosted by SHRS faculty within the Pitt Professional platform.
Observational and experiential learning opportunities.
Automated evaluations.
CME credits awarded upon completion of all requirements.

Intended Outcomes

This new TTP program will provide a strong foundation of knowledge necessary to bridge the transition gap in providing critical care medicine. It is expected to result in increased productivity, an improved staff retention rate, and improved patient access to high-quality care.