Skiba leads grant team to prepare advanced practice nurses

Diane Skiba, a professor at the University of Colorado College of Nursing, has been awarded a three-year grant of more than $1 million to prepare advanced practice nurses to function in an Interprofessional (IP) collaborative practice providing high-quality health care in rural and medically underserved urban areas.

The iTEAM (Interprofessional Technology Enhanced Advanced Practice Model) grant is from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). Innovative features of the iTEAM project will be achieved through use of various technologies including social media strategies, a web-accessible Electronic Health Records (EHRs) system, a virtual clinic/hospital, various e-health applications including traditional Telehealth tools such as digital stethoscopes and blood pressure monitors, and e-health tools such as patient portals and mobile health applications for health and wellness functions.

“The primary goal is to prepare a cadre of advanced-practice nurses with the requisite IPEC competencies to provide technology-enhanced collaborative care within the health care system,” Skiba said. The focus is to offer interprofessional, technology-enhanced learning opportunities through the master’s core interprofessional informatics course, an advanced-practice course (team based experiences with both standardized and virtual patients) and team-based clinical experiences including e-health experiences

The project includes team members and students from the schools of Medicine, Pharmacy and the Physician Assistant Program in addition to the College of Nursing, and several key clinical partners such as the Veterans Administration Medical Center and other clinical sites focused on care for underserved patient populations.

This work builds on the College of Nursing’s history of interprofessional education and includes an extensive faculty development program to facilitate the use of technology-enhanced learning opportunities for interprofessional education.

iTEAM members and areas of focus include: Amy J. Barton, to facilitate the availability of the Sheridan Health Clinic as Clinical Coordinator; Mary Lou Robinson, Nursing Coordinator; Gina Moore, PharmD, Pharmacy Coordinator; David Eckhardt, Physician Assistant Coordinator; Lynne Yancey, M.D., Physician Coordinator; and Leeann Fields, Instructional Designer.

U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services (HHS) Michael Leavitt recently appointed Skiba to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP). NACNEP advises HHS and the U.S. Congress on policy issues related to the Title VIII programs administered by the HRSA Bureau of Health Professions Division of Nursing, including nurse workforce supply, education and practice improvement.