Preparing our Advanced Practice Providers (APPs) for success within our organization is among our highest priorities. At Penn Medicine, we understand some people may be new to working in a high acuity, complex setting. That’s why new APP staff participate in a well-defined onboarding process beginning with orientation—tailored to their clinical specialty and professional experience—and including robust learning opportunities such as simulation training and our Transitions to Practice Program.
Through these offerings, we prepare APPs with the professional, clinical, and organizational knowledge they need to begin their career as an APP at Penn Medicine.
Penn Medicine’s Personalized APP Orientation Program
APP orientation at Penn Medicine is individualized to the new APP to ensure the experience meets their learning needs. APPs partner with their clinical lead/manager and preceptor(s) to set orientation goals, review progress, and discuss developmental/learning needs and opportunities. This includes broader organizational knowledge as well as information that is specific to the clinical areas in which the APP will be practicing. Knowledge is shared through structured courses, hands-on experiences and by shadowing other APPs and clinical team members.
The formal APP orientation session is a health system requirement that is offered in addition to the hospital-specific orientation all employees must complete. APP orientation is offered as a hybrid, two-part series that includes a live (virtual) 3-hour session and the following online modules:
- Overview of advanced practice at Penn Medicine
- Professional practice, onboarding, and privileging
- Effective risk management in the AP setting: medical/legal liability
- Privacy and security
- Patient safety
- Medical/educational resources
- Penn chart: tricks of the trade
- Working as a team: intro to Office of Graduate Medical Education (GME)
- Billing compliance and documentation
- A review of resources available to the new Penn Medicine APP
Transition to Practice Program
The Transition to Practice Program sets Penn Medicine apart as a leader in APP training and professional growth. This program, which supports the transition of new-to-practice APPs from the rigors of the academic to the practice environment, is a strong representation of Penn Medicine’s continued investment in the success of its APPs.
Established in 2018 by a group of advance practice leaders from Penn Medicine, the Transition to Practice Program curricula is based on the Korn Ferry Competency model.
Topics covered include:
- Teamwork
- Roles and responsibilities
- Accountability
- Professionalism
- Communication
- Conflict management
- Ethics
- Interprofessional collaboration
- Role optimization
- Professional generosity
This program meets monthly for a six-month-period and strives to achieve the following:
- Provide a program customized to meet the needs of APPs who are new to practice
- Clarify roles and perceptions of health care team members
- Evaluate personal effectiveness when communicating with co-workers, preceptors, managers, and team members
- Support the development of APPs as they transition from novice to competent practice
- Provide structural support for APPs as they advance their practice to higher levels of proficiency
APP Simulation Training
As part of a structured orientation and/or continuing professional growth and development, Penn Medicine Simulation Center provides APPs the opportunity to practice cognitive and procedural skills in a safe and controlled environment.
These can be taken for CEU and CME credit and include:
- “New to Practice Simulation Day,” which provides new APPs the opportunity to use high-fidelity simulation to help the provider triage, respond and treat urgent or emergent patient situations in the medical or surgical patient setting.
- “General Skills Day,” provides APPs the opportunity to brush up on and practice basic procedures used while providing floor-based patient care.
- “Critical Care Skills Day,” a hands-on, didactic course for the APP providing frontline care for critically ill patients. This includes didactics, skills, and simulations focused on the management of a decompensating patient.
- “Point-of-Care Ultrasound (POCUS),” an introductory course to point-of-care ultrasound that employs didactic and hands-on approaches to assess cardiac, lung and volume assessments using bedside ultrasound.
- “Ambulatory Skills Day,” focuses on the development of skills used by outpatient APPs including interpretation of 212 lead EKG, incision and drainage of wounds, arthrocentesis, and suturing.
In addition to the simulation courses offered through the Office of Advance Practice Providers, APPs may take part in simulation courses offered by the clinical specialties in which they work.
PASSPoRT Program
The Physician Assistant Shadowing Program (PASSPoRT) is organized by the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania’s (HUP) Physician Assistants (PAs) with the goal of introducing interested individuals to this diverse profession while providing them an opportunity for shadowing experience.
Over the course of 10 weeks, mentees shadow PAs in as many as 20 specialty areas. During these observations, participants can learn about PA school, the application process and job opportunities. The program is offered twice a year and participants must be able to shadow once a week, in the morning, Monday through Friday. Upon completion of the program, shadowing hours are documented, and a certificate of completion is rewarded. This program is open to college and high school students.
Graduate Student Placement
Each year, students of advanced practice come to Penn Medicine to fulfill their clinical education requirements. HUP works collaboratively with more than 60 academic partners to provide a tailored experience for these individuals that ensures exposure to various settings, disciplines, policies and patient populations.