Guidance and Coaching in Advanced Nursing Practice Essay

Definition of Guidance and Coaching

Guidance and coaching are some of the most important elements of the work of nursing leaders that are included in the list of their core competencies and responsibilities. As a rule, the ways of interaction of the APRNs with the staff nurses can be described in statutes that list the requirements and responsibilities of nurses. These formal documents, issued at the state-level jurisdiction, usually provide a detailed list of what the nurse leader or the APRN should and can do.

Importantly, the APRN has a higher level of responsibility than RN and LRN, and many guidance and coaching tasks are its primary and sole responsibility. For example, coaching and guidance activity contributes to the implementation of many functions, procedures, and goals associated with direct clinical practice. As part of this practice, nurses establish a therapeutic relationship with the patient, communicate effectively, clarify and explain health problems to the patient, and set health goals (Hamric et al., 2013). The direct practice also includes monitoring, diagnosis, treatment, education, support, comfort, mentoring, and counseling. As part of the direct practice, the nurse plans further contacts and makes decisions about their own and the patients’ future actions.

Hamric et al. (2013) note that AACN and NACNS recognize guidance and coaching as core competencies. There is a coaching model authored by Demand and colleagues, where coaching is defined as “an interpersonal process that APN uses to engage patients actively in their care” (p. 297). Scientists deliberately differentiate between the concepts of coaching and education, as these concepts define the most important element of the relationship between nurses and patients associated with education.

Theories Regarding Guidance and Coaching

Guidance and coaching in the nursing practice are part of the work of nursing midwives, clinical specialist nurses, and nurse practitioners. These nurses can spend most of their time teaching and counseling patients; nursing students also practice this skill. Training and consultation have a powerful impact on clinical populations, especially when viewed in the context of the Quality-Cost Model. The study found that patients who received nursing education and coaching “achieved better treatment outcomes and resource utilization” than controls (Hamric et al., 2013, p. 298). As a rule, APNs use coaching and guidance tools as part of a holistic approach and nursing practice. Scientists also emphasize that a holistic approach assumes that nurses have clinical knowledge, such as leadership skills.

The use of coaching and guidance is widespread in nursing daily work, including telephone practice and home visits, with two-thirds of interventions being guidance and one-third are “communication, counseling, and referral; encouraging self-care and caring for babies; and reassuring and reinforcing the patient’s actions” (Hamric et al., 2013, p. 300). Another well-known model that includes the use of coaching and guidance tools is called the Care Transition Intervention Model.

This model was developed by scientists Coleman and colleagues, who looked at new ways of caring for patients with chronic diseases. The essence of this model is the use of more limited resources and it defines the transition as “a set of actions aimed at ensuring the coordination and continuity of care when transferring patients from one place to another or different levels of care in one place” (Hamric et al., 2013, p. 302). Conceptually, the Nursing Transition Model uses ideas of self-management of medication, the use of PHR or patient-centered dynamic recording and monitoring of providers, and interaction with a transition coach. It is noteworthy that trainers do not act as providers but act as teachers and facilitators for patients.

Current Healthcare System

Scientists actively discuss the phenomenon of coaching and guidance in nursing practice and analyze several unique models for the implementation of these practices. Hill et al. (2020) developed and tested the CLIP Nursing Learning and Training Model that improved the student-mentor relationship. Boyer et al. (2020) presented a Clinical Transition Framework (CTF) designed to enhance the skills of nurses during their professional reorientation in a new specialty. The model has several advantages that take into account the experience of nursing and is suitable for providers of all backgrounds. The model is based on the findings of scientists based on experience gained from the practice of emergency care, community care, and rural care.

Harvey and Uren (2018) analyzed the 1: 1 model for mentoring student nurses. The essence of the model is that the mentor and the student work toge