Determining criteria for excellence in nurse practitioner education: Use of the Delphi Technique

Standards and guidelines are available to help nurse practitioner (NP) educators maintain quality in their programs. NP education is now at a juncture to develop criteria that extend beyond the basic standards to measurement of exemplary educational endeavors. In 2000, the National Organization of Nurse Practitioner Faculties Task Force for Programs of Excellence was formed and given the charge of developing criteria for recognizing exemplary nurse practitioner programs. This article reports on results and recommendations that evolved from a Delphi study to identify a set of criteria for excellence in NP programs. Thirteen expert panelists from across the United States participated in three rounds of iterations to evaluate the relevance, specificity, and comprehensiveness of 14 initial criteria and reached consensus on nine final criteria. Finally, the paper discusses ways that these criteria may be used to improve NP education through the development of a program to recognize excellence in NP education.