The Professional Development Associate: A Key Role in Professional Development Departments

Professional development (PD) associates, or those who fill the role with similar titles, have been key contributors to successful PD department operations for many years. The value and importance of the role was identified by Dickerson (2016) and supported by data collected from the Association of Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) members (Spagnola et al., 2019). In 2018, ANPD formalized the role and defined the PD associate as “an individual who contributes to the overall functioning of a continuing education and professional development department in a substantive way” (ANPD, 2019, para. 1). A competency framework consisting of a composite of standards from the ANPD Nursing Professional Development: Scope & Standards of Practice (Harper & Maloney, 2016) and national learning competencies from the Alliance for Continuing Education in the Health Professions (ACEhp, 2014) forms the basis for hiring, developing, and sustaining a professional development associate. Individuals in these roles may have job titles of administrative assistants, continuing education specialists, accreditation specialists, continuing education program coordinators, or other similar terms. Regardless, their competency-based functioning is key to the success of department operations, often referred to as the “glue” that holds the department together.

PD associates are key players in design, development, implementation, and evaluation of both nursing and interprofessional continuing education activities. Because the ANPD role description incorporates information from both nursing professional development (NPD) standards and ACEhp competencies, the PD associate is uniquely positioned to work with colleagues who are planning continuing education for health care teams. The NPD standards include both generalist and specialist accountabilities; the ACEhp competencies reflect novice, competent, and expert levels of performance. Both can be used to support incremental growth and contributions of PD associates as their knowledge and skill increase.

Qualifications for PD associates vary, depending on the needs of the department. Academic credentials can range from high school diploma to master's degree in educational design. Skills in use of learning management systems and related technology are often required. Communication, team collaboration, and problem-solving skills are important for the role. An RN can be a PD associate, offering a good career advancement opportunity for an associate degree RN learning the NPD practitioner role while completing a baccalaureate degree in nursing.

Implementation of the PD Associate Role

PD associates synergistically engage in multiple ways with PD teams under the guidance of their NPD practitioner and/or interprofessional continuing education colleagues. To effectively leverage the competency-based role of PD associates, teams must routinely include PD associates in all stages of project and program development. Table 1 outlines selected examples of PD associate responsibilities based on their level of competency. Supporting the development of PD associates facilitates their competency progression and improves their value to the department.

Table 1: Professional Development Associate Expertise and Responsibility: Selected Examples

Resources for PD Associates Through the ANPD

PD associates are eligible to become members of ANPD. The association has developed a variety of resources to support their role and their work (Russell & Dickerson, 2020). Table 2 provides information about selected resources.

Table 2: Association of Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) Resources for Professional Development (PD) Associates