POCN Helps Empower NPs and PAs With New Ambassador and Mentoring Programs

Initiatives encourage professional advancement via thought leadership and growth opportunities.

POCN, a community of advanced clinicians, has launched two initiatives to provide a platform for nurse practitioner (NP) and physician assistant (PA) specialties—both of which are experiencing accelerated autonomy and authority in the COVID-driven changing healthcare landscape.

The Ambassador Network provides advanced practice professionals (APPs) such as NPs and PAs to become recognized for their leadership and clinical subject matter expertise, while the Mentoring Program supports AAPs seeking guidance from peers and leaders in the NP/PA community, according to a POCN press release.

Ambassador Network 

The Ambassador Network is designed improve patient outcomes by empowering NPs and PAs to be among the first to learn about new treatment protocols or the latest innovations in medicine and enabling them to share these advancements with their peers, POCN says.

POCN Ambassadors receive exclusive opportunities to access and contribute to clinical research studies, practice advocacy issues, and therapeutic specialty news. They also can earn honoraria through live speaking engagements, webinar and webcast presentations, advisory board participation, and market research activities, such as focus groups, surveys, and interviews.

“Being a POCN Ambassador has allowed me to share my knowledge and expertise with many more clinicians, both NPs and PAs, through live presentations and webinars," says Dr. Mimi Secor, a women’s health specialist in Boston, in the press release.

All NPs or PAs interested in becoming an Ambassador are encouraged to apply. Ambassadors will be selected based on such factors as community service, previous teaching or publication experience, and demonstrated leadership or leadership potential as indicated on their CVs, POCN says.

Mentoring Program

The need for peer mentoring among APPs is especially great at this time because fewer opportunities exist for APPs to connect to others as they had in the past at live medical conferences. That's why the goal for the NP/PA Mentoring Program is to help to cultivate professional development and support through peer connections, POCN says. 

Mentors and mentees who register for this program, which is open to U.S.-based NPs and PAs only, will be matched based on professional development interests, POCN says.

Mentoring begins in June, running continuously through December. The program is free for mentees. Qualified mentors will be paid an honorarium for their time and commitment to support their mentees throughout the course of six months. Registration opened March 15. 

“The mentorship program is another way POCN is helping the next generation of NPs and PAs learn and connect,” Richard Zwickel, CEO of POCN, says in the press release. “By pairing APP mentees with mentors who match their professional interests, participants receive peer coaching from outside of their immediate practice and clinical areas. This is especially important because there are still many APPs who are not able to access peer mentoring through their own institutions.”

For APPs who want to help coach other NPs and PAs but can't commit to a six-month mentorship, POCN offers other opportunities for peer coaching. APPs, for example, are encouraged to join in POCN's communication network to share best practices and teach others.

To learn more or apply to become a POCN Ambassador, visit www.pocn.com/ambassador-program. For more information about the Mentoring Program or other peer coaching opportunities, visit www.pocn.com/mentor-program.