Nursing Professional Development

Tools, books, and consulting for NPD practitioners who build the work that matters.

Built by a doctorally prepared multi-site perioperative NPD specialist with 20+ years of OR and ICU experience. Every framework here is original work, grounded in evidence and 20 years of NPD practice.

Browse Toolkits → See the Books
Founder

Dr. Kai M. Nissen

DNP, RN, NPD-BC®, CNOR®, LSSGB
  • 20+ years OR and ICU experience
  • Multi-site perioperative NPD specialist
  • Author of multiple published books on Amazon
  • Magnet®-aligned framework design
  • Available for consulting across all clinical service lines
About

Two decades at the bedside, in the OR, and in the NPD office.

Elevate NPD exists because most NPD tools sold to hospitals are built by training companies. The clinical voice is thin. The tools look polished but read as theoretical. I built this differently.

Every toolkit, book, and framework on this site is original work, built independently and informed by 20+ years of operational experience across the operating room and the intensive care unit. A doctoral degree focused on nursing leadership. National certifications in NPD, perioperative nursing, and Lean Six Sigma. Multiple books on Amazon and counting.

My current work focuses on perioperative NPD across multiple sites. But the methods I build apply to any clinical service line. NPD is NPD whether you are designing orientation for med-surg, building a residency program in critical care, or writing Magnet® documentation for ambulatory.

If you are an NPD practitioner looking for tools that work, or a hospital leader looking for a partner who has done the work, you are in the right place.

Certifications
  • Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)
  • Registered Nurse (RN)
  • Nursing Professional Development - Board Certified (NPD-BC®)
  • Certified Perioperative Nurse (CNOR®)
  • Lean Six Sigma Green Belt (LSSGB)
Professional Affiliations
  • Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)
  • American Nurses Association (ANA)
Areas of Practice
  • Perioperative Nursing Education
  • Critical Care (historical and consulting)
  • Nurse Residency Program Design
  • Competency Validation Systems
  • Magnet® Documentation Support
  • Curriculum Development & CE Planning
Published Books

Books written for the practitioners who do the work.

Each title is available on Amazon. Written for working NPD practitioners and nurses preparing for national certification.

The Blueprint for Nursing Professional Development by Dr. Kai M. Nissen
Elevate NPD
The Blueprint for Nursing Professional Development
Dr. Kai M. Nissen
Foundational

The Blueprint for Nursing Professional Development

A comprehensive guide to building, leading, and elevating NPD practice. Covers the foundations every NPD practitioner needs, with original frameworks informed by twenty years of professional experience.

Paperback & Kindle eBook
View on Amazon →
Case By Case: The Procedural Planning Notebook
Elevate NPD
Case By Case
The Procedural Planning Notebook
Perioperative

Case By Case: The Procedural Planning Notebook

A working notebook for perioperative nurses and NPD practitioners. Structured templates for procedural planning, case preparation, and the operational decisions that happen before scalpel-to-skin.

View on Amazon →
NPD-BC® Certification Review Course
Elevate NPD
NPD-BC® Certification Review
Dr. Kai M. Nissen
Certification Prep

NPD-BC® Certification Review Course

A comprehensive review aligned to the ANCC NPD-BC® certification blueprint. Built for NPD practitioners preparing to sit for board certification, with practice questions and portfolio guidance integrated throughout.

View on Amazon →
CNOR® Certification by Dr. Kai Nissen
Elevate NPD
CNOR® Certification
Dr. Kai M. Nissen
Certification Prep

CNOR® Certification

A self-study review aligned to the current CCI exam blueprint. Built by a perioperative NPD specialist who lives this content every day, for OR nurses preparing for the CNOR® exam.

View on Amazon →
Nursing Professional Development Annual Planner 2026 by Dr. Kai Nissen
Elevate NPD
NPD Annual Planner 2026
Dr. Kai M. Nissen
Annual Planner

Nursing Professional Development Annual Planner 2026

The latest edition of the annual planner designed specifically for NPD practitioners. Quarterly goal tracking, monthly competency calendars, and structured space for orientation cohort planning.

View on Amazon →
Digital Toolkits

Original toolkits for every NPD function.

Each toolkit is original work, designed for immediate deployment in your facility. Organized into perioperative and NPD lines, with individual licenses on this page and facility licenses available for multi-site deployments.

Perioperative

For OR educators & periop NPD
01.

Perioperative Orientation Suite

A complete digital toolkit for multi-site OR onboarding, with a framework guide, fillable forms, and an Excel tracker that produces CNO-ready reporting.

$197 · Individual LicenseView →
02.

Periop Competency Validation Pack

Procedure-specific direct observation tools with three-tier scoring rubrics for sterile technique, circulating role, robotic surgery, and annual competency assessment.

$397 · Individual LicenseView →
03.

Periop Preceptor Development Toolkit

A standalone toolkit for preparing, supporting, and recognizing perioperative preceptors. Three-module readiness program, daily check-in templates, debrief scripts, and a preceptor-orientee agreement.

$197 · Individual LicenseView →
04.

Periop Nurse Residency Integration Toolkit

A six-module program design for residency program coordinators, covering structure, agreements, EBP capstone library, retention dashboard, facilitator guide, and Magnet® integration.

$197 · Individual LicenseView →
05.

Periop Pipeline

A pre-licensure perioperative externship program: school partnership model, presentation deck, and an implementation plan for building an OR talent pipeline before graduation.

Coming soon
06.

Periop Transition to Practice Toolkit

A structured orientation-to-practice guideline for new perioperative nurses, bridging formal orientation into independent practice with milestone gates and validation checkpoints.

Coming soon

Nursing Professional Development

For NPD practitioners & educators
07.

Nursing Excellence Toolkit

Twelve fill-in templates that help staff nurses translate their everyday clinical work into the structured, exemplar-style writing required for nursing excellence and designation documentation, including Magnet® submissions.

$97 · Individual LicenseView →
08.

Learning Outcomes Evaluation Toolkit

A multi-tier evaluation system spanning learner reaction, knowledge acquisition, behavior change, and organizational outcomes. Includes a 56-page playbook, 9-tab Excel workbook, and Build-It-Yourself deployment guide for facilities with restrictive IT environments.

$197 · Individual LicenseView →
09.

The Nurse Planner Toolkit

Twenty-one templates organized into six sections covering gap analysis, design, integrity, delivery, evaluation, and activity file archiving for ANCC-aligned CE activities.

$197 · Individual LicenseView →
10.

CEU Conference Planning Toolkit

Twenty templates across five phases for designing, delivering, and closing out multi-day, multi-speaker continuing education conferences for nursing audiences.

$97 · Individual LicenseView →
11.

EBP Mentor Development Toolkit

Everything needed to launch and sustain an evidence-based practice mentorship program: a four-phase roadmap, scored readiness assessment, leveled competency framework, six-module training curriculum, mentee workbook, and evaluation and ROI tools.

$297 · Individual LicenseView →
12.

NPD-BC® Recertification Toolkit

A guided five-year system for ANCC NPD-BC® renewal: a 75-hour CE tracker, a planner across all eight renewal categories, an audit-ready evidence index, and a submission-year checklist that keeps your credential from lapsing.

Coming soon
13.

NPD Preceptor Toolkit

A non-perioperative preceptor development toolkit for NPD practitioners across any service line, covering preceptor readiness, structured check-ins, feedback scripts, and orientee progression.

Coming soon
14.

NPD Transition to Practice Toolkit

A transition-to-practice framework for new graduate and newly hired nurses across service lines, structuring the move from orientation into confident independent practice.

Coming soon

Certification Review Courses

Digital courses · In development
15.

CNOR® Review Course

A digital, self-paced perioperative certification review aligned to the current CCI exam blueprint, with a question bank and companion prep materials. A digital companion to the Amazon paperback.

Coming soon
16.

NPD-BC® Review Course

A digital, self-paced review aligned to the ANCC NPD-BC® certification blueprint, with practice questions and portfolio guidance. A digital companion to the Amazon paperback.

Coming soon
Consulting Services

Bring twenty years of NPD practice to your team.

Available for engagements across any clinical service line. NPD tools and methods apply equally to perioperative, critical care, med-surg, ambulatory, and specialty environments.

i.

Orientation Program Redesign

Custom orientation framework design for any service line, with implementation support, validation tools, and dashboards built into the deliverable.

ii.

Magnet® & Accreditation Documentation Support

Writing workshops for staff nurses, exemplar coaching, and structured support through document development cycles for organizations pursuing or maintaining Magnet® designation.

iii.

Nurse Residency Program Design

End-to-end design or refresh of nurse residency programs across any service line, with retention dashboards, EBP capstone frameworks, and academic partnership strategy.

iv.

NPD Department Optimization

Strategic consulting for NPD departments and education leaders looking to assess current practice, design systems for measurable outcomes, and report ROI to leadership.

For Health Systems and Hospitals

Need this across your entire facility?

Facility licenses cover unlimited internal users at one or more sites, include implementation support, and qualify for hospital procurement workflows. Pricing scales from $2,997 single-site to $19,997+ for enterprise deployments.

Inquire about Facility Licensing →