Nursing Professional Development

Your blueprint
begins here.

Practical resources, evidence-based tools, and expert guidance for NPD practitioners at every stage — from new to the role to seasoned specialist.

Dr. Kai M. Nissen  ·  DNP, RN, NPD-BC, CNOR, LSSGB
BY THE NUMBERS
20+
Years perioperative & ICU education
3
Published books on Amazon KDP
Multi
Site NPD specialist
4
Professional certifications
MEMBER OF
ANPD AORN ANA Sigma
Perioperative Education
Transition to Practice
Competency Assessment
CNOR Certification Prep
NPD Consulting
About Dr. Kai Nissen

The NPD practitioner
behind Elevate NPD

I became a nurse because I wanted to care for people. I became an NPD specialist because I realized the way we educate nurses changes patient outcomes just as much as the care they deliver at the bedside.

Over 20 years in perioperative and ICU settings taught me something most frameworks overlook: the gap between what nurses know and what they do at the bedside is rarely a knowledge problem. It is a design problem. A support problem. A leadership problem — and NPD practitioners are uniquely positioned to solve it.

Today I work as a multi-site Nursing Professional Development Specialist, designing and leading education programs across perioperative and critical care environments. Elevate NPD is the platform I built to help other NPD practitioners lead with evidence, design with intention, and measure what matters.

Every tool, book, and resource on this site comes from real practice — not theory. If it's here, it works.

DNP
Doctor of Nursing Practice
NPD-BC
Nursing Professional Development, Board Certified
CNOR
Certified Perioperative Nurse
LSSGB
Lean Six Sigma Green Belt

What I help with

  • Evidence-based orientation & transition-to-practice programs
  • Competency assessment frameworks beyond the annual skills fair
  • Practice change initiatives that actually stick
  • Developing NPD practitioners into leaders
  • Perioperative education infrastructure consulting
  • CNOR certification preparation programs

Associations

  • Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD)
  • Association of periOperative Registered Nurses (AORN)
  • American Nurses Association (ANA)
  • Sigma Theta Tau International
Books & Digital Products

Resources built for NPD practitioners

Every product is designed to be practical, evidence-based, and immediately applicable to your work.

The Blueprint for Nursing Professional Development
Dr. Kai M. Nissen
BOOK
The Blueprint for Nursing Professional Development

Your roadmap to leadership, mentorship, and practice excellence. Covers needs assessment, outcome measurement, competency frameworks, and building your NPD portfolio.

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Case By Case: The Procedural Planning Notebook
Dr. Kai M. Nissen
BOOK
Case By Case: The Procedural Planning Notebook

A case-by-case planning resource built specifically for perioperative nurses. Includes structured space for pre-op planning, intraoperative notes, post-op reflection, and clinical documentation — designed to sharpen critical thinking and procedural preparation at every stage of the surgical case.

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Nursing Professional Development Annual Planner 2025
Dr. Kai M. Nissen
BOOK
NPD Annual Planner 2025

A full-year planning system designed exclusively for NPD practitioners. Includes monthly and weekly planning layouts, space to track education programs, competency schedules, staff development goals, CE hours, and professional milestones — everything an NPD specialist needs to stay organized and demonstrate impact all year long.

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CNOR
CERTIFICATION REVIEW
Complete Course
COURSE
CNOR Certification Review Course

A complete 10-module manuscript-style review course aligned with the current CCI CNOR exam blueprint across all 8 subject areas: Pre/Post Assessment (15%), Plan of Care (8%), Patient Care & Safety (25%), Communication (11%), Infection Prevention (16%), Emergency Situations (10%), Professional Accountability (6%), and Management (9%). Includes integrated callout boxes, comparison tables, key-fact sidebars, and a 60-question practice exam with rationales. Written in flowing prose — reads like a book, not slides.

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DIGITAL TOOLKIT
Perioperative Orientation Framework
DIGITAL
Perioperative Orientation Framework Guide

A comprehensive digital toolkit for NPD practitioners managing perioperative orientation. Includes a complete orientation framework guide, fillable PDF competency forms pack, 7-tab Excel orientation tracker with automated progress formulas, 40-week Transition to Practice guideline for new perioperative RNs, 24-day experienced RN orientation plan, preceptor development resources, simulation scenario guides, and a non-technical user guide. Built for multi-site NPD specialists managing RN, ST, RNFA, and STFA orientation tracks.

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SCRUB IN™
+ ESCAPE THE OR™
Learning Games
GAME
SCRUB IN™ & Escape the OR™

Two evidence-based perioperative learning games designed to transform orientation and simulation into engaging, high-retention experiences. SCRUB IN™ is a board-style card game covering surgical roles, instruments, and procedural knowledge. Escape the OR™ is a fully designed escape room activity where participants solve clinical scenarios to "escape" — built for team simulation, orientation reinforcement, and competency engagement. Both are ready to print and play.

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Consulting & Services

How I work with
health systems

Available for consulting engagements with hospitals, health systems, and NPD departments seeking to strengthen their education infrastructure.

Orientation Program Design

Design or redesign perioperative and ICU orientation programs with structured curricula, milestone check-ins, preceptor development, and competency validation frameworks.

Competency Assessment Frameworks

Build competency programs that go beyond the annual skills fair — multi-method validation, high-risk/low-volume prioritization, and Magnet-aligned documentation systems.

Practice Change Leadership

Evidence-based practice change implementation using Kotter, Lewin, or PDSA frameworks — with stakeholder engagement strategy, champion identification, and outcome measurement.

NPD Department Development

Strategic consulting for NPD teams seeking to grow their impact, demonstrate ROI to leadership, and build sustainable structures for education and professional development.

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Weekly NPD Tips

10 tips every NPD practitioner needs

Published weekly on LinkedIn. Each tip is practical, evidence-based, and immediately applicable to your work.

TIP 01
Know your why before you build your program
1
TIP 02
Assess before you build — always
2
TIP 03
Learning needs assessment: who needs what
3
TIP 04
Define outcomes before you design
4
TIP 05
Design with the learner in mind
5
TIP 06
The first 90 days make or break a new nurse
6
TIP 07
Mentorship is strategic, not optional
7
TIP 08
Competency is ongoing — NPD owns it
8
TIP 09
We don't just teach. We lead change.
9
TIP 10
Build your NPD portfolio now — not later
10

Follow along on LinkedIn for a new tip every week

FOLLOW ON LINKEDIN
Free Resource

10 Tips Every NPD
Practitioner Needs

Download the free guide and get weekly NPD insights delivered to your inbox — practical strategies you can use tomorrow.

  • How to conduct a needs assessment that actually drives program design
  • The difference between a needs assessment and a learning needs assessment
  • How to define measurable outcomes using the Kirkpatrick model
  • ADDIE vs. SAM — which design model fits your timeline
  • How to build transition-to-practice programs that reduce turnover
  • What belongs in your NPD professional portfolio
  • A reflection prompt with each tip to apply it immediately
  • Weekly NPD tips delivered to your inbox every week

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Connect on LinkedIn

Join the NPD community

Every week I publish one practical NPD tip on LinkedIn — drawn from 20+ years of perioperative and ICU education practice. Follow along for content you can use immediately.

  • 1 Needs assessment frameworks
  • 2 Learning outcomes and Kirkpatrick
  • 3 Transition-to-practice programs
  • 4 Competency assessment strategies
  • 5 Leading practice change
FOLLOW ON LINKEDIN EMAIL DR. NISSEN
e NPD
"Your blueprint begins here."
elevatenpd.org
#NPD #NurseEducator #NPDBC #Perioperative #ANPD