The Association for Nursing Professional Development (ANPD) just opened applications for the 2026-2027 NPD Leadership Academy cohort—a year-long mentored academy that has successfully graduated over 110 participants since 2017. This article highlights experiences from several fellows of the current 2025-2026 cohort, as a flipped classroom on fiscal management prepares them for driving nursing professional development (NPD) leadership outcomes. 

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The Participant Planners

What better way to learn a topic than to throw yourself into planning to teach it? That’s exactly what a group of fellows from the ANPD Leadership Academy did when tackling fiscal management, a skill essential to NPD practitioner leaders. The cohort recognized the need to confidently plan budgets, reconcile financial reports, project returns on investment (ROI), and communicate effectively with all impacted individuals. Together with the guidance of the program facilitator, the fellows designed and delivered a learning session that deepened their own fiscal understanding while strengthening their ability to lead and educate others through experiential learning.

The ANPD Leadership Academy program facilitator collaborated with five participants to design a 90-minute virtual synchronous fiscal management session in September 2025. The learning objective was to strengthen participants’ confidence in budgeting, reconciling financial reports, projecting ROI, and effectively communicating with stakeholders.

The planning group and program facilitator developed a comprehensive learning plan. Pre-session learning was required prior to the live session date and incorporated assigned readings from Leadership in Nursing Professional Development — An Organization and System Focus, (2^nd ed.) (Harper, 2022) and a recorded fiscal management module.

The session opened with an engaging icebreaker—a lighthearted video clip to introduce the concept of resource advocacy—followed by an expert mentor panel of five volunteers who shared practical insights and answered questions. Mentor discussion questions explored experiences in advocating for resources, managing fiscal challenges, applying ROI in decision-making, linking outcomes to NPD practices, engaging teams in fiscal planning, and effectively communicating with leaders to foster collaboration and support. After the session, a discussion board and supplemental fiscal management resources were shared to encourage participants to apply key takeaways to their professional practice.

Learning Objectives and Key Takeaways

This initiative reflects the NPD leader’s alignment with Standard 17: Resource Stewardship in the Nursing Professional Development: Scope and  Standards of Practice, (4^th ed.). (Harper & Maloney, 2022), which emphasizes the use of appropriate resources to implement evidence-based initiatives responsibly and maintain financial accountability.

The panel highlighted the growing importance of fiscal management as a core leadership competency in NPD. Speakers emphasized that developing strong financial acumen enables NPD practitioners to advocate effectively for their programs and demonstrate their value through measurable outcomes.

Noted key concepts of a strong financial acumen included:

1. Impacted Individuals Engagement and ROI: Impacted individuals range from executive leaders to those who are impacted by a change. Understanding what they value most is critical. Presenting informed questions rather than ready-made solutions fosters collaboration and leads to stronger ROI outcomes. Education should be linked with financial data and cost analyses to strengthen buy-in.
2. Fiscal Competence as Leadership Skill: Fiscal management is one of the most sought-after and rewarding skills in leadership, empowering NPD professionals to advocate confidently for their departments and initiatives.
3. Collaboration and Inquiry: Asking “why” and involving impacted individuals in evaluating programs promotes transparency, shared ownership, and skill-building across teams.
4. Strategic Thinking and Resource Utilization: Applying models such as the NPD Practice Model (Harper & Maloney, 2022) and considering lower-cost—not cheaper—alternatives can help sustain program quality while maintaining fiscal responsibility.
5. Outcome Redefinition and Financial Literacy: NPD outcomes should evolve beyond knowledge or skill gains to include financial impacts such as cost savings, cost avoidance, and ROI. Professionals must advocate for inclusion at decision-making tables, apply zero-based budgeting, and align quality outcomes with fiscal stewardship.

Effective fiscal management requires a balance between financial strategy, stakeholder collaboration, and evidence-based outcomes. By tying educational initiatives to measurable fiscal impact and quality improvement, NPD leaders can strengthen their influence and sustainability within organizations.

Learner evaluations reflected strong appreciation for the expert panel format, highlighting its effectiveness in delivering practical insights and diverse perspectives on fiscal management within NPD leadership. Suggestions for improvement included offering more hands-on practice with templates and ROI calculations and gathering participant questions in advance to tailor discussions. Key takeaways included applying cost avoidance strategies, using stakeholder language effectively, and incorporating ROI metrics to demonstrate the impact of NPD initiatives.

An additional outcome of the session was the launch of the NPD Leadership Toolkit Padlet, a collaborative platform where mentors and mentees from the Leadership Academy can share practical resources, tips, and strategies for leading NPD departments. The Padlet has been well received by academy members as a centralized, easy-to-access hub for leadership support. Key categories include tools for fiscal management, communication strategies, ANPD resources, and a section for miscellaneous contributions.

This session was especially valuable for aspiring NPD leaders because it addressed a critical gap in understanding and applying fiscal management strategies, an area many participants expressed a desire to strengthen, particularly around demonstrating ROI. The expert panel format provided relatable, real-world examples and encouraged open dialogue, reinforcing that leadership growth comes from asking questions, seeking mentorship, and engaging with the broader ANPD community. The session empowered learners with ongoing access to resources and peer support by introducing tools like the NPD Leadership Toolkit Padlet, helping them build confidence and competence in their leadership journey.

References

Harper, M. G. (2022). Leadership in nursing professional development: An organization & system focus (2nd ed.). Association for Nursing Professional Development.

Harper, M. G., & Maloney, P. (Eds.). (2022). Nursing professional development: Scope and standards of practice (4th ed.). Association for Nursing Professional Development.