ANPD believes no matter your role in the practice of nursing professional development (NPD), you belong in our community. That’s why our Specialty Spotlight series is highlighting members furthering NPD goals in unique and invaluable ways. Today, the spotlight is on Naomi A. Leland, MSN, RN, CEN, TCRN, NPD-BC, professional development specialist RN at Providence supporting a system’s emergency department RN residents and fellows.

Can you describe your career journey, and how you ended up in your current role?

After completing a BSN at Georgetown University, I began a new graduate RN program within the emergency department (ED) at Providence Holy Cross Medical Center, a community hospital in Los Angeles, California. There, I was introduced to incredible preceptors, clinical nurse role models, and nursing professional development (NPD) practitioners. This was my first exposure to NPD as a specialty, and I could not wait to be more involved!

After a year of independent practice, ED leadership encouraged me to precept which was quickly followed by opportunities to teach in educational programs. I returned to school for an MSN at Duke University, focusing on nursing education. As a component of that degree, I completed precepted hours with an experienced NPD practitioner, which opened my eyes to the many hats worn by nurses in this specialty. I was incredibly fortunate to be hired into an NPD role supporting the same ED where I had worked and was surrounded by a team of passionate and supportive NPD mentors. In 2022, I transitioned to a remote NPD position, also within the Providence system, where I now support the transition to practice of RN residents and fellows within the ED at 51 acute care hospitals across seven states.     

In 2023, I started in the educational leadership DNP program at Case Western Reserve University’s Frances Payne Bolton School of Nursing. I am so grateful to have the opportunity to learn from the internationally recognized nurse leaders affiliated with the university, other NPD practitioners, and academic nurse educators, as well as colleagues in the practice leadership, executive leadership, and nurse anesthesiologist DNP tracks.

Is this a new role?

In general, yes—remote NPD work is a relatively new space for NPD practitioners! This novelty was explored by my colleagues and I during the 2024 ANPD Virtual Symposium in a session titled Working Together Remotely: An NPD Team Guide led by my coworker Cheryl Richards, EdD, RN, NPD-BC. As there is limited literature exploring the role of the remote NPD practitioner, we looked to other fields, including business, to identify best practices in remote work. My remote team consists of NPD specialists, transition mentors, and experts in instructional design who manage the transition to practice curricula for approximately 20 clinical specialties as well as other professional development programs. We continue to explore our NPD roles within the remote space, guided by the NPD Scope & Standards of Practice.

What does an average day in your position look like?

The average day includes multiple connections with my remote NPD colleagues—virtual huddles, check-ins, and touch bases. Intentional communication is essential when working remotely to keep abreast of the goings on with the larger team. In addition to ED, I also facilitate for, or otherwise support, multiple programs—including electrocardiogram (ECG), pediatric ED, critical access hospital, charge nurse, behavioral health for non-behavioral health nurses, and nurse leader fellowship—spending a few hours a week in virtual classrooms. I regularly consult with NPD practitioners across the system and offer class facilitation support whenever possible. Our PTAP accredited ED residency undergoes major revisions approximately every two years and we are well into a revision cycle. I gather and collate program feedback from a variety of sources—our learners, the local NPD facilitators, and our ED Advisory Council, which meets quarterly to identify programmatic priorities. This data, combined with environmental scans and evolving evidence, helps keep our programs relevant, accurate, and meaningful.   

As a full-time NPD specialist and part-time student, routines and time management are fundamental. Unfortunately, my life was upended earlier this year when my home and half of my town burned to the ground in the Eaton Fire, one of the January 2025 Los Angeles wildfires. While there is a long and painful road ahead for me and my community to rebuild what was lost, I have found solace in rewarding NPD work.    

How do you apply the NPD Scope & Standards of Practice in your role?

As a system-level NPD specialist, I am privileged to develop curricula that will reach thousands of learners every year. One NPD standard that guides this work is Standard 9: Respectful and Equitable Practice, especially the competency related to influencing structures, processes, and behaviors to improve social equity in learning environments. In designing our curricula, we consider who our learners are, where they are coming from (e.g., urban, suburban, or rural environments), the patients and communities they serve, and the resources they have available locally. We design and develop parallel versions of our curricula for in-person and virtual facilitation, so that facilitators and learners have access to comparable programs regardless of their location and resources.

We take this consideration of equitable access a step further by facilitating the same programs at the system level as a safety net for learners. Ideally, RNs who transition to practice are placed in local cohorts with their RN resident and fellow peers. However, some RN residents and fellows are hired off-cycle, in too small numbers to form a cohort, or at a location that does not have an NPD facilitator for all specialties (e.g., rural and critical access hospitals). Our system team and similar teams at the division level are able to capture these learners to ensure that they receive the same foundation in nursing as any other RN resident or fellow within the system. These learners, their patients, and their communities benefit from this equitable access.       

What is a professional achievement you are proud of?

I still consider myself an early career practitioner of NPD and there are many areas in which I have room for professional development. For 2024, I set a goal to “lean in” to the Champion for Inquiry NPD role. With guidance from a nurse scientist coach, I led a small team in undertaking a formal program evaluation of ECG strip review classes. These synchronous virtual classes have been held since 2022 and by leveraging available technology and resources at the system level, we have provided seats to hundreds of ECG learners across the system. Our sessions incorporate innovative technology that allows learners to see the facilitator’s hands. The learners watch rhythm measurements being performed as they practice the same skills on worksheets in front of them.

I utilized knowledge gained from my DNP coursework to navigate the program evaluation team through a review of the evidence, design and development of the evaluation questions, submitting to IRB, data collection, and analysis—all guided by the CDC’s Program Evaluation Framework. We recently presented a poster describing our work at a nursing research conference and have been chosen for a podium presentation at the 50^th Annual Professional Nurse Educators Group 2025 National Nursing Conference.

What challenges do you navigate in this position?

One of the challenges that I continue to navigate in this remote position is maintaining a professional identity as both an NPD specialist and emergency nurse. The remote workplace can be isolating, especially for NPD practitioners for whom collaboration with NPD peers, interprofessional colleagues, learners, and patients is the norm. When I was hospital-based, working closely with RN residents and fellows was one of the most rewarding aspects of my role. While I still have some interaction with RN residents and fellows, they are not nearly as often or as deep.

Engagement with community has been a balm for feelings of identity loss. I have become more proactive in attending ANPD events, including webinars and conferences, and have recently joined The Neighborhood on anpd.org. As an emergency nurse, I stay connected through involvement with our professional nursing organization, the Emergency Nurses Association, as a member of my local chapter’s board, my state’s trauma committee, and the Position Statement Committee at the national level. I also continue to serve as a Trauma Nursing Core Course and Stop the Bleed instructor for my local communities.

What advice do you have for NPD professionals looking to find a similar career path?

One of my undergraduate nursing professors took a “Say ‘YES!’” attitude throughout his career and this mindset has also served me well. We are constantly presented with opportunities for which it is easy to think of all of the reasons to say “no—I don’t have the time, I’m not qualified, I might fail, it will be too challenging, someone else will take this on, etc.” By saying  “no,” we may be closing the door on further opportunities that arise as a result of saying “yes.” For example, the first topic I was asked to present in front of a class was ED triage. I was so nervous that I was physically ill in the lead up, but I got through it. When asked if I would facilitate other topics, I said “yes” again and again until eventually the public speaking piece became easier. I might never have pursued a career in NPD if I had not said “yes” that first time! I firmly believe that all the open doors I have been presented with, including the invitation to apply for my current role, have been the result of saying “yes” to some opportunity in the past.