Continuing Nursing Professional Development Program (CNPD)
‘First of its kind initiative in India’
The rating of institutes highlighted significant gaps in teaching, learning, and clinical skills across nursing institutions in Uttar Pradesh, with 76% rated in categories C, D, and E. While some institutes have begun quality improvement with mentor support, whereas others remain uncovered.
In a brainstorming session with key stakeholders, decision makers, development partners and representatives from the Uttar Pradesh State Nursing Council (UPSNC) shared their experiences and it was brought to light that only few institutes have taken initiatives for continuing nursing professional development but statewide programming did not exist. It was envisioned that a self-sustaining continuing nursing development program should be launched under Mission Niramaya to support ongoing professional growth across all nursing cadres.
A modest beginning was made, and as a first step a needs assessment was done in Uttar Pradesh which revealed that of 1,969 nursing faculty and 3,900 in-service nurses revealed that there is a need for a Continuing Nursing Professional Development (CNPD) program, Additionally, there was strong demand for clinical skills training amongst different cadres of nurses. The majority of masters and doctorates also expressed need for language and soft skills training along with teaching skills development.
It was decided that the program should be designed to benefit all registered nurses and midwives across Uttar Pradesh through on-line sessions and a registration fee of Rs. 188 per session from each participant be started and one ecredit points be allotted to each session by UPSNC. Jhpiego developed a concept note following which a committee of experts was formed, topics with possible experts identified and a calendar was made. UPTSU was entrusted with session logistics such as Zoom links, attendance tracking, and recordings.
The first CNPD virtual session was launched on August 14, 2023, under Mission Niramaya.
The impact of the CNPD sessions were assessed through pre- and post-session tests, which consistently show improved knowledge and skills among participants—contributing to better nursing practices and overall healthcare quality.
A total of 9000 faculty trained over 18 sessions since 14th August 2023 till 25th April 2025
All registered participants and resource persons receive certificates and earn one credit point (from March 2025) per session attended.
Keeping the popularity and effectiveness of the program UPSNC developed a policy which was approved by the governing body for continuing the self-financing CNPD virtual sessions
Objectives :
- Support ongoing professional development of nursing faculty and in-service nurses
- Enhance the quality of academic instruction and clinical practice
- Promote collaboration and knowledge sharing among nursing professionals across Uttar Pradesh.
- Promote the adoption of standardized and current practices.
Governance Structure :
The Uttar Pradesh State Nursing Council has established a CNPD committee responsible for planning, implementing, and evaluating the program. This includes setting protocols for ensuring quality of sessions, developing an annual calendar, resourcing experts and approving educational proposals. Committee members are selected based on specific eligibility criteria. The term for committee members is two years, with 50% (three members) rotated annually through a random selection process.
Current Phase :
In Phase 2, the CNPD program is entirely organized and managed by the Uttar Pradesh State Nursing Council. A new committee (technical and non technical) has been appointed to oversee the process, a registration platform has been developed to streamline participation, and the program has been formally approved for awarding one credit point (from March 2025) per session to participants. This marks a significant step toward institutionalizing continuous professional development for nurses across the state.
Limitations :
Participation from nursing faculty across the country has been encouraging; however, the involvement of in-service nursing staff remains minimal. To address this, there is a need to actively encourage their participation and design targeted, relevant sessions that cater specifically to their professional needs and practical challenges.
Conclusion :
The CNPD program supports the growth of registered nurses and midwives by offering continuous learning and collaboration to improve teaching, research, and service quality.
Way forward :
- To strengthen capacity building and promote continuous professional development, offline workshops are needed.
- Communities of Practice (CoPs) are being planned for different nursing subjects and specific needs of in-service nursing faculty providing care at specialised units. These initiatives will provide hands-on training, foster peer learning, and support the consistent implementation of standardized assessment practices such as OSCE/OSPE across institutions for competency building.
- There should be standardization of credit points for sessions across the states and a platform for credit scores accumulation and sharing the credit points with other states needed.
