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Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline Nurse Practitioner Competencies Survey

We need your input!

The Minnesota Department of Labor and Industry ("DLI") Dual-Training Pipeline team is conducting a survey on proposed competency standards for potentially adding a new occupation in the ­­­­­Health Care Services industry. The information you provide in the survey will be used by DLI to create the Nurse Practitioner dual-training competency standards.

Your participation in this survey is voluntary. Any information you choose to supply on this survey will be used by DLI staff members working on creating competency standards for Nurse Practitioner; competency models and all survey data entered are public information.

In addition to participating in the survey, you are invited to join a meeting on January 20, 2026 at 1pm to discuss the new possible Health Care Services competency standards. The link to join the meeting is here.

If you have questions regarding the survey or any other work of Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline, please email pipeline.program@state.mn.us. Thanks!
Draft - Nurse Practitioner
Minnesota Dual-Training Pipeline Competency Model for Health Care Services Occupation: Nurse Practitioner. Employer requirements: Left blank for employer to add their own competencies. Occupation-specific competencies: Perform patient assessments, physical exams and chart reviews, order and interpret labs/diagnostics, develop and adjust treatment plans, diagnose, manage and treat acute and chronic conditions, prescribe and manage medications per state and federal guidelines, provide patient, family, and staff education on health and prevention, collaborate with integrated care team and staff to ensure seamless care, document accurately and support quality improvement initiatives. Industry-sector technical competencies: Family and individual across the life span, adult gerontology, women's and gender-related health, psychiatric and mental health, pediatrics, advanced clinical reasoning and decision making, advanced clinical pharmacology, neonatal, advanced physiology and pathophysiology, organizational and systems leadership to improve outcomes. Industry wide-technical competencies: Health information, medical terminology, disease progression, psychology, statistics, safety systems, health care delivery, care of chronic conditions, laws and regulations, health industry ethics, healthy industry fundamentals. Workplace competencies: Customer/patient focus, health and safety, teamwork, creative thinking, business fundamentals, sustainable practices, planning and organizing, working with tools and technology, scheduling and coordinating, checking, examining, and recording, problem solving and decision making. Academic competences: Reading, writing, mathematics, science and technology, communication, critical and analytical thinking, basic computer skills. Personal effectiveness competencies: Interpersonal skills, integrity, professionalism, career passion, initiative, dependability and reliability, adaptability and flexibility, lifelong learning, compassion and empathy, cultural humility. Based on: Fundamentals of Health Care Competency Model, Employment and Training Administration, United States Department of Labor, February 2025. For more detailed information about competency model creation and sources, visit dli.mn.gov/business/workforce/health-care-services.
Competency Model for Nurse Practitioner Nurse Practitioner – A medical professional who is an advanced practice registered nurse with a graduate-level degree of education and training who provides primary, acute and specialty health care services. A nurse practitioner may perform physical exams, diagnose and treat diseases and other health conditions, and prescribe medication. In Minnesota, a nurse practitioner must also have education to work with at least one of the six populations of: Family and Individual Across the Lifespan, Adult Gerontology, Neonatal, Pediatrics, Women's and Gender-Related Health, Psychiatric and Mental Health. Nurse practitioners must follow the guidelines from the Minnesota Board of Nursing for licensure. *Pipeline recommends the Industry-Sector Technical Competencies as formal training opportunities (provided through related instruction) and the Occupation-Specific Competencies as on-the-job (OJT) training opportunities. Industry-Sector Technical Competencies Related Instruction for dual training means the organized and systematic form of education resulting in the enhancement of skills and competencies related to the dual trainee’s current or intended occupation. • Family and individual across the lifespan – Know how to provide comprehensive primary care to individuals and families from infancy through adulthood. • Adult gerontology – Understand how to provide healthcare services to adults and elderly patients with the ability to diagnose and treat a wide range of health conditions, from acute illnesses to chronic diseases, with a focus on aging-related issues. • Pediatrics –Know how to provide preventive care, health maintenance, manage chronic illnesses in children and/or specialize in treating critically ill or injured children with complex medical conditions. • Women’s and gender-related health – Understand how to provide comprehensive care to women throughout their lifespans including preventative care, management of chronic conditions, addressing sociocultural disparities, and collaborating with other healthcare professionals to improve women’s health. Also understand broadly how gender exists on a continuum or spectrum and how one’s identity can impact their health.
• Psychiatric and mental health – Able to assess, diagnose, and treat a wide range of psychiatric disorders across the lifespan, including conditions like depression, anxiety, schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder for example. • Advanced physiology and pathophysiology – Understand how the body functions to make good clinical assessments and decision-making. Understand also the underlying mechanisms of diseases, which help to interpret symptoms and identify disease prevention strategies. • Organizational and systems leadership to improve outcomes – Utilize collaborative problem-solving, interprofessional collaboration, and systems-based practice leadership approaches to better outcomes for patients. • Advanced clinical reasoning and decision making – Understand the continuous, purposeful, theory and knowledge-based process of assessment, analysis, strategic planning and intentional follow up. • Advanced clinical pharmacology – Understand how drugs interact with biological systems and how the body responds to medications to provide high-quality care and manage patient medications effectively. • Neonatal – Understand the specialty care of newborns, particularly those who are premature, critically ill, or have complex health issues. Occupation-Specific Competencies On-the-Job Training is hands-on instruction completed at work to learn the core competencies necessary to succeed in an occupation. Common types of OJT include job shadowing, mentorship, cohort-based training, assignment-based project evaluation and discussion-based training. • Perform patient assessments, physical exams and chart reviews – Able to conduct comprehensive health history, vital signs, assess patient’s body systems and review past history to identify current issues, monitor for changes, and inform treatment plans. • Order and interpret labs/diagnostics – Understand lab tests and diagnostic tools to make informed decisions that significantly impact patient care. • Develop and adjust treatment plans – Understand comprehensive assessment of health status while utilizing diagnostic reasoning based on data to create and implement effective care. • Diagnose, manage, and treat acute and chronic conditions – Understand the responsibility of diagnosing acute and chronic conditions, managing treatment plans and focusing on disease prevention and health promotion to care for individuals, families and communities.
• Prescribe and manage medications per state and federal guidelines – Understand state and federal specific requirements for regulations, including the need for advanced training, certifications, and prescriptive authority. • Provide patient, family, and staff education on health and prevention – Understand how to provide health promotion, disease prevention, patient education, and evidence-based practices to effectively teach and promote health and wellness for patients and communities. • Collaborate with integrated care team and facility staff to ensure seamless care – Understand that teamwork and communication among various disciplines will help achieve coordinated and high-quality care, patient-centered care. • Document accurately and support quality improvement initiatives – Understand how to standardize practices, track patient status, update electronic health records, and continue ongoing training to improve patient quality by being able to more easily make informed decisions, prevent errors and respond effectively to emergencies. Updated December 2025
1.What is your general impression of the occupation-specific competencies? (i.e. the things someone would typically learn through on-the-job-training)
2.Are there any occupation-specific competencies you would like to see edited, added or eliminated?  Please write your suggestions if you have any.
3.Please share any suggested edits to the occupation-specific competency definitions.
4.What is your general impression of the industry-sector technical competencies? (i.e. what will typically be learned through formal related instruction to succeed in this specific occupation/ sector)
5.Are there any industry-sector technical competencies you would like to see edited, added or eliminated?  Please write your suggestions if you have any.
6.Please share any suggested edits to the industry-sector technical definitions.
7.What is your general impression of the industry-wide technical competencies (i.e. what will typically be learned through related instruction for a broad range of occupations working in the industry).
8.Are there any industry-wide technical competencies you would like to see edited, added or eliminated?  Please write your suggestions if you have any.
9.Finally, please let us know if you have any other suggested edits or comments on the remainder of the pyramid.
10.Please let us know what sector you work in.(Required.)
11.Contact information