The North Carolina Board of Nursing is pleased to introduce the PREP (Practitioner Remediation and Enhancement Partnership) Program. With today’s focus on safe healthcare and in response to the 1999 Institute of Medicine’s Report, “To Err is Human”, the North Carolina Board of Nursing is the first Board to implement PREP, a proactive program with a focus on safety and quality improvement through remediation. The program addresses competency issues that might be related to the nurse’s need for enhanced or updated clinical knowledge, skills or abilities.

The PREP Program began as a pilot study in 2001. The feedback for this 3 year pilot was very positive from the participating employers and nurses completing the program. The Board approved the expansion of the Program for statewide participation as of July 2004.

Participation in the PREP Program is a collaborative partnership between the employer, the nurse and the Board of Nursing. It is a voluntary, non-punitive agreement that enables the nurse to improve his/her practice through enhancement of knowledge, skills, abilities and/or judgment while remaining employed. Educational offerings may be Board sponsored or approved. The Board serves as a resource to the employer and the nurse while overseeing and facilitating the remediation plan to ensure compliance for the best possible outcome.

PREP candidates are typically nurses that have limited experience or might have a need for refresher in order to maintain expected standards of practice. Practice concerns might be related to exceeding scope of practice, delegation, supervision, documentation or medication/treatment errors. They involve nurses whose continued practice would not jeopardize patient safety and who were not involved in deceitful behavior or personal misconduct.

Recognizing this time of increased demands on nursing personnel and existing nursing shortages, we must find new ways to be resourceful and to assist in dealing with practice issues that do not compromise patient care. We think PREP is a win-win situation that focuses on safety, quality improvement, and learning from errors with early intervention.

If you have questions or would like more information, please contact:

Pamela Trantham
Practice Case Analyst
PREP Program
919-782-3211 ext 279

Click here for Referral Form