Table of Contents
Welcome to NP-EDGE
This site introduces you to the Nurse Practitioner Education in Genomics (NP-EDGE) project, an innovative initiative designed to support the integration of genomics into Nurse Practitioner education and practice. Whether you’re an NP student, educator, or practicing clinician, this platform offers access to thoughtfully developed learning resources, downloadable materials, and guidance to help you incorporate genomics into primary care. We invite you to explore the modules, learn at your own pace, and contribute to advancing precision medicine in nursing.
What is the Purpose?
The purpose of this website is to provide an introduction to NP-EDGE project, and serve as a repository for various downloadable documents that will enable you to effectively use NP-EDGE to enable people to engage with the learning material.
NP-EDGE: Nurse Practitioner Education in Genomics
Nurse Practitioners and genomics-informed primary care
The role that NPs play in delivering quality, genomics-informed primary care is increasingly critical as we enter the era of precision medicine. However, genomics-based competencies are largely absent from the Canadian nursing curriculums at all levels. As a result, nurses rarely have formal training in genomics, and gaps in knowledge among students and faculty lead to low confidence in this practice area. This is where the NP-EDGE project comes in.
What are Nurse Practitioners?
Nurse Practitioners (NPs) are primary healthcare providers with a nursing degree, considerable working experience, and advanced training at the master’s level. They work in multiple settings ranging from acute inpatient units in urban settings to clinics in rural and remote areas. NPs practice innovative, collaborative, and holistic clinical care across the lifespan. They diagnose and treat conditions, order and interpret various routine and specialized tests, and initiate referrals to specialists. This rapidly-expanding group of practitioners is increasing access to primary care in British Columbia and other regions of Canada.)
What is the NP-EDGE project?
NP-EDGE is a flexible, innovative, online learning resource for NP students, designed to integrate genomic concepts into the NP curriculum. We used Open Moodle and best-practices in accessible learning design to provide engaging learning material. Currently, NP-EDGE consists of two core modules and eight clinical modules, which present material with a genomics lens:
Core Modules
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- Foundational genetics concepts
- Case-based family history assessment
Clinical Modules
For more details on each module, please visit the Resource Overview.
How can you use the material in NP-EDGE?
The original goal of the NP-EDGE project was to integrate genomics education into a new Nurse Practitioner Master’s Program at Thompson Rivers University (TRU) as a pilot project. In this pilot project, we demonstrated that this is an effective learning resource. Now it is available free for anyone who has a legitimate desire to access the material and to integrate genomic concepts into their clinical practice.
There are instructions on how to create an account and access NP-EDGE found on Access the Hub.
The pilot project is now over, and NP-EGDE is largely unsupported, and is a stand-alone resource. We hope to design a sustainable program, enabling broader, on-going usage. However, if we cannot obtain support for continual updating, this site will shut down on July 1, 2027. This is because genetic and genomic concepts, testing, and knowledge are rapidly evolving and we cannot risk providing out-dated materials.
Who developed NP-EDGE?
The pilot project was funded by a two-year grant from Genome BC to Patricia Birch, a genomics nurse at the University of British Columbia, and Sarah Dewell, a nurse-educator at Thompson Rivers University. NP-EDGE was developed by a team consisting of genetic counsellors Colleen Guimond and Carol Cremin; Educator, Learning Design and Analysis expert, Leah Macfadyen; Indigenous scholar, Jenny Morgan; and help from an extensive team of content experts and clinicians.
