Establishing Interrater Reliability Within the Advanced Practice Nurse Peer Review Process

Background and Purpose: The Advanced Practice Nurse (APN) Council refined the APN peer review to an objective, data-driven process. The purpose of the study was to assess the interrater reliability of APN peer reviews using the APN Rubric based on Hamric, Spross & Hanson's Model of Advanced Practice Nursing. Methods: A quantitative single-site study with a convenience sample of 80 APN Portfolios. Results: Analysis of six core competencies (direct clinical practice, leadership, consultation/collaboration, coaching/guiding, research, and ethical decision-making) within the APN Rubric demonstrated substantial and near perfect agreement levels in the APN peer review process. Conclusions: The application of APN core competencies within the peer review process demonstrated high consistency, thereby increasing the significance and objectivity of peer review outcomes.