Center for Professional Practice of Nursing

Gap Analysis Tool for Determining Continuing Education Plan

Gap analysis is a useful tool in taking you from I think I know what the problem is, you have an idea what
a potential solution is and what you want the outcome to be. Gap Analysis a tool that helps to
determine your current state, and desired state as well as the tasks that are needed to close the
identified gap, used at the beginning of a program a Gap Analysis will assist you in planning your
educational activity.

1st. Determine what is the Desired State, the best practice, where do you want to be? The desired
state is the level that the planners would like the learners to achieve due to the educational
activity.
2nd. What your current state. Current state refers to the current level of practice of the target
audience.
 Describe the current state: Planners should use data to determine what the current state is.
Data gathering may include surveying stakeholders, reviewing quality data and evaluations
of other educational activities, trends in literature.
o What knowledge of the problem is missing? What skill is not being performed to best
practice? Are both knowledge and skill lacking? What pieces are missing?
3rd. Identified Gap in the target audience, is it knowledge (don’t know), skill (don’t know how to do)
or practice (not able to show or do in practice).
4th. Based on the Learning Gap and Desired State develop your Educational Goal that is measurable
and attainable.
 This is what the educational plan to address the gap is based on. The educational goal
should reflect the learning gap that was identified, i.e., lack of test taking skills would be a
variety of strategies that might include reviewing common test taking errors and use of
practice testing environments.

EXAMPLE
IDENTIFIED GAP
DESCRIBE DESIRED DATA THAT SUPPORTS (KNOWLEDGE , EDUCATIONAL OUTCOME
STATE CURRENT STATE CURRENT STATE SKILLS , PRACTICE ) GOAL MEASURE
75% of the Peri- Only 30% of the Survey of Peri- Nurses lack the Using a variety of Within 12 months
Anesthesia Nurses Peri-Anesthesia Anesthesia Nurses knowledge and tools the Peri- the Peri-Anesthesia
will obtain a Nurses have both with certification skills to pursue a Anesthesia Nurse Nurses will increase
specialty obtained a and without identified certification exam. will successfully by 10% the number
certification by recognized that >75% of Nurses pass a certification of nurses with a
passing specialized feel unprepared to sit exam within 24 specialty
examination after certification. for and pass the months. certification.
completing an required examination
exam preparation (knowledge) and 60%
course and state they lack test
engaging in taking skills .
appropriate study Current literature
based on their trends show that
individual needs. employer supported
program increase
passage rates.

1
Version 2017.04
 Center for Professional Practice of Nursing

Gap Analysis Tool for Determining Continuing Education Plan

IDENTIFIED GAP
DESCRIBE DESIRED DATA THAT SUPPORTS (KNOWLEDGE , SKILLS,
STATE CURRENT STATE CURRENT STATE PRACTICE ) EDUCATIONAL GOAL OUTCOME MEASURE

2
Version 2017.04