NR702 DNP
Project & Practicum I
Week 1
Discussion
Problem of the DNP Project
The discussion this week is intended to introduce your peers
to the practice problem associated with your planned project. Within your Week
1 Worksheet you will write the Introduction, Problem Statement,
Objectives/Aim(s), as well as the Significance of the Problem sections for your
proposal. Please use the NR702 Week 1 Guided Study Worksheet (Links to an
external site.)Links to an external site. template to complete this discussion.
Students can find the Weekly Guided Study Worksheets under Modules, course
resources and course related documents. The guided study worksheet is also
attached to this discussion. Follow the guided Study worksheets to ensure that
you include all of the detailed information for each section. Information from
each guided study worksheet is included in the Week 4 assignment rubric and the
week 6 assignment rubric.
Prior to posting your Weekly Worksheets to the Collaborative
Discussion forum, submit the document to the Drop-Off Essay Review through
Tutor.com. Make any needed changes to your paper based on the feedback you
receive from the tutoring service. Remember, it can take up to 24 hours to
receive feedback from Tutor.com, so be sure to submit your draft to Tutor.com
early enough so that you will be able to incorporate feedback, make revisions,
and post your assignment to the Collaborative Discussions on time.
Insert Title of Paper Here
Note there is no heading which says Introduction. The
paragraph or two following the title on the first page of your text is assumed
to be your introduction. Your introduction follows the title of your paper
(note it is not bolded).
You should start your introduction with a powerful statement
or two to stimulate interest. This section serves to introduce your project to
your reader(s). Start this section with a powerful statement or two, which will
stimulate interest. Share the purpose of your proposal, as well as a brief
overview of what the reader(s) can expect as they read through your paper.
Problem Statement (1-2 paragraphs)
Your introduction section should smoothly transition into
your problem statement and it should flow logically from the information you
provided. Include your inquiry question,
which will provide direction for your work.
Explain your approach to the problem and how your intervention will
address it. This section should be clear
and approximately one concise paragraph.
Objectives and Aims (1 page)
This section should be approximately one page (due to
bulleted points below) and explain the aims and objectives of your proposed
project. According to O’Leary (2015), proposals have one overarching aim to
capture what you hope to achieve through your project; whereas, a set of
objectives, which are a set of more specific goals, supports that aim. Aims and objectives are often written in
bullet points as ‘to’ statements, such as, ‘to’ develop, ‘to’ identify, ‘to’
measure, ‘to’ explain, ‘to’ compare. To structure this section, consider using
the following type of formatting.
The aim of the proposed DNP project is to change everything
in the world. In order to achieve this, the following objectives have been
identified, which will serve to guide the DNP scholar during the project:
? To
identify what part of the world the change will occur.
? To
explain the impact of the change among stakeholders.
? To
compare the change to current practice.
Significance of the Practice Problem (1-2 pages)
This section must be 1-2 pages in length. Here you fully
elaborate uponthe issue you are addressing, from both a global and the
practicum site perspective. Be cognizant to not have extremely long paragraphs,
which can be difficult for your reader(s) to follow. Try to avoid the word ?that,? as most
sentences can stand alone without their use.
Begin this section by describing the significance of the
problem from a global/nationwide perspective as it pertains to nurses, nursing
care and healthcare organizations. Include statistical evidence throughout this
section to support any and all claims made. Explain the issue and how it
impacts patients/families, and communities.
Elaborate upon the issue and how it impacts the ?bottom line? when it
comes to healthcare costs (think about insurance rates, as well as the lack of reimbursements
healthcare organizations might face due to the issue). Next talk about any impact the issue has on
ethical/legal, quality of care, safety of patients, etc. Ensure you ?paint a
picture? for your reader(s) so they are clear of how impactful the issue is as
a whole. Note what you share within the Significance of the Practice Problem
section must convince your reader(s) the issue is significant enough to be
addressed.
Follow up by now describing the significance of the problem
from the practicum site?s perspective. Explain how the issue impacts nurses,
nursing care, and the healthcare organization. How impactful is the issue when
it comes to patients/families? How does
it impact the community? What about
insurance companies and/or the ?bottom line? of the organization? Are there any ethical/legal, quality of care
or safety concerns? Elaborate upon
everything and then explain if the problem you are addressing is a micro, meso,
or macro systems problem.
NR702 DNP
Project & Practicum I
Week 2
Discussion
Scientific Underpinnings of the DNP Project
The discussion this week is related to the scientific
underpinnings of your project. Within your Week 2 Guided Study Worksheet (Links
to an external site.)Links to an external site. you will write the Synthesis of
Literature, Practice Recommendations, and Evidence-Based Practice: Verification
of Chosen Option sections of your proposal. Please use the NR702 Week 2 Guided
Study Worksheet template to complete this discussion. Students can find the Weekly
Guided Study Worksheets under Modules, course resources and course related
documents. The guided study worksheet is also attached to this discussion. Follow the guided Study worksheets to ensure
that you include all of the detailed information for each section. Information
from each guided study worksheet is included in the Week 4 assignment rubric
and the week 6 assignment rubric.
Prior to posting your Weekly Worksheets to the Collaborative
Discussion forum, submit the document to the Drop-Off Essay Review through
Tutor.com. Make any needed changes to your paper based on the feedback you
receive from the tutoring service. Remember, it can take up to 24 hours to
receive feedback from Tutor.com, so be sure to submit your draft to Tutor.com
early enough so that you will be able to incorporate feedback, make revisions,
and post your assignment to the Collaborative Discussions on time.
Synthesis of the Literature (5-10 pages)
This section must be 5-10 pages long. Synthesize at least 10
(no more than 5 years old) primary research studies and/or systematic reviews;
do not include summary articles. This section is all about the scientific
evidence rather than someone else?s opinion of the evidence. Do not use
secondary sources; you need to get the article, read it, and make your own
decision about quality and applicability to your question even if you did find
out about the study in a review of the literature. The studies you cite in this
section must relate directly to your PICOT question and support your proposed
evidence-based intervention. This is a synthesis where you address the
similarities, differences, and controversies in the body of evidence.
Consider organizing this section through use of themes
inherent in the literature. For example, if you are focusing on falls
prevention, organize this section as demonstrated below through use of level II
headings.
Falls Prevention: Hourly Rounding Process
Falls Prevention: Team Huddles
Falls Prevention: Additional Strategies
Practice Recommendations (1-2 pages)
This section should be approximately 1-2 pages long. As you consider the evidence you provided
above, what is the answer to your question? This section is for you to
summarize the strength of the body of evidence (quality, quantity, and
consistency), make a summary statement, and based on your conclusions drawn
from the review, give a recommendation for practice change based on scientific
evidence. This would logically be the intervention of your PICOT question.
Perhaps you found substantiation for usual practice, and you recommend
reinforcement and education regarding this best practice.
Evidence Based Practice: Verification of Chosen Option (1
short paragraph)
This
section includes a brief statement (two-three sentences) about the
evidence-based practice/s (EBP) [specific practice intervention, program
intervention or evaluation, presentation and toolkit, or policy change] QI
option you have chosen and which you will be implementing based on the review
of the literature.
NR702 DNP
Project & Practicum I
Week 3
Discussion
Planned Change Process for the DNP Project
In week 3, you will focus on applying theory and scientific
evidence to the practice problem/issue that you have chosen for your DNP
Project. Please download the NR702 Week 3 Guided Study Worksheet (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site.and us that template to complete this week’s discussion. You will
select the theoretical framework that you think best fits your project.
Identify the theory that will serve as the foundation and framework for your
project. This may be a nursing theory or a theory from another discipline, if
pertinent and applicable. As you introduce the theory, identify its primary
premises. The change model theory or change model framework is the theory you
will use to Implement your practice change. Begin with a description of your
selected change model and why it was selected as the model for this specific
change. You should learn about the model from a primary source (i.e., do not
cite a textbook). The model you select should be appropriate to the change that
you are recommending. Follow the guided Study worksheets to ensure that you
include all of the detailed information for each section. Information from each
guided study worksheet is included in the Week 4 assignment rubric and the week
6 assignment rubric.
Prior to posting your Weekly Worksheets to the Collaborative
Discussion forum, submit the document to the Drop-Off Essay Review through
Tutor.com. Make any needed changes to your paper based on the feedback you
receive from the tutoring service. Remember, it can take up to 24 hours to
receive feedback from Tutor.com, so be sure to submit your draft to Tutor.com
early enough so that you will be able to incorporate feedback, make revisions,
and post your assignment to the Collaborative Discussions on time.
CHAPTER 2: THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK
[Directions ? the theoretical framework is a very important
part of your DNP practice change project. You will write this in NR702 and may
revise or adjust it as your project matures. When you reach NR709 ? be sure you
review this chapter in detail and change all tense from future to past as you
make your revisions.]
Theoretical Framework (2-4 pages)
This section needs to be 2-4 pages and it should include the
theoretical framework to support your project. Identify the theory to serve as
the foundation for your project. This may be a nursing theory or a theory from
another discipline if pertinent and applicable. As you introduce the theory,
identify its primary premises (include in-text citations when sharing content
from outside sources).
In the following paragraphs operationalize each of the
primary premises from your chosen theoretical framework as they apply
specifically to your project. Doing this demonstrates you have not only
identified a theory, but you have also been able to conceptualize its use as
your project?s framework.
Change Model (2-4 pages)
Begin with a description of your selected change model and
why it was selected as the model for this specific change. You should learn
about the model from a primary source (i.e., do not cite a textbook). The model
you select should be appropriate to the change that you are recommending (i.e.,
individual change or organizational change. Use the model to describe the practice
change that you recommend even if that is reinforcement and education regarding
the status quo. Your change process should be specific to your setting.
Step 1: Name of Step
You may make each step of the model a level 2 heading (title
case and flush left, as demonstrated above) and then describe how you would
implement the step of the change in your selected setting. Your change process
must be specific to your question and the answer that you found through your
literature review and your setting. It should be a well-thought-out process
using the model as a guide.
NR702 DNP
Project & Practicum I
Week 4
Discussion
Assessment of the Organizational Setting of the DNP Project
Welcome to our Week Four Collaborative Discussion! Please
use the NR702 Week 4 Guided Study Worksheet (Links to an external site.)Links
to an external site. template to complete this discussion. Students can find
the Weekly Guided Study Worksheets under Modules, course resources and course
related documents. The guided study worksheet is also attached to this
discussion. In week 4, students will discuss how organizational need for the
DNP project intervention was established. What organizational leaders (include
their professional titles only) did you dialogue with? Provide a summarization
of the conversation(s) you had with the organizational leaders. Students will
also discuss Organizational Support for their DNP Project and intervention and
describe how organizational support was confirmed. This week, students will
also discuss their SWOT Analysis, Barriers and Facilitators for their DNP
project, the Project Schedule, Resources Needed to plan and conduct the DNP
project, Project Manager Role, and Plans for Sustainability. Follow the guided
Study worksheets to ensure that you include all of the detailed information for
each section. Information from each guided study worksheet is included in the
Week 4 assignment rubric and the week 6 assignment rubric.
CHAPTER 3: PROJECT DESIGN AND METHODS
(This Organizational Need section is 1-2 pages)
The Plan is the ?HOW TO? part of your proposal. This section
includes a detailed description about how you will actualize (from set-up to
data collection) and complete your project. You will want to proofread this
section carefully as, ?our minds think much faster than we can type, and we
leave out steps in the process? if we do not proof several times.Provide
two-three sentences in this particular section to introduce your reader(s) to
the chapter.
Organizational Need
Describe how organizational need was established. What
organizational leaders (include their professional titles only) did you
dialogue with? Provide a summarization
of the conversation(s) you had.
Organizational Support
Describe how organizational support was confirmed. Refer
your reader to the Appendices of your proposal in regard to the organizational
support letter.
Project Stakeholders
What persons/groups or individuals might be impacted by your
project? Ensure you think ?outside the box? and consider both internal and
external persons/groups, as well as entities.
SWOT Analysis
Within
this section you need to provide a brief overview of the SWOT analysis you
performed. Note you are not to include your SWOT Analysis table here; rather,
refer your reader(s) to the Appendices for the table. Include two-three sentences in this section
to not only tell your reader(s) where the table can be found, but to also
summarize what the following section(s) will include associated with the SWOT
analysis.
Strengths.
Here you need to provide a summary of the various strengths
of the practicum site. What strengths does the organization and its staff have?
What works well in the site?
Weaknesses.
What type of weaknesses did you find within the site? What
needs to be improved upon? What resources might be missing?
Opportunities.
What are the potential opportunities within the practicum
site? What can be done in the site to improve the quality of care being
provided? Are there certain persons/groups/entities or resources not being
taken advantage of, which could be potentially important to ?tap into??
Threats.
What potential components or conditions might negatively
impact the practicum site? Are there any obstacles the organization might face?
Are they not following national guidelines as needed?
Barriers and Facilitators
Here you need to consider potential barriers and/or
facilitators, which could impact your proposed project?s implementation. Are
the nursing staff resistant to change? Is there currently a culture inherent in
the site where the use of evidence-based practice is openly used/welcomed by
staff? What strategies might you use to overcome any barriers you might face?
How will you capitalize upon any facilitators you have identified?
Project Schedule
Include your schedule as an Appendix in the form of a
schedule or a Gantt chart. Here you should address the timeframe for the change
process and the evaluation keeping in mind that this project needs to be
achievable within your last two practicum courses.
Resources Needed
Include resources required for your project and a budget.
Refer your reader(s) to your budget table in the Appendices.
Project Manager Role
Discuss your role in the project and the leadership
qualities and skills that will be utilized for successful completion of the
project.
Plans for Sustainability
Explain what will be done to sustain the project over time.
What strategies will you put into place for the practicum site to ensure the
project has ongoing evaluation and modification as needed to ensure its success
after your implementation phase is complete?
NR702 DNP
Project & Practicum I
Week 5
Discussion
Vision, Mission and
Objectives
Welcome to our Week Five Collaborative Discussion! Please
use the NR702 Week 5 Guided Study Workshee (Links to an external site.)Links to
an external site.t template to complete this discussion. Students can find the
Weekly Guided Study Worksheets under Modules, course resources and course
related documents. The guided study worksheet is also attached to this
discussion. In week 5, students will discuss their Project Vision, Mission and
Objectives. Students will discuss their PICOT Question in detail (Population,
Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, and Timeframe), and the Feasibility of
conducting their DNP project. Students will describe their proposed Sample and
Setting for their DNP project. Follow the guided Study worksheets to ensure
that you include all of the detailed information for each section. Information
from each guided study worksheet is included in the Week 4 assignment rubric
and the week 6 assignment rubric.
Project Vision, Mission, and Objectives (1-2 pages)
This section should be 1-2 pages long and must include the
vision, mission, vision, and objectives of your project. Discuss the congruence
between your project?s mission and vision statements and the mission and vision
of the organization where the project will be conducted. Include discussion of
short-term and long-term objectives of the project. Discuss risks and
unintended consequences of the project.
PICOT Question (2-3 pages)
The length of this section should be 2-3 pages and fully
operationalize your PICOT question. Under this primary heading you need to
include your one-sentence PICOT question. Begin this section with a lead-in
sentence such as, ?The following PICOT question will serve as the basis for the
proposed DNP project:?
Population.
Here you need to fully elaborate upon who the population
will be. Approximately how many individuals will participate? How will you recruit them, and will they be
provided with Informed Consent? What are their primary characteristics they
share? What inclusion and exclusion
criteria will you use?
Intervention.
Provide full elaboration here to explain exactly what EBP
change you will implement as part of your proposed DNP project. Do not leave any questions left unanswered
and provide your reader with key details so they will understand what you
implement and what evidence there is to support it. You should have a minimum
of 3 scholarly references to support your intervention in this section. Remember you are not conducting original
research, but taking already existing research to make a change in
practice.
Comparison.
The comparison should explain what is currently taking place
in the practicum site, which is either contributing or causing the issue you
are addressing. If there is currently nothing being used in the setting such as
guidelines, etc., articulate here there is no comparison.
Outcome.
Provide a full discussion in regard to the outcome(s) you
will use to determine the impact of the intervention you will implement. What
already existing data collection instrument/survey will you use? Have you received permission to use the
survey (provide a copy of the permission letter/email as an Appendix and refer
to it here). What will it measure? How has the survey been tested for validity
and reliability? How many questions are
asked? What type of questions are asked
(Likert, etc.)? How will you administer
the survey (pen/paper or electronically)?
When will it be administered?
Approximately how long will it take your population to complete? If there are any demographic data collected,
what is it and how does it help you to answer your PICOT question?
Time Frame. (1 statement)
Articulate the time frame of 8-10 weeks associated with the
implementation phase of your project. Please note, you must have a time frame
of at least 8 weeks and no more than 10 weeks for the implementation phase of
your proposed project.
Feasibility (1-2 paragraphs)
Discuss the feasibility of your project given the 8-10-week
timeframe. How will you be able to complete everything you plan on doing in the
allotted time? How will you overcome any barriers you might face? What type of
strategies will you use to ensure all tasks associated with your implementation
are completed?
Sample and Setting (1 page)
This section should include a description of the setting of
the DNP project and be1 page long. Include the type of setting, description of
a typical client, and the vision and mission, and organizational structure and
culture.
NR702 DNP
Project & Practicum I
Week 6
Discussion
Implementation and Evaluation Plans for the DNP Project
Welcome to our Week Six Collaborative Discussion! Please use
the NR702 Week 6 Guided Study Worksheet (Links to an external site.)Links to an
external site. template to complete this discussion. Students can find the
Weekly Guided Study Worksheets under Modules, course resources and course
related documents. The guided study worksheet is also attached to this
discussion The discussion this week is associated with the implementation and
evaluation plans of your project. Within your Week 6 Worksheet you will write
the Implementation Plan/Procedures, Data Collection Procedures, Recruitment and
Selection, Data Analysis Plan, Instrumentation, Instrument Reliability and
Validity, Ethics and Human Subjects Protection sections of your proposal. This
project evaluation process uses research methods and data analysis but is
intended to evaluate the effectiveness of your practice change rather than
generating new knowledge. You will be establishing the evaluation criteria to
determine 1) whether the practice change is occurring as you planned it (i.e.,
formative evaluation criteria) and 2) if your intervention produced the outcome
that you intended (summative evaluation criteria). You will select or develop
tools for data collection to reflect the criteria, establish a plan for data
collection including data collection points and who will collect the data, and
develop a data analysis plan including what statistical tests for the data
produced in your project evaluation. Follow the guided Study worksheets to
ensure that you include all of the detailed information for each section.
Information from each guided study worksheet is included in the Week 4
assignment rubric and the week 6 assignment rubric.
Implementation Plan/Procedures (2-3 pages)
The Implementation Plan is a view into the project which
shows what work the project encompasses.
The Plan is the ?HOW TO? part of your proposal. This section includes is
a detailed description about how you will actualize (from set-up to data
collection) and complete your project. You will want to proof read this section
carefully because, ?our minds think much faster than we can type, and we leave
out steps in the process? if we do not proof several times.
Data Collection Procedures (2-3
pages)
Identify the type of data (i.e., nominal, ordinal, interval,
or continuous) produced by the evaluation tool(s). Discuss how you will control
extraneous variables. Discuss planned analysis of your evaluation data.Specify
the statistical analyses that will be used to answer the project questions
and/or test the project hypotheses. Cite literature sources for your discussion
of the statistical techniques. Convince your statistician to assist in
statistical methods, depending on the types of variables being investigated,
specifics of the sample of the study (groups), research design, etc.
Describe all the steps of your project in narrative form,
including your plan for implementation and plan for evaluation. You can use sub headers to define your
approach. Include projected recruitment, steps in actualizing the intervention,
data collection procedures, and evaluation. You can organize your procedures by
stages or phases (pre-intervention, intervention, post intervention) of your
project implementation and/or according to a timeline.
Recruitment and Selection
Discuss recruitment and selection of participants or
subjects including inclusion and exclusion criteria. Discuss the quantitative project design and
why it is appropriate. Discuss formative and summative criteria for evaluation
and time points for the evaluation.
Data Analysis Plan (3-5 pages)
This section must be 3-5 pages in length and must include
how you will evaluate the planned change project. Remember your plan must
evaluate the outcome(s) identified in your PICOT question. Fully address how you plan to statistically
(quantitatively) analyze the data that you will receive/collect from the
measurement instruments you listed above or from other methods you will use to
gather data (focus groups, individual discussions, observation, journaling,
etc.). In your final work, you will describe the degree to which the results of
the project helped you achieve your expected outcomes (met, partially met, and
not met).
Instrumentation
Describe and include any tool(s) that are to be used in your
project evaluation as Appendices and discuss the reliability and validity of
the tool(s). Fully address the statistical planning, if applicable, and the
methods of collection such as surveys, interviews, or document analysis.
Include a separate section for each instrument adopted or
developed for data collection, whether that might be published instruments,
researcher-developed instruments, interview schedules, or test results. Be sure
to include information for each instrument on (a) form of the instrument, with
sample items and scaling/scoring information. If the data collection instrument
requires permission, include a statement in this section and include the letter
of permission in the Appendix.
Instrument Reliability and Validity
Include assurances, or at least estimates, or the validity
and reliability of the instrument, and reference to an appendix in which the
reader will find the complete instrument and all correspondence and directions
which will be sent to the respondent subjects in the sample.
Ethics and Human Subjects Protection
Discuss how you will protect human rights and ensure privacy
of health information. Finally, articulate in regard to how you will protect
the data you collect over time (5-7 years).
NR702 DNP
Project & Practicum I
Week 7
Discussion
Proposal for the DNP Project & Dissemination
Reflect upon the process of developing your DNP Project
Proposal and answer the following questions:
What successes have you experienced?
What barriers have you faced? How have you been able to
overcome these barriers?
What additional resources do you need to complete your DNP
Project Proposal?
How will you plan to share your DNP project results with
your colleagues within the organization and externally?
NR702 DNP
Project & Practicum I
Week 8
Discussion
Planning to Submit to IRB
Reflect on the IRB process by answering the following
questions:
Will you need to gain IRB approval from your organization?
What is the schedule for the organization’s IRB meetings?
What is the process you will need to go through to gain the
organizations approval?
What barriers could you face as you progress through the IRB
process?