Application Of Ultrasound For Difficult Vascular Access In Obstetric Patients, Carly Mccleland

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This project aimed to create a three-tiered educational program to introduce the benefits of ultrasound application for peripheral IV placement in obstetrical patients. The main goals of this project were to increase successful first-attempt IV placement in obstetric patients who may be difficult to obtain IV access on. The first tier of education consisted of presenting findings from the literature review as an educational PowerPoint to all project stakeholders. The second tier of education included stakeholders practicing using the ultrasound for PIV placement on mannequin arms. The third tier, which is still on going, included implementation of the first two …

Procedural Sedation Training: Competency Verification Through Simulation, Christine Hawknuff

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

A 450-bed tertiary hospital in Central Illinois lacked a standardized process for competency verification for procedural sedation care by registered nurses (RNs). Despite recommendations by many organizations, there are no consistent or standardized guidelines for verifying competency in nursing care of the procedural sedation. This project implemented a Procedural Sedation Training Course which comprised an in-person prelearning lecture, a group simulation learning experience, and an individual verification of competency through simulation.

Fifty-six RNs completed the Procedural Sedation Training Course and demonstrated competency through simulation, and 24 of these RNs completed a procedural sedation within the eight-month pilot period. Qualitative and …

Development Of An Evidence-Based Crna Preceptor Training Program, Emmanuel Mensah

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

A preceptor is an experienced clinician who is expected to facilitate a student's learning experience. Preceptorship is the relationship between a staff nurse and student, focusing on the development of clinical skills and knowledge. Initially introduced by Florence Nightingale in the 1800s, the concept was quickly adopted by nurse anesthetists and is a staple of the anesthesia practice today. As it stands, many Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetists (CRNA) preceptors do not receive formal training in their role, which may lead to a decrease in teaching ability and confidence to face broad teaching-learning issues. A lack of preparation hinders preceptor outcomes …

Implementation Of Unit-Based Preceptor Orientation: The Effects On Perceived Orientee Competence And Self-Confidence Of The Precepting Cvicu Nurse, Laura K. Marcum

DNP Projects

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess how unit-specific preceptor training impacted the perceived readiness of new graduate nurses, self-confidence of preceptors, and the correlated job satisfaction.

Background: The nurse attrition rate is resulting in inexperience at the bedside. Nursing inexperience leads to lower quality patient care. If improving the efficiency of training and education can improve perceived readiness, then in turn we can increase the longevity of our new nurses. Improving the longevity of nurses has significant implications on the budget of each hospital, the patient outcomes, and the staff’s resulting job satisfaction.

Methods: New graduate nurse …

Mentoring The Mentor: A Mentor Training Program, Sheri Gillis

Regis University Student Publications (comprehensive collection)

Mentorship has played an important role in nursing and nursing education for decades. However, there have yet to be any standard qualifications or training programs for those who mentor others. Poor mentorship increases faculty turnover, stress, and poor student outcomes. A quality improvement initiative was implemented in the Associate Degree Nursing Program using an evidence-based approach. Using a pre-post survey design with convenience sampling, five (N=5) nursing faculty met the qualifications to participate in the mentor training program. The Mentor Efficacy (MES) survey, which consisted of 30 questions, was administered to measure the participants' feelings of self-efficacy in the mentoring …

Developing And Implementing An Infection Prevention Practice Fellowship Program, Sejal Naik

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Developing and Implementing an Infection Prevention Practice Fellowship Program

Abstract

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic placed huge demands on infection prevention programs (Blanchard et al., 2022), seriously taxing a profession already mired with progressively increasing workload and responsibilities (Bryant et al., 2016).

Local Problem: In a rapidly changing environment, infection preventionists (IPs) contend with pandemic surges, emerging infections, and supply chain disruptions. The NCAL Region of an integrated health system experienced IP turnover, and in the absence of a formal training program, newly hired IPs experienced variable to no opportunities to develop their competencies.

Methods: A literature review on infection prevention …

Transformational Leadership Training For Leaders, Kristie Gilliland

Electronic Theses and Dissertations

The purpose of the study was to evaluate the impact of transformational leadership training on improving a leader’s skills and knowledge in performing daily operations and interacting with frontline staff, decreasing attrition. Ineffective leadership contributes to staff dissatisfaction, poor performance, and attrition. The literature supports transformational leadership is effective in leading teams of nurses and contributes to staff autonomy, staff satisfaction, decreased attrition, and improved patient outcomes. A quasi-experimental research study was completed on a leadership team in a managed care organization. Fourteen leaders with anywhere from 1 to more than 6 years of leadership experience were evaluated. Lewin’s change …

Exploring Midwives’ Challenges And Strategies To Provide Care In Maternity Settings During The Harsh Winter Weather In The Northern Areas Of Pakistan: A Qualitative Study, Sana Sultan

Theses & Dissertations

Background: Midwives play a vital role in enhancing the quality of care and achieving substantial reductions in maternal and newborn mortality rates. However, in Gilgit Baltistan, the harsh winter weather and frequent heavy snowfall present distinct challenges for midwives providing essential maternal care. These challenges can lead to an increased risk of maternal infections and newborn hypothermia. Consequently, the limited accessibility to healthcare facilities due to frequent harsh winter weather and the resulting scarcity of resources like heating, electricity, and water exacerbate the situation.
Objective: The study aims to explore the challenges and barriers midwives face in maternity settings and …

Effectiveness Of Staff Training On Trauma-Informed Care, Brandy Tramel Williams

Doctoral Projects

The connection between experiencing trauma and the development of substance use disorder is widely recognized. Although trauma is more prevalent among individuals with substance use disorders, healthcare professionals have limited access to training focused on trauma informed care. It is crucial for those working in addiction treatment to receive training and education on trauma informed care to understand the impact of trauma and its association with substance use disorders.

This DNP project's objective was to develop and evaluate an educational presentation for staff emphasizing the importance of trauma-informed care in the context of addiction. The effectiveness of this intervention was …

Expanding The Volunteer Role To Include Advance Care Planning Knowledge, Andrea C. Leomo

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Transition patients at the end-of-life are those patients who are not mentally ready or physically eligible for hospice thus not enrolled in a Palliative or Hospice Program. Only one-third of the Transition patient census had completed and filed advance care plans. Healthcare providers are obligated to perform life-saving measures unless documented otherwise. A lack of advance care planning can create complicated scenarios and cause discordant care incidents.

Context: End-of-life care is a delicate subject to navigate conversations with patients. With holistic care being a large component of hospice and palliative care, it is important to have updated and accurate …

Recognition Of And Response To Obstetric Emergencies: Developing A Virtual Competency-Based Orientation Program, Susan Morrison

Student Scholarly Projects

In order to improve outcomes in the perinatal setting, the development of a Virtual Competency-Based Orientation Program (CBO) toolkit is vital. Two toolkits, namely the Alliance for Innovation on Maternal Health (AIM) and the California Maternal Quality Care Collaborative (CMQCC), have been identified as effective in enhancing perinatal outcomes. AIM is a national initiative focused on improving maternal health outcomes, promoting safer birth practices, and saving lives through the implementation of best practices. CMQCC is a multi-stakeholder organization in California committed to eliminating preventable morbidity, mortality, and racial disparities in maternity care. Both AIM and CMQCC CBO toolkits incorporate research, …

Improving Health Outcomes For Lgbtq+ Youth Through Provider Education, Marissa Simko

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background and Problem: LGBTQ+ adolescents and young adults (ages 12-25 years) are known to have higher rates of physical and mental health concerns compared to heterosexual and cisgender youth. Within the LGBTQ+ youth community, rates of suicidality, substance misuse, homelessness, and STIs are higher than in the general population. LGBTQ+ youth have greater challenges accessing healthcare and higher rates of healthcare discrimination. This paper presents a quality improvement project focused on improving evidence-based practices in LGBTQ+ healthcare through the development and implementation of a LGBTQ+ youth centered educational workshop for healthcare providers.

Methods: This project was organized in …

Active Learning Techniques To Improve Emotional Intelligence Among Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Sydney Bontz

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Students enrolled in nurse anesthesia programs are challenged to meet rigorous and lengthy clinical and didactic requirements throughout doctoral-level curriculums. Historically, admission into nurse anesthesia programs has been based on categories such as academic performance, intensive care nursing experience, and the curriculum vitae. However, emerging research has exhibited emotional intelligence as an essential skill for varying situations that may be encountered. Additionally, training can be utilized to increase emotional intelligence levels (Lolaty et al., 2012).

The goal of this doctoral project was to provide emotional intelligence training for first-year student registered nurse anesthetists (SRNAs) at a mid-size University in the …

The Effectiveness Of Targeted Education On Improving Nurses’ Self-Efficacy In Caring For Psychiatric Patients On Medical Surgical Units, Rachel Shirey

Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects

Individuals with mental illness are occasionally hospitalized on medical units, specifically medical-surgical units. Nurses working on medical-surgical units may find patients with mental illness more challenging due to the complexity of care they sometimes require. Nurses’ perceived ability to provide quality care for these patients is reduced in comparison to their perceived ability to care for patients without mental illness. Consequently, low self-efficacy can result in the provision of a lower quality of care for this population. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to improve the care that patients with mental illness receive while hospitalized on medical-surgical units. …

Learn, Reflect, Practice, Discuss: A Professional Development Pilot For Clinical Nurse Educators, Jessica Savage, Linda Wofford Dr., David Phillippi Dr.

DNP Scholarly Projects

Abstract

AIM: The aim of this project was to assess the effect of a professional development pilot on the self-efficacy among clinical nurse educators toward evaluation and assessment of students in the clinical setting.

BACKGROUND: Nursing schools employ clinical nurse faculty with varied levels of experience and formal education in teaching. Positive student outcomes are dependent on the competency of their nursing faculty, yet best practices to train and support the professional growth of clinical faculty have not yet been identified.

METHOD: A multi-modal professional development pilot including online-learning modules, self-reflection, practice-learning, and peer-mentoring components was designed and implemented with …

Implementing An Educational Intervention Aimed At Nursing Staff To Improve Patient Hand Hygiene, Bonita Moore

DNP Projects

Abstract

Background/Purpose: Healthcare organizations are responsible for ensuring that healthcare workers adhere to effective hand hygiene (HH) protocols, and ample research exists on the best methods for monitoring and encouraging compliance. Despite the importance of HH for infection prevention, there has been little focus on patient hand hygiene (PHH). The purpose of this pilot project was to focus on improving nursing staff’s knowledge and attitudes about PHH with the expectation of showing a correlation between these factors and an increase in the performance PHH.

Methods: The project used a quasi-experimental study that took place on one hospital unit at …

Mentoring Infection Preventionists: An Infection Prevention Practice Fellowship Program, Sejal Naik

DNP Qualifying Manuscripts

Background: The COVID-19 pandemic created enormous demands on infection preventionists (IPs). It seriously taxed IPs and required hiring new IPs to support these demands. It is highly competitive to hire experienced IPs, and it can take up to two years for new IPs to demonstrate proficiency before pursuing their certification. A gap analysis revealed that current infection prevention (IP) programs did not provide formal training or mentoring.

Methods: The fellowship program will use the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC) competency model to train and build IP competency. The APIC accelerated training program will provide training to …

Addressing Interprofessional Competence In Interpretation Of Electronic Fetal Monitor Tracings, Susan H. Hébert

Doctoral Dissertations

Interpretation of electronic fetal monitor (EFM) tracings is a critical clinical practice skill nurses and physicians perform during the intrapartum stage of pregnancy. However, if performed inaccurately can potentially jeopardize the well-being of the neonate. This risk is present because if concerning EFM tracings are not interpreted accurately, preventative care interventions to promote the well-being of the unborn child do not occur. The project was initiated by completing a scoping literature review on the methods for training and evaluating EFM interpretation competence, which revealed current EFM interpretation training and evaluation methods are lacking. A concept analysis defined nurse competence in …

Instituting A Preceptor Program In Home Health, Abbi Arnold

Master's Projects and Capstones

Problem: Staff being unfamiliar with the role of being a preceptor impacts their ability to perform the job well. Insufficient understanding of a new role creates stress and uncertainty which can lead to poor employee retention or high job dissatisfaction.

Context: The setting for this project is a large hospital-based home health agency that has an average daily census of 375 patients. The project was a collaboration between home health management and the quality department.

Measures: A measurement strategy was developed to meet the outcome measure, process measure, and balancing measure. The outcome measure was increasing the nurses’ understanding of …

Stop The Bleed And Seize Control: The Use Of Simulation And Video Modules In Educating Emergency Department Staff Regarding Maternal Hypertension And Hemorrhage, Jared Maxwell Talsky

Master's Projects and Capstones

In order to address shortcomings of the health care system within the United States surrounding the early recognition and response to preeclampsia (PreE) and postpartum hemorrhage (PPH) emergencies The Joint Commission (TJC) revised the accreditation requirements regarding implementing yearly maternal hypertension and hemorrhage simulation scenarios in emergency departments. A Quality improvement team of Clinical Nurse Leader (CNL) students at University of San Francisco, working alongside the emergency department and labor and delivery department nurse educators assisted a dual hospital system in the Bay Area of California to develop and implement training materials and simulations for the hospital system’s Emergency Department …

Utilization Of The Nurse Practitioner Skillset In Partnership With The Medical Device Industry, Daniel C. Rowland

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

BACKGROUND: Millions of nurse practitioners (NP), physician assistants (PA), and registered nurses (RN) are optimistic that their current employers will help them reach their full potential. One area that can add value to the hospital and empower employees to work to the full scope of their practice, and utilize the skillsets like that of an NP, is to train these providers to support medical device equipment in the operating room instead of relying on medical device representatives (MDRs) of medical device companies.

METHODS: Training NPs, PAs, or RNs how to support neurological medical device equipment will better utilize the skillset …

Asthma Care By Unlicensed Personnel In The Elementary School Setting: A Training Program, Teresa Eligio

Doctoral Projects

This Quality Improvement project (QI) aims to improve the competence and confidence of unlicensed school health staff in identifying asthma symptoms, reading an asthma action plan, asthma care, emergency response, medication delivery tools, and trigger reduction in the school setting. The QI project transpired in an Elementary School District in Los Angeles County, CA. The Project Manager, an asthma instructor trained by the American Lung Association, provided evidence-based Asthma-Basics training for health clerks (HCs), substitute health clerks (SHCs), licensed vocational nurse health clerks (LVN HCs), school office coordinators (SOCs), school office attendance clerks (SOAs), and substitute school office staff (SDO). …

Combating The Challenge Of Maintaining Active-Duty Military Medical Force Readiness, Thomas Jones

Master of Science in Nursing Theses and Projects

The United States of America’s military involvement in conflict is at one of its lowest points in over 2 decades. This presents a challenge for members of the military medical force to maintain the medical readiness skills they are expected to be proficient at in a moment’s notice to care for casualties in the nation’s next crisis or conflict. In addition to other pre-established methods, this project seeks to provide a unit-level training opportunity for Air Force active-duty medical members such as those in the United States Indo-Pacific region to practice certain medical readiness skills while continuing their steady-state daily …

Preparing Nurses In Management Positions For Bedside Care During Times Of Crisis, Trevor Murray

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

Background

The purpose of this quality improvement project was to increase perceived self-efficacy in performing bedside skills among nurse leaders. As the demand for nurses increased, these leaders anticipated a direct role in providing patient care in the event of a patient surge due to COVID-19.

Problem

Due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Delta variant, hospital nursing leaders were and still are concerned with the challenge of providing enough competent nurses to deliver care. The DNP project prepared nurses who work in leadership roles to take or assist in taking a patient assignment.

Methods

Nurse leaders attended a skills lab …

A Telehealth Palliative Care Objective Structured Clinical Examination, Lindsey Q. Mcintyre

Dissertations

Problem: Palliative care is a service focused on symptom management and improved quality of life for persons with serious or chronic illnesses and is widely underutilized. Although advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs) possess a unique skillset to contribute to palliative care, there is minimal reporting on palliative care training for this professional group. The purpose of this clinical scholarship project was to implement the End-of-Life Nursing Education Consortium (ELNEC) online training program for APRN students in the BSN-DNP program and evaluate its effect on student performance during a telehealth objective structured clinical examination (OSCE).

Methods: An observational, descriptive …

Opioid Overdose Prevention And Naloxone Training Among College Students, Mackenzie Thode

DNP Scholarly Projects

Background: Opioid abuse is a serious national crisis affecting both public health and economic welfare across the United States. In Tennessee, more than 1,800 overdose deaths were reported in 2018, with nearly 20% of those deaths occurring in Davidson County alone. The number of overdose deaths in Nashville has steadily risen amidst the COVID-19 pandemic by approximately 32% since 2019 to a total of 619 fatal overdoses in 2020, making it the city’s deadliest year on record. Review of evidence: Research shows that intranasal (IN) naloxone training is an effective approach to combating the opioid overdose crisis and can be …

Exploring Saudi Emergency Room Nurses’ Perceptions About Their Disaster Preparedness, Fadiyah Alshahrani

Seton Hall University Dissertations and Theses (ETDs)

Background: Disasters can overwhelm the capacities of health care facilities quickly. In recent years, the world has been affected by an increasing number of significant disasters. These include natural disasters such as earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tornados, storms, fires, and epidemic outbreaks. There are man-made disasters such as terrorist attacks, transportation accidents, and stampedes at mass gatherings. The resulting deaths and property damages have enormously affected countries’ economies, particularly on a health care system’s preparedness. In a major disaster, health care professionals must respond, manage, and prevent additional harm to victims. Nurses are the largest group of health care professionals …

The Effect Of Multimethodological Emotional Intelligence Training On Emotional Intelligence Levels In Nurses At An Academic Medical Center, Chad Eldridge

DNP Projects

Background: Stress levels associated with the nursing career can be amplified by hostile social environments in the workplace, horizontal aggression, lack of leadership support, and poor communication. This can lead to poor retention rates and increased burnout.

Conversely, supportive work environments positively influence nursing sensitive quality indicators such as patient satisfaction, nosocomial infections, patient falls, pressure ulcers, and medication errors. Strong relationships enhance workplace social capital leading to an increased sense of belonging, strengthened mental health, and improved job satisfaction ratings.

Executive nurse leaders can promote an empowering environment dedicated to the physical, mental, and social well-being of their staff …

Implementing Simulation In Icu New Graduate Nursing Orientation: Introducing Two Practice Innovations, Aiza Quinday Msn

Master's Projects and Capstones

A change project involving the use of innovative wearable simulation technology was integrated into the 12-week new graduate nurse ICU training program at one community hospital in Northern California. Project implementation was interrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic, so only the first pilot training session was conducted. Initial results from this training session suggest that the simulation training had a positive impact on the nurses’ ability to assess patient breath sounds and to recognize and treat a rapidly deteriorating patient. This training session also allowed the project team to identify additional areas of skill assessment and opportunities for improvement for the …

An Online Self-Directed Learning Module For Regional Stroke Survey Success, Winchell Rodriguez Kuttner

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Projects

The lack of a standardized education for stroke coordinators focusing on The Joint Commission (TJC) standards and requirements in preparation for the stroke program disease-specific care (DSC) certification survey every two years has led to undue added stress prior to survey. The development of tools and resources has been identified to address the current educational gap in stroke coordinator orientation. This project addressed the gap by creating an online, self-directed learning module to assist the stroke coordinators in knowledge acquisition of the stroke standards and requirements.

A stroke coordinator plays a critical role in stroke care delivery. An educational module …