Digital Commons Network^™

Evaluation Of An Interprofessional Educational Initiative, Janis Grace Seeley

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of the study was to examine the elements and partnerships that need to be considered and developed in the design and evaluation of an interprofessional education (IPE) initiative within an academic setting. A mixed methods approach was used to obtain data from three sources: one-on-one interview with one administrator; a focus group with 9 faculty members; and completion of a precourse (n = 201, 88.63%) and a postcourse survey (n = 136, 58.11%) with the students. Students in the IPE initiative came from 11 disciplines: child and youth worker, dental hygiene, developmental services worker, law and security administration, …

Importance Of Employee Engagement During Change, Jacqueline Thrasher Pierce

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Healthcare is in crisis; nursing is in crisis. Patient acuity is also on the rise (Beaty, 2005). In the United States, hospital and nursing leadership are professionally bound to produce effective clinical patient outcomes. For nursing leaders, producing effective clinical outcomes requires delivering a level of patient care that is appropriate to the individual patient and in direct proportion to his or her needs. If acuity is rising and care needs are expanding, the resulting higher level of nursing care hours affects nursing budgets. If unit budgets do not flex with the patient acuity, nursing leaders are then challenged to …

Teaching Mindfulness Techniques To Nursing Students For Stress Reduction And Self-Care, Lisa R. Shields

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

This systems change project (SCP) was participatory action research based on a mindfulness intervention/teaching for reduction of stress and promotion of self-care in nursing students. The project was conducted a St. Catherine University as part of the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. Participants were twenty senior post-baccalaureate nursing students in their final semester of study. Research was conducted by the writer and consisted of two, 1 hour mindfulness interventions. Data were collected using the Perceived Stress Scale and Mindfulness Attention Awareness Scale and analyzed using statistical hypothesis tests. Qualitative data was also collected. Results of the project were not statistically …

Standardization Of A Formal Advance Care Planning Model, Jessica Ann Hinkley

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Planning for health care needs is a responsibility that requires informed decision making, time, and individualized attention. Advance care planning (ACP) is an organized process of communication that is intended to assist, engage, and support health care consumers, their families, and the involved health care professionals in understanding, reflecting upon, and discussing the individual’s goals, values, and preferences for their present and future health care needs (Respecting Choices, 2007). ACP an appropriate intervention for all adult health care consumers particularly those with chronic disease or advanced illness.

Fairview Red Wing Health Services (FRWHS) is among many health care organizations worldwide …

Successful Recruitment And Retention Strategies Supportive Of Completion Of Associate And Baccalaureate Degree Nursing Programs For African Americans, Kathleen Anne Smith

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this systems change project (SCP) was to examine the marketing approaches used to recruit African American students into the nursing program at a predominately white university. Additionally, the project sought to elicit information regarding the retention resources utilized by black students and nursing faculty to support the successful completion of the associate or baccalaureate nursing program. The survey tool was delivered to students and faculty via the internet. Sixty-six students were invited to participant in the project, with a response rate of 18%.

Of those, eleven students responding to the survey met the project criteria of Black …

Content, Communication, And Contemplation: Recommendations For A Hospice Orientation Program, Amanda Frances Larson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

High employee turnover and the aging population are two challenges facing hospice programs today. The purpose of this project is to provide recommendations for the design of a hospice orientation that is individualized to the learner while also being more efficient and cost effective for the agency. An extensive review of the recent literature related to hospice, palliative care, and home care education was completed. Recommendations can be categorized by the themes of content, communication, and collaboration.

Wound Care Referral Algorithm, Luciana T. Arntson

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The purpose of this study was to develop a wound care referral algorithm for primary providers at a Long Term Acute Care Hospital, and the use of this algorithm to increase the prompt referrals of patients with complex wounds to specialty care by 10%. This study used a model of program evaluation called objective-based evaluation, in which the objectives were evaluated by the creation and use of a wound care referral algorithm in a laminated card and tracking the number of referrals to the Wound Nurse Practitioner in a tracking log. The data analysis was the evaluation of the raw …

Breastfeeding Among African American Women In Minneapolis, Lavonne Moore

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The health benefits of breastfeeding for mothers and infants are widely recognized and because of this, breastfeeding should be considered the preferred choice of infant feeding for all women. Its relevance as a disease prevention and health promotion tool should not be underestimated for any population. However, the breastfeeding rates for African American women remain well below the Healthy People 2020 goals.

The purpose of this project was to determine why breastfeeding rates are low in the African American community through exploring the barriers for African American women to breastfeeding. Through this research, appropriate interventions were developed and implemented to …

Development Of A Reference Guide For Primary Care Providers Caring For Post Surgical Bariatric Patients, Donna Marie Schneider

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

The primary care provider (PCP) plays a vital role in the post surgical follow-up care of the bariatric patient. Comprehensive care for these patients is essential for long term, successfuloutcomes. Primary care providers must have an understanding of the different clinical complexities these patients present.

The purpose of this system change project was to develop a reference guide to improve the PCP’s ability to care for the post surgical bariatric patient. A survey was sent to 5,120 physicians and nurse practitioners in the state of Minnesota concerning the knowledge demands of post surgical bariatric care. The major elements of care …