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Policy Analysis Of The Illinois Nurse Practice Act (Aprn Title Section 65/65-50), Sara Kim

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background

Physician groups claim allowing nurses to use the title "doctor" confuses patients. Nurses assert that the title is common to many disciplines, and nurses should be trusted like other professionals to identify their specialty to patients. Currently, qualified nurses in Illinois using the title "doctor" in clinical areas must introduce themselves to each patient in the following way: "Hi, I'm Dr. Smith, the nurse practitioner taking care of you today. I do not have a degree in medicine, and I am not a physician or medical doctor” (225 ILCS § 65/65-50).

Purpose

This project aimed to evaluate Illinois Nurse …

Reducing Incidence Of Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury Through Nursing Education, Hilarie Rankin

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) occurs commonly in patients following percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) and has been linked to increased patient morbidity, higher risk for cardiovascular mortality, and a large burden of annual healthcare costs. The implementation of evidence-based care standards by nursing staff has been shown to reduce incidence of CI-AKI. Current discrepancies in nursing care have been linked to increased incidence of CI-AKI; therefore, the need for enhanced nurse buy-in with evidence-based protocols is paramount. The primary investigator sought to increase knowledge of CI-AKI and nursing compliance with an established evidence-based protocol at a single center hospital. After …

Improving Suicide Risk Assessment Through Educational Program Implementation, Timothy Booth

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Background: Unsustainable behavioral health education focused on comprehensive suicide risk assessment performance contributes to decreased registered nurses’ perceived self-efficacy in assessing and caring for suicidal patients.

Purpose: To educate medical-surgical and progressive care registered nurses in assessing patients for suicide risk factors and warning signs comprehensively.

Design Method: A quasi-experimental designed quality improvement project with evidence-based suicide educational program implementation. Project results yielded a 56.7% increase in registered nurses’ perceived self-efficacy in assessing and caring for suicidal patients. Future DNP work will focus on sampling a larger population (N) to decrease opportunities for the skewness of project results …

Quality Improvement Initiative: Implementing A Nurse Peer Mentorship Program, Vepuka E. Kauari

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Introduction: Formal mentoring programs are valuable experiences for the mentor and the mentee. They provide nurses with the ability to develop professional networks while refining their competency. Nurses should be properly mentored in focusing skills in addition to addressing their emotional needs. The purpose of this quality improvement project was to promote and evaluate the effectiveness of an existing mentoring program on intent to stay, perceived competency, and job satisfaction.

Methods: Institutional Review Board approval was obtained. A convenience sample of new nurses with less than 2 years’ experience in an academic medical center was recruited to assess their intent …

Simulation Use In Pre-Licensure Nursing Programs: Assuring Excellence In New Nurse Competence And Confidence, Suzan Griffis Knowles

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Purpose: This program evaluation project aims were to review the current state of simulation experiences in pre-licensure undergraduate nursing programs in Washington State and determine policy recommendations related to the future use of simulation experiences in clinical nursing education. The evaluation compared student outcomes of NCLEX pass rates associated with clinical simulation versus traditional clinical nursing experiences. Programs were evaluated for compliance with INACSL Simulation Standards of Best Practice.

Conceptual Framework: The NLN/Jeffries Theory provided the framework for an analysis of program evaluation data regarding using the INASCL Simulation Standards of Best Practice.

Design/Method: The study design was a descriptive …