Nursing Commons^™

Nursing Care Of Individuals Engaging In Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: Impact Of Dialectical Behavior Therapy Skills Reinforcement, Lucas Bridgens

MSN Capstone Projects

As explained by Linehan et al. (2006b), the seriousness of borderline personality disorder can be highlighted by the manifestations of emotional dysregulation, such as impulsive and suicidal and non-suicidal self-injurious (NSSI) behaviors. As the mental health field grows, so too does the knowledge base from which practitioners derive therapeutic interventions with hopes of effectively and safely treating patients while maintaining a culture of dignity and respect. One such treatment modality that has proven to reduce NSSI and improve interpersonal functioning, specifically in patients with borderline personality disorder, is Dialectical Behavior Therapy (DBT) which is a form of cognitive-behavioral therapy developed …

Implementing New Staffing Ratios In The Emergency Room To Improve Nurse And Patient Outcomes, Analicia Solis

MSN Capstone Projects

The significance of appropriate nurse staffing in enhancing patient outcomes and mitigating nurse burnout is well-documented. Inadequate nurse staffing can lead to negative consequences, including burnout, decreased nurse retention, and potential safety risks (Shin et al. 2018; Wynendaele et al. 2019) Research has also established a strong connection between nurse-to-patient ratios, well-being, and job dissatisfaction among nursing staff (Andel et al. 2021; Thompson-Munn et al. 2021).

Given this evidence, there is a compelling rationale for aligning nurse staffing ratios with proposed federal standards to address burnout, improve well-being, and enhance patient outcomes. Implementing these changes necessitates careful planning and assessment. …

The Impact Of Shared Governance On Work Engagement And Job Satisfaction, Mikayla Adkins

MSN Capstone Projects

In 2023, the National Council of State Boards of Nursing revealed that 100,000 nurses left the workforce during the COVID-19 pandemic and another 900,000 plan to leave by 2027 due to stress, burnout, and retirement. Identifying and implementing practical strategies to reduce voluntary turnover as a result of stress and burnout is a top priority for nursing leaders across the country. Work engagement and job satisfaction have well been documented in the literature as antidotes to occupational stress and burnout in the nursing profession (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2004; Pressley & Garside, 2022). Evidence suggests that implementing shared governance is a …

Improving The Mental Health Of Nursing Students By Utilizing A Serenity Room: A Benchmark Study, Megan E. Taylor

MSN Capstone Projects

Research findings consistently show that even though improvements have been made through the years, there is much more work to be done concerning mental health nationwide, especially in nursing. Nurses are the front-line workers in healthcare and face challenging times daily. Mental health-related issues in nursing have increased on a national level since the COVID-19 pandemic (Xiong et al., 2022). A more significant nursing shortage will likely occur without drastic change and support for nurses’ well-being.

The purpose of this paper is to describe a benchmark Capstone project. This benchmark study was conducted with the goal of improving nursing students …

Implementation Of Coping Strategies For Compassion Fatigue Through Counseling, Caleb R. Turner

MSN Capstone Projects

Many healthcare organizations are struggling to retain nurses due to the recent COVID-19 pandemic. Understanding common reasons for decreased retention in nursing begins with evaluating job satisfaction and how it can be affected (Cuartero-Castañer, 2021). Compassion Fatigue (CF) and Burnout (BO) are two leading causes of decreased job satisfaction (Compassion Satisfaction (CS)). The Professional Quality of Life Scale (PROQoL) (see Appendix C) is designed to identify individuals at higher risk of CF and BO. Using this scale in conjunction with the Peer-Support coaches in the hospital setting allows nurses to have conversations and communicate effectively with coaches trained to have …

Improving Safety In The Emergency Department: Utilizing Metal Detectors To Mitigate Weapon Possession, Jonathan Garcia

MSN Capstone Projects

Today’s high risk-healthcare environment has prioritized patient safety with great initiatives and, unfortunately, placed staff safety second. However, safety for both groups should be equal priorities. Evidence suggests that Emergency Departments (ED) often care for patients with a history of crime and mental health diagnoses, creating an environment where the threat of violence and weapons is increasingly prevalent compared to other clinical settings. (Erlyana, 2019) Risk mitigation is possible if we consider studies by Malka et al. (2015) and Laidlaw et al. (2017) that indicate the efficacy of metal detectors in accurately identifying concealed weapons. To improve clinician and patient …

The Use Of Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction To Reduce Stress And Burnout In Nurses, Sherri Foreman

MSN Capstone Projects

The Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction Program (MBSR) has been used effectively in multiple clinical settings to reduce workplace stress and burnout in nurses. The MBSR’s cost-effective approach to stress management can be implemented into any healthcare facility’s policy. The topic of MBSR’s effect on stress and burnout has been identified as essential due to nurses working in fast-paced, stressful work environments. These work environments lead to increased stress and burnout. The International Council of Nurses surveyed nurses before and after the pandemic. There were 40% of nurses that reported symptoms of burnout before the pandemic compared to 70% of nurses after …

The Implementation Of A Nurse Residency Program, Jessica Conrad

MSN Capstone Projects

Implementing a nurse residency program in a hospital can be a successful plan to improve nurse retention and the quality of patient care. Nurse residency programs allow new graduate nurses to transition into professional practice and gain skills for safe and effective care. Components of the programs include preceptorship, educational seminars, shadowing days, and support from preceptors, educators, and other leadership members. The program also may provide benefits to hospitals, including improved patient outcomes, nurse job satisfaction, and decreased costs associated with reduced turnover. Successful implementation needs leadership, collaboration, and communication among all stakeholders, including the staff nurses, preceptors, educators, …

Job Satisfaction And Burnout In Nursing, Tasha M. Tovar

MSN Capstone Projects

Job satisfaction, or lack thereof, can directly lead to burnout. Nursing is known globally as a high-stress career, thus leading to an increased level of burnout. Job burnout is among the most important occupational disorders and phenomena which have received great attention in the recent century (Nabizadeh et al., 2020). Multiple studies have proven that subtle, low-cost interventions can decrease the burnout experienced by nurses, leading to reduced turnover rates and an increase in the quality of patient care. Higher quality of care leads to improvement in patient satisfaction scores and also to increased reimbursement rates (Jun et al., 2021). …

Nurse Efficiency & Ultrasound Guided Intravenous Access: Evidence Based Intervention Benchmark, Jacob D. Frost

MSN Capstone Projects

Gaining IV access is this first step into accurate, timely diagnosis and interventions of patients. Nurses are typically the first medical professional a patient sees. If the nurse can establish IV access as early as possible this will lead to faster interventions faster diagnostic results and better management for patients and ultimately better patient outcomes. Ultrasound guided IV can increase first attempt success rates leading to decreased painful IV insertions by multiple nurses. This would increase patient satisfactions scores leading to higher re-imbursement.

Benchmark Study On The Impact Of Nurse Managers’ Leadership Style On Job Satisfaction And Retention Of Nurses, Khatrina Swarup

MSN Capstone Projects

Nurse managers play a crucial role in the healthcare system as they ensure that quality care is maintained and provide the necessary support for the nursing staff to perform their responsibilities well, amongst other duties. Nurses want patients to receive quality, cost-effective care, and these patients want the same. If nurses are happy with their jobs, they provide quality patient care, improving overall patient outcomes. Also, job dissatisfaction predicts how individuals perform at work and whether they intend to leave their position or not.

The current standard of practice does not specify what leadership styles nurse managers or leaders should …

Creating An Educational Intervention To Combat Nursing Incivility Benchmark Study, Kathleen P. Melancon

MSN Capstone Projects

When most people reflect on the nursing as a profession, the term compassionate typically comes to mind. The association with compassion is no surprise as nursing is considered to be the most compassionate profession in the world. Nurses, by trade and in all areas of practice, have an ethical and professional responsibility to create and uphold an environment of mutual respect and civility. However, the notion of “nurses eat their young” and the behaviors that stem from this mindset are causing detrimental effects not only to those organizations employing nurses but to patients and the nurses themselves.

Over the last …

Emergency Department Workplace Violence Against Nurses, Adam Johnson

MSN Capstone Projects

Emergency room nurses are often thought of as the adrenaline junkies of the nursing world. Emergency nurses interact with a wide array of patients and visitors and are often the first clinician a patient may see upon arriving at an emergency department. With this wide array of patients and visitors, also comes a volatile environment with the increased risks of violence against nurses. This violence could include verbal, physical, and emotional violence from patients, visitors, and even fellow staff members. As violence increases, nursing longevity decreases and thus further increases the expense of nursing on a facility. Therefore, this has …

Bedside Shift Report Improves Patient Safety, Scott Meyers

MSN Capstone Projects

In the inpatient setting, Parkland Health & Hospital System has continued to have patient falls with injury above its target goal. This occurred every month throughout 2019. Additionally, multiple egregious IV medication administration errors occurred over the last year related to nurses bypassing established safety practices.

An evaluation of evidence-based literature reveals that the practice of bedside shift report (BSR) leads to a reduction in both patient falls and medication administration errors. Indeed, BSR is evidence-based practice (EBP) that promotes an overall environment of safety, quality care, and improved communication between nurses and patients. Additionally, there is virtually no risk …

Official Mentor Program Benchmark Project, Gabriela O'Hara

MSN Capstone Projects

Nursing shortage, turnover, and low job satisfaction are constant issues that often trouble healthcare organizations. These issues have led organizations to implement programs, such as externship, internship, and preceptor programs to strengthen new nurses’ professional practice and skills. However, these issues continue to be organizational challenges. Considering the need for new nurses to have a supportive foundation for their career and to further encourage workplace satisfaction and retention, the following PICOT question was developed: In a healthcare organization, how does an official mentor program, compared with not having a mentor program, influence nursing retention and nursing job satisfaction over 2 …

Mitigating Burnout In The Pediatric Intensive Care Unit, Katelyn O. Mcgaughy

MSN Capstone Projects

Burnout is defined as a “prolonged response to chronic emotional and interpersonal stressors on the job leading to a combination of physical and emotional exhaustion” (Lachman, 2016). The effects of burnout syndrome among nurses are well documented in the literature. Burnout is associated with an increased incidence of a variety of physical and psychological symptoms, including weight loss or gain, lethargy, headaches, sleep issues, anxiety, depression, and difficulty concentrating (Lachman, 2016). As a result of these symptoms, nurses experiencing burnout are more prone to provide poorer quality care to patients and are at heightened risk of commission of errors in …

Acuity-Based Staffing: Improving Patient Outcomes And Staff Satisfaction, Natalie Long

MSN Capstone Projects

Traditionally, nurse staffing practices have been based on a nurse-patient ratio model and have not incorporated patient acuity. More recent literature has shown that acuity-based staffing can improve patient outcomes and staff satisfaction. The Emergency Department (ED) is an area that has fluctuating patient acuity and volume. To incorporate acuity in to staffing in the ED, the acuity mix over the past year can be used to calculate required nursing hours, therefore providing the number of required nurses for that facility. The calculated number of staff can then be distributed over a 24 hour period. By incorporating acuity in to …