Barriers To Participation In Follow-Up Services In Oncology, Casey Wagman

DNP Projects

Background
Psychological distress is often seen in cancer patients due to the physical, emotional, and social burdens of diagnosis and treatment. Patient participation in support services remains low despite the readily available psychosocial resources. The Emotional Well-Being Tool (EWBT), a validated psychological distress screening tool, is often used in a Midwest cancer clinic, yet it was noted that its supportive services were underutilized.

Purpose
This quality improvement project aimed to analyze the perspective of cancer patients on the EWBT, their understanding of its purpose and outcomes, and the perceived barriers to utilizing supportive services.

Methods
It was an exploratory design, …

The Use Of Debriefing To Combat Compassion Fatigue Among Cardiac Intensive Care Nurses, Brittany Johnson

DNP Projects

Background:
Compassion fatigue has physical, emotional, and psychological impacts on nurses working in intensive care units. Debriefing sessions can be used to help reduce compassion fatigue by allowing nurses on a cardiac intensive care unit to discuss their thoughts and feelings after the death of a patient who has had a complex hospital stay or traumatic death.

Aim:
The purpose of this project was to assess the perception of compassion fatigue on work life among Cardiovascular Intensive Care Unit (CVICU) nurses and to evaluate whether debriefing sessions following demanding situations enhance nurses' coping abilities and emotional processing.

Methods:
Nurses working …

Staff Education On Depression Screening In Young Adults, Irene Micere Njeru

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Summary This doctoral project was on staff education. The practice problem was a knowledge deficit regarding depression screening by staff nurses at a local acute inpatient psychiatric facility. The practice-focused question was as follows: Will education on depression screening for young adults (18-to-28-year-olds) increase knowledge on the use of evidence-based depression screening tools by nursing staff in an inpatient psychiatric crisis facility? The purpose of the doctoral project was to educate staff nurses at a local acute inpatient psychiatric facility on the PHQ-9 depression screening tool for individuals aged 18 to 28 years. The project included a PowerPoint presentation, a …

Enhancing Communication Among New Nurses Using Scenario-Based Education, Anita Clark Chambers

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

This staff education project was designed to enhance communication among new nurses with 2 years or less of experience in a Level One trauma center emergency department (ED). The aim of this project initiative was to enhance learners’ communication strategy knowledge and confidence by using scenario-based education via a web-based format. When ineffective communication exchanges occur with healthcare personnel, such as with new nurses, negative patient care outcomes can occur such as sentinel events. Transitional challenges such as lack of prioritization, clinical decision-making skills and low confidence can affect the new nurse’s ability to appropriate effective communication strategies into their …

Staff Education Program For Fall Prevention, Priya Sebastian Vadakkan

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Falls are the most common adverse events leading to increased injury, length of hospital stay, and costs among hospitalized patients. I developed a staff education project to address the identified practice problem of increased fall rates on the cardiac floor of the project site. The practice-focused question guiding this Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project was whether a comprehensive staff education program on evidence-based fall prevention strategies could improve the nurses’ knowledge when compared to standard fall prevention practices. The purpose of this DNP project was to provide staff education to increase nurses’ knowledge about the early identification of fall …

Enhancing Novice Nurse Educator Success: A Comprehensive Orientation And Mentorship Program, Emily R. Luther

Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects

Nursing education programs face challenges from faculty shortages, high turnover, and limited onboarding support for new educators. This Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project assessed the effectiveness of a structured orientation and mentorship program aimed at improving competency, job satisfaction, and retention among novice nurse educators within a mid-sized nursing program in the southeastern United States. The project addressed gaps in existing onboarding processes that left new faculty unprepared, which contributed to dissatisfaction and attrition. A mixed-methods pre- and post-intervention design was utilized. Quantitative data were gathered through the Self-Assessment of Nurse Educator Competencies (SANE-C), the Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ), …

Development Of A Clinical Practice Guideline For Trauma-Informed Care In Interprofessional Health Care Settings, Ngwi Rita Etiendem

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

Developing a standardized Clinical Practice Guideline for Trauma Informed Care was a central objective of this Doctor of Nursing project. This project followed an evidence-based, collaborative, and structured methodology that prioritized interdisciplinary input, organizational alignment, and rigorous appraisal using the AGREE II instrument.

Staff Education To Same Day Surgery Nurses, Katherine Lutman

Walden Dissertations and Doctoral Studies

The aim of this doctor of nursing practice staff education project was to provide a staff education program to the same day surgery staff at the practicum site on the Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) evidence-based approach to surgical care to improve patient outcomes. ERAS includes multiple modalities designed to optimize a patient’s condition before, during, and after surgery. When implemented correctly, ERAS can reduce the need for narcotics, shorten recovery time, and improve surgical outcomes. The practice gap identified was that the only ERAS modality being actively implemented and tracked was nutrition in colorectal surgical patients and that the …

Exploring The Connection Between Emotional Intelligence And Academic Achievement In Senior Nursing Students, Kimberly Smith

Dissertations

The need for nurses is now greater than ever, with a projected shortage of nearly five million nurses by 2030. Several factors exist that hinder the number of practice-ready nurses, causing nursing programs worldwide to explore and re-examine admission practices and increase student retention rates. The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN, 2024) reported that over 100,000 students were denied enrollment in baccalaureate and graduate nursing programs in 2024, indicating that maximizing admission processes is crucial in addressing the current nursing shortage. This emphasizes the need for greater participation to ensure that all students have access to the educational …

Adolescent Students’ Adaptability During The Covid-19 Pandemic Impacting Their Academic Preparedness In College: A Qualitative Exploration Of Resilience In Secondary School Disruptions, Nicole Tyanne Jameson

Dissertations

This study, conducted several years after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, takes a unique approach to investigating the long-term effects of the pandemic-induced disruptions on adolescents during secondary schooling and their academic preparedness in college. The study combined a descriptive qualitative analysis of academic routine data with quantifiable resilience scores, providing a comprehensive understanding of the challenges students faced, their adaptability and resilience, and the overall impact on their education journey into college. This comprehensive descriptive qualitative study utilizes triangulation of quantitative data and qualitative approaches to understand the subject matter thoroughly. The quantitative scores meticulously analyzed resiliency and …

Establishment Of Neonatal Sepsis Predictors Utilizing Non-Invasive Monitoring Techniques, Dalton Janssen

Dissertations

Neonatal sepsis remains one of the leading causes of global neonatal mortality. Reactionary approaches for diagnosis and treatment have dominated the tactics in addressing neonatal sepsis but clinical intuition is an untapped resource that could lead to earlier prediction of sepsis onset. Nurses and other staff with specialized training and experience who have served as routine caregivers for a specific patient are able to identify when the patient’s status is altered. This clinical intuition may be substantiated by referencing specific patient trends in non-invasive measures over time. This retrospective, exploratory study examined whether variation in non-invasive monitoring variables could serve …

Empowering Excellence: Nurse-Educator Led Ccrn Study Group, Mary Judson Msn, Rn, Ccrn, Cnl

Posters

Key Takeaway:

Implementation of a nurse-educator led study group for specialty certification exams can potentially increase the number of certified nurses in a unit.

The Impact Of Implementing A Nurse Residency Program, Lexus Freeman

Nurse Residency

Does a nurse residency program enhance retention among new graduate nurses compared to immediately entering practice?

Importance Of Mobility During Hospital Stays, Jennifer Davis

Nurse Residency

PICOT Question: In hospitalized patients, how does lack of mobility compared to regular ambulation affect mental health during their hospital stays?

What Sucks The Best? The Ducanto!, Gabe Gunning

Nurse Residency

Background: Airway management is a defining skill that demands mastery by emergency physicians. Airway emergencies pose considerable morbidity and mortality risks. Familiarity with, and mastery of, a variety of airway management approaches and equipment can prove invaluable for management of anatomically and physiologically difficult airways.

Delirium In Intubated Adult Icu Patients, Emily Martin, Colby Obrecht, Jacob Scott

Nurse Residency

PICOT Question: In intubated adult ICU patients, does sedation with Dexmedetomidine compared to Propofol reduce the incidence of hospital acquired delirium during the ICU stay?

Mouth Matters: Impact Of Therapeutic Communication On Inpatient Oral Hygiene Practices In Medical-Surgical Units, Duncan Macleod Rn, Terence Olds Rn, Acadia Birk Rn

Nurse Residency

PICOT Question: In adults over 18 years of age on a medical-surgical floor(P), how can therapeutic communication strategies be implemented to encourage oral hygiene practices(I), compare to providing the resources without therapeutic communication(C), in maintenance of daily oral hygiene practices(O), during length of hospital stay(T).

Take 3 For Me: Coping With Occupational Stress In Pediatric Oncology Nursing: Quality Improvement., Alexys Nadeau

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Background: High acuity oncology patients increase RN emotional demands, worsening RN compassion fatigue. RNs are more prone to occupational stress/burnout. Maximizing coping self-efficacy can help nurses deal with occupational stress and burnout.

Environment: Implemented at a hospital caring for a pediatrics in a medium-sized Southeastern US city on the hematology/oncology unit, which serves bi-state counties.

Purpose: This QI project uses a Plan-Do-Study-Act framework to assess the levels of stress experienced, implement a stress management program, reassess the stress levels, and evaluate the program’s effectiveness in improving coping self-efficacy.

Procedures: Nurses received education flyers and emails regarding Take3forMe. Then asked to …

A Quality Improvement Project To Improve Touch Exposures In The Neonatal Intensive Care Unit., Jeremi Tricia Braga

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Introduction: Premature infants in the NICU are exposed to many noxious stimuli that could cause negative effects on development. The SENSE® program has been developed to provide developmentally appropriate sensory stimulation for neonates. This project will focus on sense of touch primarily with KC or also referred to as skin-to-skin.

Environment: This QI project took place in to a Level III NICU at a tertiary medical center in Louisville, Kentucky. The facility has a total of 421 beds including the NICU that is licensed for 34 beds and caring for infants born prematurely as early as 22 weeks to term …

Enhancing Nurse Competence And Self-Efficacy In Delivery Of Medication Education At Discharge: A Quality Improvement Project Using The Teach-Back Method., Quinesia James

Doctor of Nursing Practice Papers

Medication nonadherence in pediatric psychiatric care contributes to worsening symptoms, delayed developmental progress, and increased hospitalizations. Adherence rates remain as low as 30–60%, accounting for up to $300 billion in avoidable healthcare costs annually. Low health literacy and inconsistent education strategies further complicate adherence. This quality improvement project took place on the child and adolescent psychiatric units at the project site, a large teaching hospital in a metropolitan area in the south-central United States, which serves patients aged 5–17 with complex mental health needs. The initiative aimed to improve nurses’ competence, self-efficacy, and time efficiency in delivering medication discharge education …