Doctor of Nursing Practice Project Advisement: A Roadmap for Faculty and Student Success.

Abstract

Robust enrollment in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs has created a need for faculty teaching in other nursing programs to be project advisers. Faculty may lack the knowledge and skills needed to advise projects that are evidence-based practice (EBP) or quality improvement (QI) initiatives. A project roadmap with tools and resources was needed. Practice-based evidence from members of the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) DNP Leadership Taskforce was used to inform the process for DNP project advisement. This evidence was integrated with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing Taskforce 2015 recommendations and literature on DNP project criteria to develop a roadmap. Twenty-two students and six faculty have piloted the DNP Project Roadmap and provided positive feedback. Eight peer-reviewed presentations and three manuscript submissions with one acceptance have resulted from using the roadmap. Data support that the project roadmap phases and associated tools and resources facilitate faculty project advisement and offer students clear project guidelines and a foundation for future practice scholarship. [J Nurs Educ. 2019;58(12):728-732.].