The ethical integration of generative artificial intelligence in Doctor of Nursing Practice project planning: A formative approach.

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Academic-Practice Partnerships: Building a sustainable model for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects.

AACN published a clarifying document in 2015 to guide Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs' DNP Scholarly Projects. This publication provided specific and general guidance; however, areas of inconsistent interpretation remained. The variability of best practices for DNP projects sparked the idea for a national survey to explore how projects are being carried out and to determine if the varied approaches align with AACN's 2015 recommendations. This nationwide study's purpose was to describe DNP Scholarly Project processes and to determine alignment with AACN's 2015 DNP project recommendations. A descriptive survey was deployed to DNP programs across the country. National DNP project practices were identified as well as gaps in alignment with AACN recommendations. The results of this study provided a national snapshot of how DNP programs are executing DNP projects. Rich dialogue and ongoing exploration about DNP project best practices continue because of this work.

The DNP project: Quandaries for nursing scholars

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students acquire the ability to translate knowledge into tangible, real-world solutions through their DNP projects. Flexibility in DNP project requirements has resulted in significant variation across programs. Due to its expansive growth at one public university, a DNP Project Task Force was formed to re-envision the existing DNP Project structure and products. The Task Force used the Johns Hopkins Evidence-Based Practice Model (4th ed.) as a framework to design a 3-semester-3-course series with one faculty member leading each DNP Project group of six students throughout project development, implementation, and evaluation. The DNP Project Dissemination Package includes an abstract, an executive summary, and a conference-style poster that meet program/university requirements and that are appropriate for future professional presentation and/or publication. Though scalable and adaptable for widespread implementation, factors such as university-based requirements and faculty workload assignment may impact broader adoption of the Dissemination Package. The DNP Project Dissemination Package empowers DNP graduates to serve as change agents, share their impactful work and showcase the extent to which DNP projects can be timely and widely disseminated to ensure translation of evidence into practice.

Implementing SQUIRE guidelines to improve standardization and rigor of DNP projects.

To advocate for the systematic review as a rigorous, competency-aligned option for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project. A descriptive and conceptual analysis was used, drawing on existing literature, historical context, and a case study of a three-semester curriculum integrating systematic review methodology. Data sources included peer-reviewed research, professional guidelines, and faculty experience in teaching and mentoring DNP students. Integrating systematic reviews as DNP projects equips students with competencies in evidence synthesis, critical appraisal, knowledge translation, and project management. A three-semester scaffolded approach to conducting a systematic review has the potential to foster strong student engagement, build essential skills, and prepare graduates to lead evidence-based practice change. Systematic reviews meet DNP project criteria when paired with practice-focused implementation and evaluation components. This approach offers an alternative where site access, time, or feasibility limits primary data collection, while ensuring methodological rigor and professional relevance. Adopting systematic reviews as DNP projects can reduce clinical site burden, expand project opportunities, and strengthen evidence-based practice capacity in nursing. Broader acceptance and standardization of this model could enhance practice-based doctoral education globally. No Patient or Public Contribution.

How to guide students through a DNP project: A practical guide for faculty.

Enrollment in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs is growing rapidly. This poses a challenge to faculty because there is a gap in knowledge about evidence-based practice and quality improvement DNP projects. Challenged by the growing unavailability of preceptors and mentors in the practice setting, solutions are needed to help students meet the essentials of the degree and competencies for practice. Faculty knowledge of key DNP quality improvement project elements, measuring, monitoring, and sustaining improvement outcomes, may help students design projects to provide value to practice partners. A literature review was conducted to identify gaps in faculty knowledge of potential practice partners' value-added elements of DNP quality improvement projects (measuring, monitoring, and sustainability) to make recommendations for faculty development to improve DNP project mentoring. There is evidence in the literature that faculty feel ill-prepared to mentor DNP projects. Quality improvement content is available for faculty development in the nursing and other health sciences literature. Optimizing faculty knowledge regarding evidence-based practice, quality improvement processes, and mentoring of sustainable DNP projects that improve health care provides value to practice partners and may advance long-term partnerships. Adding structures to support faculty knowledge in these areas contributes to solutions to the challenges of rapidly expanding DNP programs.

The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) curriculum was initially developed in 2004. The DNP degree is a practice doctorate, which educates nurses to the highest level of clinical nursing practice. DNP students must complete a scholarly project in accordance with the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) guidelines. The project is an opportunity for the student to integrate skills into practice and demonstrate principles of advanced nursing practice. The AACN provides recommendations for the DNP project, but much confusion regarding the context and implementation of the project still exists. At one academic health sciences center, DNP project students often complete their projects within academic practice partnerships. Such partnerships are encouraged by the AACN. Several DNP quality improvement (QI) projects were submitted a hospital's interdisciplinary quality week event. Upon review, some of the abstracts were found to contain aspects of research. This finding prompted the review of all DNP project processes to standardize methods for faculty, students, the University, and the academic practice partner.

Students invest many hours of work conducting root cause analyses, researching clinical practice guidelines, and implementing quality improvement projects for their Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP). Often when the student graduates, however, the logistics and details of the project can fall by the wayside. The aim of this clinical article is to begin the conversation about the sustainability of the DNP project and provide suggestions for further research and linear curriculum consideration. A review of literature was conducted to examine the history of the DNP project and any efforts being made to support project sustainability. The PubMed database was utilized for data sourcing, including full text published in the last 10 years and English language. Findings demonstrated variability in the DNP project across nursing programs, however, what was more apparent was the lack of research on project sustainability itself. The DNP project serves to demonstrate the rigor and quality of the terminal practice degree in nursing, therefore, sustainability of the project would support its significance. This article provides a starting point for research on DNP project sustainability and provides suggestions for how this could be accomplished through academic-practice partnerships and linear communication across nursing curricula.

The Development of Practice Scholarship in DNP Programs: A Paradigm Shift

Colleges of Nursing (CONs) and health care organizations (HCOs) are increasingly embracing academic-practice partnerships (AcaPP). An HCO's workforce development plan prompted an AcaPP agreement with a CON for the purpose of increasing the number of doctor of nursing practice (DNP) advanced practice nurses in the HCO. Over a period of 6 years, 4 consecutive cohorts of approximately 100 HCO baccalaureate prepared nurses were enrolled in the CON DNP program. The AcaPP environment facilitates large-scale DNP projects among successive cohorts of students. The purpose of this article is to describe the innovative Tiered DNP Project Model, defined as the process by which current students build on and expand select DNP projects implemented by students in initial cohorts. The tiered approach to the DNP project is facilitated by an advising model that occurs in the context of mutually agreed-upon goals and compatible with the HCO strategic plan and CON DNP program objectives. In the Tiered DNP Project Model, select studies are chosen for continuation by DNP students in subsequent cohorts based on nursing leadership guidance of alignment with HCO strategic goals. The model has resulted in driving improvements in HCO patient and systems outcomes, promoted practice scholarship, and contributed to the quality of the CON DNP program.

Background: Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects frequently encounter challenges related to variability in design, limited sustainability, and misalignment with organizational priorities, reducing their long-term impact on practice transformation. There is a growing need for structured academic-practice models that embed DNP scholarship within existing quality improvement (QI) infrastructures to enhance rigor, continuity, and sustainability. Objective: To describe the development and implementation of the Sustained Student Integration Model (SSIM), a longitudinal framework designed to integrate DNP student projects into the ongoing QI infrastructure of a nurse practitioner (NP)-led interdisciplinary practice. Methods: The SSIM was developed using principles from Donabedian's Quality of Care Model, the Social Ecological Model, patient-centered care frameworks, and Interprofessional Education Collaborative competencies. The model embeds DNP projects longitudinally across successive student cohorts within an NP-led interdisciplinary practice, fostering continuity and scalability. Key components include structured mentorship, interdisciplinary collaboration among psychiatric and primary care NPs, pharmacists, and other professionals, and alignment with practice-level QI priorities. Results: To date, more than 20 DNP projects have been implemented within the SSIM framework across domains, including access and continuity of care, cardiometabolic health, digital health innovation, and specialty populations. Outcomes include sustained practice changes, peer-reviewed publications, and national scholarly presentations, demonstrating both educational and organizational impact. Conclusions: The SSIM provides a replicable, longitudinal approach to embedding DNP scholarship within clinical practice. By aligning student projects with organizational priorities and interdisciplinary QI infrastructure, the SSIM enhances sustainability, rigor, and translational impact. Implications for Nursing: The SSIM positions NP-led academic-practice partnerships as innovation hubs that prepare practice-ready nurse leaders while advancing equity-focused, interdisciplinary care delivery. This model offers a scalable solution to long-standing challenges in DNP education and contributes to the advancement of sustainable, system-level nursing practice transformation.

The 2021 American Association for Colleges of Nursing (AACN) Essentials for Professional Nursing Education identifies evidence-based practice (EBP) as a core concept meant to be integrated across curricula. Integrating EBP in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs is challenging because of barriers including persistent confusion between research, EBP, and quality improvement; low faculty confidence and competence in their EBP skills and mentoring; increased faculty workload with growing program enrollments; and limited opportunities for students and faculty to practice EBP skills. The aim of this initiative was to implement and evaluate an innovative education strategy to build DNP students' and faculty's EBP competency and confidence while mitigating barriers faced by DNP programs. A DNP Help Desk was created and implemented at a large, Midwestern college of nursing with participation and support from EBP experts. Student and faculty participation were tracked, and perceptions of the help desk were evaluated. Opportunities to evolve the help desk were identified and implemented. Outcomes included a self-reported increase in student and faculty confidence and EBP competency, increased integration, and utilization of EBP in project work, elevated DNP project quality, and decreased demands on DNP project advisors. Engaging in innovative strategies aimed at increasing EBP competency and confidence may lead to increased EBP engagement and positive outcomes for students, faculty, and DNP programs.