Doctor Of Nursing Practice Students Research Articles

Informatics Competencies of Students in a Doctor of Nursing Practice Program: A Descriptive Study.

Health systems that apply artificial intelligence (AI) are transforming the roles of healthcare providers, including those of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) providers. These professionals are required to utilize informatics knowledge and skills to deliver quality care, necessitating a high level of informatics competencies, which should be developed through well-structured courses. The purpose of this study is to assess the informatics competency scale scores of DNP students and to provide recommendations for enhancing the informatics curriculum. An online informatics course was offered to students enrolled in a Bachelor of Science in Nursing to DNP program, and their informatics competency, which includes three subscales, was evaluated. Online survey data were collected from Fall 2021 to Fall 2022 using the "Self-Assessment of Informatics Competency Scale for Health Professionals." An analysis of 127 student responses revealed that students demonstrated competence in overall informatics competency and in one subscale: "applied computer skills (clinical informatics)." They showed proficiency in the "basic computer skills" and the "role" subscales. However, they reported lower competency in managing data and integrating standard terminology into their practice. The findings offer detailed insights into the current informatics competencies of DNP students and can inform informatics educators on how to enhance their courses. As healthcare institutions increasingly depend on AI applications, it is imperative for informatics educators to include AI-related content in their curricula.

National evaluation of DNP students' use of the PICOT method for formulating clinical questions.

The intent of the PICOT (i.e., Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome, Time) method is to formulate focused clinical questions to facilitate the discovery of relevant evidence through systematic searching, with the components of the question serving as the foundation for the search. Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduates use evidence-based practices to institute changes in their organizations' systems and policies, thereby yielding positive effects on both patient and system outcomes. Given that the clinical question is the foundation of the evidence-based practice process, DNP graduates' competence in the PICOT method needs to be better understood. This analysis aimed to describe how DNP students used the PICOT method to ask clinical questions in their DNP projects. Project questions were retrieved from a subset (n = 129, 60.56%) of an existing national random sample of publicly available DNP projects spanning the years 2010 to 2021 from Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education-accredited schools (n = 213). Project questions using the PICOT method were further evaluated with a scoring system of 0 = no and 1 = yes for missing elements, formatting, directional outcome, and project purpose. Possible scores ranged from 0 to 8, with higher scores indicating more errors. Discussion among five researchers, until agreement was achieved, yielded consensus. Although the PICOT method was project author-identified in 66 (31.0%) projects, only four (6%) followed the PICOT method. All 66 (100%) were intervention questions. There were 2.74 (SD 1.55) mean errors, ranging from 0 to 6. No questions were missing P or O. Specific errors included missing I 3 (4.5%) or missing C 37 (56%), poor formatting 34 (51.5%), directional outcome 44 (66.7%), and project purpose 38 (57.6%). Thirty-three (50%) of the questions were missing T; however, T is not used for searching, so researchers recalculated the mean error without T (M = 2.24, SD = 1.28, range 0-5). Gaps in the accurate use of the PICOT method to construct clinical questions can lead to biased searches, inaccurate clinical problem identification, and, when used as the project purpose, jumping to non-evidence-based solutions. Academic faculty and clinical educators can mitigate these skewed outcomes and enhance their impact on quality outcomes by helping DNP-prepared nurses shore up this foundational skill.

Expert-Type Content Validity Applications to Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects.

Background: Developing rigorous doctor of nursing practice (DNP) projects continues to challenge faculty and doctoral students. To address project rigor, expert content validity methods have been applied to clinical projects. Students implement expert content validity processes to literature-based project components. Objectives: The objectives of this study are to describe some of the developmental phases of DNP projects during the courses of one DNP program and to explore one strategy for increasing the rigor of DNP projects, review details on expert-type content validity methods, and examine literature for projects implementing an alternate application of expert-type content validity and scoring approaches to components of DNP projects. Methods: Expert content validity methods are described for DNP projects, such as guidelines, teaching plans, support groups, and algorithms. They are used to judge components generated from initial content analysis strategies. Types of expert panelists and descriptions of scoring ranks on project components are presented to represent different expert content validity strategies. Results The steps are presented to support expert content validity processes. Conclusions: DNP projects challenge faculty and students to create systematically constructed quality improvement projects on important and interesting clinical problems. The expert context validity process is one approach of enhancing project rigor. Implications for Nursing: An outline offers steps to establish expert content validity for translational DNP projects.

A pilot resiliency course for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students: Lessons learned

Graduate nursing students can face varied and significant stressors during their programs of study. The need for interventions to promote nursing student resiliency has been reported in the literature, by accrediting bodies, and in previous research conducted with students at the same university. Thus, the purpose of this project was to pilot a resilience course for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students. The theoretical frameworks guiding the design and implementation of the resiliency pilot program were andragogy (the science of adult learning) and rapid cycle quality improvement. The course included eleven monthly modules addressing resiliency content with written material, original videos, and online discussions and meetings. The first module overviewed the resiliency skills (Belief, Persistence, Trust, Strength, and Adaptability), five modules were dedicated to a specific resiliency skill, two modules addressed recent and anticipated challenges, two modules concentrated on the application (clinical and academic) of the resiliency skills, and the last module focused on reflection. Results of this pilot program indicate that DNP students can benefit from receiving resiliency content during their studies, especially from faculty involvement and increased peer support; however, future resiliency content may be more accepted and effective if embedded into nursing program curriculum and activities.

Integrating Writing Throughout the Curriculum in Doctor of Nursing Practice Programs: A Collaborative Model for Success

Historically, faculty in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs have noted poor student writing proficiency, which is associated with substandard oral and written communication skills, analytical reflection, and professional role attainment. Few studies have investigated incorporating integrative collaborative model Writing Across the Curriculum (WAC) strategies in DNP programs. This study evaluated the efficacy of this model on the writing proficiency of students in their final year of the DNP program. This mixed-methods study examined how a collaborative model using WAC strategies affects DNP project value and rigor, writing proficiency, and student satisfaction. Student writing proficiency improved significantly, resulting in statistical improvement in DNP project value and rigor. Students viewed the collaborative model favorably when using the incorporated WAC strategies. A collaborative WAC model used by nursing faculty, writing resource centers, and a research librarian effectively improved the writing skills of DNP students. [J Nurs Educ. 2023;62(4):241-248.].

The Doctor of Nursing Practice help desk: An innovative approach to developing evidence-based practice competency and providing DNP project support.

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.

Intentions to advance professional identity attributes among DNP students: The make it POP series leadership pilot program study.

Make It POP (Pathway Optimizing Professionalism) Series (MIPS) leadership educational sessions were developed and taught by the Dean as a curricular focus on professionalism for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students. Evaluating the association between Behavioral Beliefs, Normative Beliefs, Control Beliefs, and Intention to advance professional identity and values was a focus of this study. A secondary focus was to discern whether these Belief measures and attendance to the MIPS education series were predictive of Intention to increase professional identity and values. Over a two-year period, 227 students were invited to attend the MIPS courses, which included four once per semester sessions. Students were invited to complete a survey structured around the tenants of the Theory of Planned Behavior prior to attending the MIPS and following each session; 91 students completed the survey at least once. A significant relationship was not noted between attendance to one or more MIPS sessions and Intention to advance professional identity and values. Behavioral Beliefs and Control Beliefs had the strongest associations with Intentions, but normative beliefs were not significantly associated with Intentions. Integrating curricular innovation with meaningful engagement and reflection in DNP education may advance DNP student's commitment for sustained professional growth.

Admission characteristics that influence DNP students' first-semester success: A retrospective study.

Students apply to Doctor of Nursing Practice(DNP) programs with varying demographic, academic, and professional characteristics. Programs are challenged with selecting and retaining students. Suggestions regarding which admission criteria and student characteristics are influential for success have been inconsistent. Recently, holistic admission practices have been employed to increase diversity, but little is known on the relationship between holistic admissions and student success. To investigate which demographic, academic, and professional characteristics influence DNP students' first-semester success. Retrospective study using online DNP student application materials at a medium-sized, mid-Atlantic private university. Investigators used a self-developed Audit Tool to identify characteristics of enrolled DNP students' application materials (n = 245). Categorical and continuous data were analyzed using χ2 and Independent Samples t-tests to determine which characteristics influenced success. Analysis revealed none of the items related to student characteristics were associated with first-semester academic success. Further research is needed. Studies exploring additional individual characteristics and time frames may be more predictive of first-semester academic success.

Linking Process Improvement with DNP Projects: Strategies to Advance Clinical Leadership Initiatives

Nurse leaders are positioned to play a pivotal role in creating opportunities for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) projects. A formal process was established at one university school of nursing to match more than 50 DNP students with projects identified by several organizational nurse leaders. The initiative has benefited organizations through the improvement of expanded or extended practice improvement projects and DNP students who have the opportunity to collaborate with leadership and interprofessional teams. This article highlights key strategies for nurse leaders to identify DNP project opportunities to advance clinical practice improvement and leadership initiatives.

Exploring the Experiences of Doctor of Nursing Practice Students' Use of Flipgrid to Create a Community of Inquiry in a Predominantly Online Program.

The purpose of this qualitative descriptive study was to explore the experiences of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students utilizing Flipgrid, a free, asynchronous online video discussion forum, as an alternative to written journals and discussion boards in a predominately online program. Results suggest greater student engagement, efficiency, and public speaking skills with Flipgrid than with conventional journals and discussion boards. Flipgrid can serve as an active learning strategy to promote a community of inquiry among online DNP students.

Exploration of Online Doctor of Nursing Practice Students' Perceptions of Effective Teaching Methods Using the Critical Incident Technique.

The online learning environment presents unique challenges for engaging students in the learning process. Current research is limited regarding online doctor of nursing practice (DNP) students' perceptions of effective faculty involvement related to their engagement in learning. This qualitative study explored DNP students' perceptions of effective methods used by faculty to help them learn and be engaged in the asynchronous online classroom. The Community of Inquiry (COI) framework provided the theoretical support for this study. The critical incident technique was used to explore DNP students' perceptions of effective methods used by faculty teaching in an asynchronous online program. Perceptions of effective methods were analyzed using the inductive approach of thematic analysis. Three themes emerged from the data analysis: providing clarity, staying on track, and making it personalized. Findings suggest nurse educators should follow the COI framework to establish teacher presence and promote student engagement in online courses.

An Online COVID-19 Simulation to Explore Interprofessional Collaboration and Foster Systems Leadership Competencies in Doctor of Nursing Practice Students

Organizational and systems leadership, a competency for doctor of nursing practice students, encompasses the evaluation of care delivery systems, accountable care of populations, and resolution of ethical dilemmas. Faculty created an online simulation in which students developed a management proposal for an impending pandemic. All students agreed or strongly agreed that the simulation increased their skills in systems-based thinking, increased their knowledge of others' roles and responsibilities in addressing health care crises, and enabled them to balance ethical considerations and societal interests. Online simulations are a feasible, cost-effective method to foster systems leadership competency and ethical decision-making in doctoral students.

Grit Levels of Graduate Nursing Students: Why Grit Is Needed in Nursing.

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has created a need for nurses who are perseverant and passionate, the definition of grit. This study examined grit levels in Master in Nursing (MSN) and Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students. MSN and DNP students were surveyed using the Grit-S scale, which is composed of two parts: Grit-CI (consistency of interest) and Grit-PE (perseverance of effort). Overall, graduate nursing students had high levels of grit as measured by the Grit-S (M = 3.9, SD = 0.5). Perseverance was higher for both MSN and DNP students than passion (M = 4.2, SD = 0.5 vs. M = 3.6, SD = 0.7). There was no difference in Grit-S levels related to program type. Graduate nursing students had high levels of grit. With the challenges faced by nursing professionals during the COVID-19 pandemic, nurses with high grit levels may avoid burnout and persevere though challenges. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(4):197-200.].

Strengthening DNP Business Acumen: An Educational Intervention.

As reflected in the literature, business acumen for Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students is lacking. Foundational business concepts and applications in the curriculum necessitate the understanding of core business requirements in health care applicable toward DNP leadership roles. Course pedagogy used evidence-based materials as well as activities that included the development of business innovation proposals, stakeholder presentations, and business plans, as well as practicum hours. Successful course delivery increased DNP students' knowledge and skills related to business acumen. In addition, students fully grasped the need to sustain and have fully developed scholarly projects that consider the clinical and financial aspects of health care. Development of a business course strengthens the needed skills and acumen toward quality and financial performance critical in the DNP leadership role as well as in contributing toward institutions' growth. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;61(4):201-204.].

A Novel Approach to Fostering Academic-Practice Partnerships: The DNP Project Executive Summary.

Practice partnerships are vital to academic nursing for opportunities for robust student clinical experiences. The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) scholarly project provides benefits for both students and practice partners; however, traditional academic dissemination methods such as student posters and publications are not internal communication formats used by practice partners. An assignment was developed for DNP students to write an executive summary of the completed scholarly project for their practice-partner organization stakeholders. Students used business writing skills to develop a one-page document summarizing the implementation and results of their project for a document applicable to the business of health care. Incorporating an executive summary of the DNP scholarly project emphasizes the value of student-led initiatives to organizations and can strengthen academic-practice partnerships. This innovative approach to dissemination of outcomes delivers a practical business communications document that is valuable to practice mentors and organizational leaders. [J Nurs Educ. 2022;61(3):156-158.].

Key strategies in scholarly writing instruction for doctor of nursing practice students: A Q-methodology study

BackgroundDevelopment of scholarly writing skills in Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) students is essential to their capacity to advance nursing science after graduation. ObjectivesThe purpose of this study was to inform instructional design choices and teaching strategies for DNP writing courses by examining student viewpoints before and after completing a scholarly writing course. DesignQ methodology was used to explore student self-perceptions of scholarly writing skills. SettingAn online scholarly writing course at a large university in the midwestern United States. ParticipantsTwenty-six DNP students with either a bachelor's or master's degree in nursing. MethodsBefore and after a scholarly writing course, students ranked 34 writing competency statements according to how well the statements described them. ResultsThree pre-course and four post-course factors represented student viewpoints of their scholarly writing knowledge, skills, and attitudes before and after a writing course. ConclusionsEffective instruction in scholarly writing for DNPs should include explicitly directed pre-writing activities, frequent opportunities to give and receive feedback, and training on management of emotional aspects of writing.

Make writing a daily habit: An evaluation of an educational intervention to improve writing self-efficacy among DNP students

Background and objective: Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) students are trained to integrate both clinical care and evidence-based research in order to bring together science with application. However, the educational pathways in DNP programs can be problematic, especially with regards to scholarly writing. While several interventions have been utilized for DNP students, the results show that the intervention(s) used should be tailored to the specific student body being served. However, limited evidence exists regarding the effectiveness of tailored interventions on improving central concepts such as writing self-efficacy. Given these differences in the design and delivery of the DNP curricula, we created a tailored educational-writing curriculum for new DNP students at a medium-sized academic medical center in a Southern state.Methods: We assessed changes in writing self-efficacy over the three measurement intervals using linear mixed effects modeling to account for within-student clustering of writing self-efficacy scores over time.Results: Baseline scores of writing self-efficacy improved immediately after the workshop (Timepoint 2 – immediate post-test) and a full semester later (Timepoint 3 – semester post-test). However, we observed no statistically significant difference between Timepoint 2 (immediate post-test) and Timepoint 3 (semester post-test).Conclusions: We saw a significant benefit in writing self-efficacy among incoming DNP students from baseline scores. The tailored format and integration of real-life anecdotal feedback from faculty may have been fundamental to creating an increase in writing self-efficacy among students—a concept foundational to student, and possibly professional, nursing success.

Exploring Student Perceptions of a Virtual Practicum.

The coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic has disrupted and overwhelmed academia, adding many new challenges for nursing faculty. However, despite these challenges, nursing faculty at a small private university demonstrated resilience and innovation at the height of the acute phase of the crisis, transforming a traditional 2-day in-person Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) practicum to an abbreviated, interactive virtual format. A qualitative study was conducted to explore DNP student perceptions of the virtual practicum. An anonymous survey was created to gather participant feedback; the link was embedded in an email invitation to practicum participants. The majority of respondents were English speaking, middle-aged, Black, non-Hispanic nurse practitioners. Content analysis revealed three themes: valuable interactions, supportive faculty, and enlightening feedback. Despite the crisis and ensuing consequences of the pandemic, DNP students who participated in the virtual practicum described a meaningful and valuable experience. [J Nurs Educ. 2021;60(9):513-516.].

Bibliometric analysis of the Doctor of Nursing Practice dissertations in the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database.

To examine the distributed characteristics and explore the research themes of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) dissertations during the past two decades. A descriptive statistical and visualization bibliometric analysis was conducted. Doctor of Nursing Practice dissertations submitted between January 2005 and June 2021 were collected from the ProQuest Dissertations and Theses database. A descriptive statistical analysis was conducted to calculate the distribution of the DNP dissertations by granting institution and the published year of publications. The VOSviewer 1.6.13 was used to explore the bibliometric networks and research priorities of the DNP dissertations. A total of 4989 DNP dissertations from 90 universities were included in this study, all from the United States. The number of DNP dissertations showed an upward trend, with steady growth from 2005 to 2014 and rapid growth after 2015. The DNP studies focused on five areas: health care management in clinical nursing, advanced practice in nursing education and health education, public health problems, mental health care for adolescents and nurses and the older people care and long-term care. Parallel to the numerical increase in DNP dissertations is a steady expansion in the range of research topics and scopes, which is aligned with specific specializations of the DNP. Many are interdisciplinary and employ techniques imported from the fields of public health, psychology and social sciences, resulting in nursing educators and practitioners continually broaden their subject perspectives. Knowing where, when and why DNP research trends developed will help nursing educators to further develop DNP education and optimize DNP programs in the future, such as paying more attention to the nursing practice. Moreover, this study will inspire DNP students and researchers to expand their subject perspectives and broaden the research scope to solve nursing practice problems based on interdisciplinary theories and methods.

Managing DNP projects in student/faculty groups to facilitate learning with large cohorts.

Despite the initial intent of the 2004 American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) position statement to move all advanced nursing practice education to the doctoral level, many schools remain at the master's degree level. Many schools successfully transitioned their programs but struggled with adequate resources for the growing number of students and the faculty, staff, and preceptor workload associated with the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) project courses. The AACN 2015 taskforce made many recommendations related to quality of DNP projects, but there is little in the literature on best operational practices. The goal of this paper is to describe how one school modified the DNP project courses from a traditional chair and committee driven format to a class driven format with multiple smaller sections to successfully manage large numbers of DNP students across nine specialties. Specifically, a new model with its successes and challenges is described as well as details regarding finances, course coordination, project advisors, project team, annual offerings and grouping of students.