In this episode we are talking about the overall idea of the DNP Project, the nutshell.
Welcome to the DNP Project Podcast where we share tips, inspiration, and more! This episode is dedicated to outlining the main points of the DNP Project. Just in a nutshell what is it and how does it work?
Start with the Problem:
It always starts with a problem that impacts a patient population (directly or indirectly). We learned that in the previous episode. In your core DNP Courses like informatics, theory, policy as such, you are learning to explore healthcare problems for populations and systems through multiple lenses. You will not do the project alone. You will have a DNP Team (structure depends on your school) and you will have to partner with others (organizations, hospitals, systems, clinics, schools, community, etc). The problem you choose has to be a priority for the partner and something that you can reasonably complete on an academic schedule.
Your faculty will be most instrumental in helping you work out feasibility. Ideas usually start big and then must get narrowed down. But, when you find the problem, that’s the first step. The second step is to understand everything you can about that problem and its context. Why is it important? What is the gap? What needs to get done that isn’t getting done?
Examine What is Known:
What have others done to solve this problem? Could it work for you? Students must also have skills and an ability to search the literature in a meaningful way, find, and appraise the literature. It will help drive you toward evidence-based solutions. Don’t reinvent the wheel. Translate evidence-based solutions to your context.
Implement & Evaluate:
Here you need to use some theory and frameworks to guide you. Project design will also come into play. But, bottomline, you have to make a plan, get approval, do it, and then evaluate it. The evaluation should include both outcomes and process.
Share with Others:
As you complete the Project, you want to share with others what you found out. This will include the academic side, usually a paper, presentation, and maybe a poster or other means of dissemination. It should be tailored to share with organizational stakeholders and possibly the community or patient population at large. Each of these deliveries require rearranging information to meet the needs and interest of the audience.
Bottomline, this is a LIVING PROCESS -- the problems of today will not be the same as future
Sounds simple, right? To help you learn more, check out the DNP Project Workbook: A Step by Step Process for Success. Each element is talked about in more, but simple details and it gives you actionable steps that you can take throughout your DNP journey. Visit the Springer website at: https://www.springerpub.com/the-dnp-project-workbook-9780826174321.html
In the next episode we are taking a deeper dive into the concept of the minimum elements of a DNP Project from AACN.
*** Always follow the guidelines from YOUR DNP Program