Field Experience Task 1 Template Instructions
Project Title (Place the name of your project here)
Problem Identification
Please note: In the writing of this Capstone paper, avoid the use of first person. Examples of first person are the following: I, me, we, our, and us. You may refer to yourself as the author or the student.
Please identify a nursing problem within your specialty track: Nursing Education or Nursing Leadership and Management. Discuss why the problem requires an evidence-based practice change, quality improvement, or innovation. How did you identify the problem? Is it a nurse sensitive indicator that you or your peers have identified? What observations of your own or comments made by your peer group, management team, and other members of the transprofessional team help identify this problem?
For project ideas, please see your Field Experience Course of Study – Introduction section. The scope of your project must address all aspects included in the course evaluation rubric. The Field Experience Course is designed to guide you to the successful completion of your Capstone project planning. You will plan an evidence-based practice change, quality improvement, or innovation during the Field Experience course; this may require up to 12 weeks. Then you will implement your evidence-based practice change, quality improvement, or innovation within your Capstone course; this may require up to 6 weeks. Your project should be completed within 18 weeks from start to completion, including writing your project report. If you are considering a large-scale project within your work setting that will exceed these time frames, you should identify a way to narrow the scope of the project to meet these course requirements. Your project must be REASONABLE with the goal of graduation in mind.
This section will include a general description of the evidence-based practice change, quality improvement, or innovation that your organization is interested in, actively engaged in, or willing to support. This will provide a framework for your actual Capstone project, which is comprised of the action steps that you will actually, complete (or have completed) in support of your organization’s practice change, quality improvement, or innovation. You will need to be specific. For example, your organization may be interested in changing the policy or approach to patient triage in your emergency department. However, this policy change/process improvement will take several months and system wide resources to complete. You will not have sufficient time or resources to complete the entire policy change/process improvement within the scope of your Capstone project.
In addition, due to organizational constraints or your position in the organization, you may not have the capacity to effect the policy/process improvement in its entirety. Nevertheless, you are in a position to influence change by developing a specific component in support of changing the triage process. Therefore, your project will involve a smaller scope, which you must fully develop. Your part of the project may involve the following: 1) Developing a schematic for the new triage process, 2) Developing a new policy for implementing the new triage process, 3) Developing a new educational offering about the new triage process, and/or 4) Providing a presentation of the evidence that supports changing the triage process to stakeholders that are in a position to effect the change that you are advocating.
Your Capstone project will then focus on what you will do (or did) to influence change within your organization; your specific component can be part of the larger change that is taking place within your organization. The goal is for you to be succinct, yet provide sufficient detail to ensure readers have a clear understanding of what your specific contribution to the organization’s practice change, quality improvement, or innovation is all about.
Rationale for Change, Quality Improvement, or Innovation
This section includes a description of why the change, quality improvement, or innovation is required. Please respond in paragraph format. A paragraph contains a minimum of five sentences. Each paragraph supports a separate and distinct idea.
Causes of the Problem
This section involves factors, issues, or phenomenon that helped to create the problem. Please respond in narrative paragraph format. Each paragraph supports a separate and distinct idea. What is the cause of the problem in your area of practice? What are you and/or your peers seeing in your practice setting? What factors contribute to the problem?
Identification of Stakeholders
Your stakeholders are people internal or external to your organization that have a key interest in or can have a significant impact on your proposed change. Examples of stakeholders include, but are not limited to patients, nurses, physicians, administrators, support or ancillary care staff, family members, volunteers, etc. You will need to include the positions or roles each of the stakeholders hold in your discussion. For example, the CNO, unit manager, staff nurse, educator, quality improvement office, spouse, etc.
Stakeholders’ interest, power, and influence. This section involves a more detailed discussion about the specific interest, power, and influence (role) that each stakeholder has in relation to your proposed change. For example, hospital administration or the administration of a university can be stakeholders. They would have a heavy interest in any changes made within their facilities and have the power to approve or deny your project. Physicians, practitioners, or nurses may have a positive or negative influence on your project. Informal leaders also have power and influence. Your challenge is to identify the specific interest, power, and influence each of the identified stakeholders has in relation to your specific project. Please be sure to address all three aspects of interest, power, and influence for each stakeholder group identified.
Purpose of Project
This section should include a detailed description of what the proposed evidence-based practice change, quality improvement, or innovation will accomplish. What specific change will your project bring about? What do you hope to accomplish for the organization and/or stakeholders by implementing your proposed change?
Proposed Solution
This section involves presenting a succinct and clear description or statement of your proposed evidence-based practice change, quality improvement, or innovation. The description must include specific information about what you intend to do (change). Based on your current position within the organization, this may also involve what you plan to do to influence change. You may serve as a change agent within your organization. Your proposed solution should include who will be involved, what will be done, and where your proposed project will take place.
Evidence Summary
Implementation Plan
Plan of Action
This section should provide a detailed plan of action. You will need to provide information about the specific steps that will be required to complete your Capstone project. This section may also include a description of meetings and agreements (support commitments or negotiations) in preparation for your project prior to actual implementation. You should include proposed meetings with your preceptor and/or stakeholders, plans for educating stakeholders (if necessary), goals, and any additional steps for the successful implementation of this project. While an exact step-by-step plan is not needed and may not be possible to include at this phase of your project development, you must provide a clear, succinct explanation of your proposed plan of action.
Timeline
Your proposed timeline should include general information about when the various milestones in your project are anticipated to be achieved. For example, Week 1 of the project will include…. Weeks 2-4 will involve….. Week 5 will involve…. Weeks 6 and 7 will provide for…. etc. The timeline can be displayed using a variety of options including tables, graphics, in addition to a narrative discussion of the milestones. You do not need to provide specific dates, however; you should provide an estimation of the time involved with each step.
Required Resources and Personnel
This section involves a narrative discussion about any resources required for the planning and implementation of your project. Resources may include financial support, time, classroom space, printing costs, equipment, personnel adjustments, or reallocation of staffing.
Proposed Change Theory
This discussion should identify the specific change theory you have chosen to guide and inform your project. You will need to include the details of the change theory you believe will be most effective in your area of nursing practice. This detailed discussion should correlate the actions/activities relevant to your project with each stage/phase/step of the Change Theory you identify. In-text citation(s) are required in this section.
Barriers to Implementation
This section involves a discussion about potential barriers you may encounter with the implementation of your project. This discussion may include ways you plan to address or mitigate the potential barriers.
Learning Objectives and Outcomes
NOTE: This section only applies to Education Specialty track students. This section requires a description of the learning objectives and anticipated outcomes associated with your Capstone project. For example, you will need to identify objectives and outcomes if you are planning an education offering, training module, simulation, training exercise, return demonstration activity, new or revised course or curriculum. Learning objectives and outcomes should be articulated in clear and concise terms. In-text citations may be required to support your chosen objectives and outcomes.
References
Please note that this document outline is only a guide. The written paper, including all in-text citations, must be written in proper APA style. All references (sources) should be identified using in-text citations in the body (narrative portion) of the paper. All of the included sources should be included in the References section.
- Finkler, S. A., Jones, C. B., & Kovner, C. T. (2013). Financial management for nurse managers and executives (4th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Elsevier.
- Park, S. H., Blegen, M. A., Spetz, J., Chapman, S. A., & De Groot, H. (2012). Patient turnover and the relationship between nurse staffing and patient outcomes. Research in Nursing & Health, 35(3), 277-288. doi:10.1002/nur.21474
- Park, S. H., Boyle, D. K., Bergquist-Beringer, S., Staggs, V. S., & Dunton, N. E. (2014). Concurrent and lagged effects of registered nurse turnover and staffing on unit-acquired pressure ulcers. Health Services Research, 49(4), 1205-1225. doi:10.1111/1475-6773.12158
- Staggs, V. S., & Dunton, N. (2012). Hospital and unit characteristics associated with nursing turnover include skill mix but not staffing level: An observational cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49(9), 1138-1145. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.03.009
- Sullivan-Havens, D., Jones, C. B., & Carlson, J. (2014). Chief nursing office retention & turnover, 2013: Is the crisis still brewing? Retrieved from http://www.aone.org/conference2014/Handouts/2014_Concurrent_Handouts/Additional%20Handouts/S330H_BN2.pdf