For the Capstone Project, students must propose an Evidence-based Initiative that will address an issue or problem of significant importance in nursing or healthcare. This initiative may focus on the workplace, nursing practice, organizational or healthcare policy, population health, global health issue, veteran care services, or other health – related topic. Capstone projects may focus on improving the quality of care, enhancing safety in the environment, promoting healthy lifestyles, embracing inter-professional collaboration, preventing health risks, improving health literacy, implementing patient-centered care, protecting population health, and others. Continue to refer back to the Library’s Course Page (Links to an external site.) for additional assistance.
The Capstone Project meets the AACN Baccalaureate Essential VI, Interprofessional Communication and Collaboration for Improving Patient Health Outcomes and addresses the End of Program Student Learning Outcomes (EPSLOs):
- EPSLO #2: Integrate evidence, nursing theory, and knowledge from other disciplines to guide nursing practice.
- EPSLO #3: Formulate decisions based on nursing judgment and collaboration with the interprofessional team to achieve quality patient outcomes.
- EPSLO #5: Apply principles of leadership to advocate for the unique role of the nursing profession within the healthcare system.
- EPSLO #6: Engage in the spirit of inquiry to propose solutions that support nursing excellence.
CRITERIA:
The paper should include 13 – 15 pages of content (excluding title page and reference list) and address all of the following criteria. *Scholarly articles integrated within the Capstone project should come from the most current nursing or related literature (published no more than 5 years ago) but may be older if a seminal source or where there is a gap in the literature; at least one reference used within the Capstone project should come from a discipline outside nursing.
Title of Project (Include the Proposed Initiative, Population Served, Anticipated Outcome)
- Description of the Issue or Problem (approximately 5-6 pages)
Integrate at least 5-6 scholarly articles* to support your description of the following:- Problem
- Context: What is wrong with the current situation, including the underlying issues, the nature of the problem itself, and the context in which the problem is occurring?
- Past Interventions: What has been done to address the problem? In what ways have previous interventions worked and not worked?
- Consequences: What is the risk or cost associated with not addressing the problem?
- Stakeholders
(Stakeholders may include patients [such as elderly living alone, children experiencing loss of parent, adults experiencing PTSD], families, communities, nurses, members of the inter-professional team, educators, senior administrators, the healthcare organization, or other special interest groups.)- Most-Affected Groups or Populations: Describe who or what population(s) is most affected by the problem, and in what ways are they impacted?
- Other Affected Groups: What other interest groups or stakeholders may be indirectly impacted?
- Nurse Role and Responsibility
- Role: What is the professional role of the nurse for addressing the problem?
- Responsibility: What social, legal, and/or ethical considerations support the professional nurse’s responsibility and involvement in creating a solution?
- Problem
- Description of the Initiative (approximately 5-6 pages)
- Proposed Initiative
- Present a description of the initiative you propose to resolve the problem or to address aspects of the problem. Integrating at least 3-4 scholarly articles*, in what ways does the empirical literature support your proposed initiative?
- Significance
- Describe the anticipated outcomes that would likely emerge from your proposed initiative. In what ways will those most affected and those indirectly affected by the problem be positively impacted by your proposed initiative. In what ways are your anticipated outcomes supported by the empirical literature? Be sure to integrate 2-3 scholarly articles*.
- Theoretical Application
- Apply principles from at least one nursing theory, and discuss how it relates to and supports your proposed initiative. Be sure to include the necessary citations when describing your nursing theory.
- Proposed Initiative
- Collaboration with Interprofessional Team
- Describe each interprofessional team member’s responsibility to formulate decisions addressing the problem and creating a solution
- Explain how the interprofessional team members were affected by the proposed initiative
- Implications for Nursing and Healthcare(2-3 pages)
Explain four ways in which your proposed initiative will advance any two of the following. Integrate scholarly works as needed to support your explanation.- Nursing and/or Healthcare Practice
- Nursing Education
- Nursing Leadership
- Conclusion (less than a page). Present a brief and succinct description of key elements from each major criterion.
- References *Again, scholarly articles integrated within the Capstone project should come from the most current nursing or related literature (published no more than 5 years ago) but may be older if a seminal source or where there is a gap in the literature; at least one reference used within the Capstone project should come from a discipline outside nursing.
Follow APA Guidelines for Title page, Headings and subheadings, Citations in text, and Reference List.