Scholarly Project Process & Timeline

A. Practical Advice for Maintaining Momentum towards Completion

The student is responsible for moving the DNP Scholarly Project forward in a timely manner. It is critical that the student meet with the Faculty Chair at regular intervals to update the chair on progress, seeking assistance with unanticipated problems as needed.

Allow at least two weeks for the Faculty Chair to read drafts of student work in order to receive timely feedback. The DNP Scholarly Project Proposal needs to be revised until it is acceptable to all members of the DNP Scholarly Project Team. This takes time. The DNP Scholarly Project Team members need at least two weeks to critique the proposal or final report and provide feedback. All revisions need to be addressed by the student in conjunction with the student’s chair.

Planning for Success

The DNP Scholarly Project process is challenging but rewarding. These new skills will be useful to your new professional practice and role as change agent. Success will require excellent time management and strong organizational skills. 

B. Overview

The DNP Scholarly Project is typically completed over a period of four academic quarters. The DNP Graduate Core Courses in the first year of the program provide a foundation to build students’ expertise and skill to successfully complete their project. Students, during their first quarter in the program, begin to develop a “phenomenon of interest” (an area of concern or practice problem/gap valued by the agency and student) which is the first step to the project process.

It is the student’s responsibility to secure a site in which to implement their jointly agreed upon DNP Scholarly Project. This could be at their current practice site, primary care clinics, inpatient units, hospitals, health-care systems, professional organizations, governmental agencies, or non-profit organizations.   Students should collaborate with the designated DNP Project faculty coordinator to explore the project’s potential. SPU faculty continue to network with agencies to discuss interest in collaborating with SPU students on potential projects as they are able. Students are to have an agency and potential project idea identified no later than the start of NUR 7312 Practice Inquiry 2 in Summer Quarter.

C. Area of Interest, Networking, Core Courses

Your Graduate Core courses are foundational to your project process. Developing a “phenomenon of interest” (Moran, 2020) is the first step (see Phenomenon Assessment Worksheet). Is it a practice Problem, Issue, Gap, or Opportunity (PIGO) that is of interest to the student and valued by the agency? Ideally, the student begins and builds this process throughout the core courses. Begin to explore your areas of interest.  You may collaborate with organizations to identify a relevant clinical/system need, gather supporting internal evidence, and delineate expected outcomes (desired future state) in partnership with an agency.

• Network with local healthcare delivery agencies and organizations that align with your specific health-related interests
  • Non-profit health agencies- e.g. Community Health Clinics, Salvation Army, Alzheimer Association
  • Non-profit agencies indirectly health related- e.g. Coalitions, State/Local government
  • For-profit agencies- e.g. private practice clinical sites, home health care agencies, hospitals/clinics, nursing homes/assisted living facilities, residential treatment programs
• Ask the agency staff or leadership team for the three greatest issues facing their organization, the providers delivering care, and patient outcomes (directly or indirectly).
• Examine what may be the three greatest issues as seen from the eyes of the customers (patients, providers, organizations, stakeholders)
  • System inefficiencies (gaps in care)
  • Challenges in the clinical setting related to safety or quality of care
  • Practice standards that are not being met
  • Policy considerations
  • Aims to meet specific needs
  • Quality improvement projects the agency is working on or wants to work on in the future

D. Project Development Courses

While all DNP courses are integral to the DNP Scholarly Project, the following core courses are particularly instrumental for the development of the DNP Scholarly Project proposal and project implementation.

i. NUR 7310 Quality Improvement and Program Evaluation

• Design an intervention (project design) based on the evidence synthesis that would promote a change in practice. This change can impact patient outcomes, provider practice patterns, policy, or system care delivery.
• Create a quality improvement methodology/program evaluation that aligns with a potential DNP project.
• Develop a process to evaluate the intervention.
• Complete other requirements as indicated on the DNP Scholarly Project Checklist.

ii. NUR 7311 Practice Inquiry 1

• Complete a human subjects ethics course – all students and faculty chairs must complete an approved ethics training course. The course certificate must be dated within 3 years of the time of IRB application submission and attached as an appendix to the IRB application. Keep a certificate of completion for your ethics training in your Reflective e-portfolio.
• Learn how to evaluate and critique all types of evidence.
• Develop experience with the creation of a PIGO/Clinical question
• Identify various styles of table matrixes and implement an evidence table
• Complete other requirements as indicated on the DNP Scholarly Project Checklist.

iii. NUR 7312 Practice Inquiry 2

• Collaborate with an agency to gather evidence to identify a practice problem/issue/gap/opportunity. 
• Develop a problem statement (ie: “what is wrong here”, what is the problem/ clinical issue, what can be improved?).
• Complete a review of the literature.
• Synthesize evidence regarding the problem (Internal and External evidence) and possible solutions (interventions) that research demonstrates are effective based on science/ primary research.
• Identify theoretical conceptual framework, or EBP model that underpins clinical question
• Complete other requirements as indicated on the DNP Scholarly Project Checklist.

iv. NUR 7995 DNP Scholarly Project Proposal

• Students will have finalized a DNP Scholarly Project with an Agency
• Project team will be assigned.
• Students will refine and finalize their DNP scholarly proposal.
• A formal oral presentation of the project proposal and implementation timeline will be presented along with the written report.
• The proposal will be ready for SPU Institutional Review Board submission and other institutional review boards as appropriate.
• Compose a complete project proposal final paper and presentation- approval by DNP Scholarly Project Team members.
• Develop, write and submit the IRB Application.
• Complete other requirements as indicated on the DNP Scholarly Project Checklist.

v. NUR 7996 DNP Scholarly Project: Quarter 1

Registration requires permission from faculty chair

In collaboration with key stakeholders students will implement their DNP Scholarly Project. Prior to starting the implementation phase, human subjects approval is required.

• A DNP Scholarly Project Agreement with the agency/organization will be completed in collaboration with your faculty chair.
• Implement the intervention (start the project:  participant recruitment, pre- data collection, intervention process, post intervention data collection).
• Complete other requirements as indicated on the DNP Scholarly Project Checklist.

vi. NUR 7996 DNP Scholarly Project: Quarter 2

Registration requires permission from faculty chair

Students will systematically organize and interpret data employing appropriate methodologies to evaluate the project’s impact on health outcomes. Students will disseminate findings to stakeholders as outlined in their DNP Scholarly Project Agreement with the agency. (e.g. oral presentation, executive summary to agency/stakeholders). Appreciation will be extended to the agencies and persons with whom students have collaborated. Students will further disseminate their project findings during Scholarship Day through a poster and oral presentation.

• Complete the implementation phase and data collection
• Begin data analysis and evaluation
• Complete other requirements as indicated on the DNP Scholarly Project Checklist.

vii. NUR 7997 DNP Scholarly Project Completion

Registration requires permission from faculty chair

• Complete Deliverables to Agency as outlined in the Agency Agreement Document
• Complete Final report and other SPU DNP Scholarly Project deliverables (executive summary with final DNP Scholarly Project report, article for potential publication, digital poster and presentation of project at DNP Scholarship Day.
• Prepare final presentation for DNP Scholarship Day.
• IRB close out.  
• Upload required documents to the SPU Library Digital Commons Repository
• Complete other requirements as indicated on the DNP Scholarly Project Checklist.