Practicum Projects for Online MSN Degree Programs

          

One of the requirements for Online MSN Degree programs is a practicum project. Whether in nursing administration (executive leadership) or clinical nurse leadership, or nursing education, any program will require some type of project to be developed based on assessment of organizational need, and include some type of measurable evaluation of the project.  Some examples of projects are:

Documentation of patient status between a critical care unit and step down unit to avoid miscommunications regarding patients’ readiness for CCU transfer and prevent patient readmissions to CCU.

Increasing use of cardiac rehabilitation services for improved patient cardiac outcomes

Diabetic education for new graduate nurses for improved patient compliance

Patient advocacy staff  training program for reduced staffing and improved patient satisfaction

Staff retention and succession planning for improved shared governance and staff satisfaction in a Magnet designated facility

Establish an effective process for post surgical patient discharge, including patient education, to reduce complications and readmissions.

Development of a nursing student attitude assessment tool for faculty implementation during clinical rotations for measuring attitude benchmarks during clinical evaluation. 

Develop an effective Root Cause Analysis process to prevent/reduce medical errors  

Develop a consistent shift change communication process and policy to increase patient satisfaction

Standardize organizational staff orientation modules to improve partnerships with local mental health providers and increase patient satisfaction and admissions

Standardized shift-change hand-off form to improving nursing hand-off communication and reducing medical errors

Implementation of Bedside Reporting to increase patient satisfaction

Implementation of a shared care program for Ventricular Assistive Device implant patients between local community health care facilities and large medical centers to reduce patient readmission and mortality.

Implement Electronic Health Records to  ensure secure and efficient communication for healthcare personnel in providing standards of care policies, preventing adverse events, and establish standard processes throughout the organization to improve patient safety.

Develop an inpatient smoking cessation consultation program in conjunction with an outpatient smoking cessation program to reduce tobacco use in a patient population for a health care organization. 

Develop a  wound care discharge program to decrease infection rates post discharge, and potential readmissions.

For more examples go to : http://online.sxu.edu/programs/masters-degree-nursing/practicum-examples

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 As you can see by the list above, all of the proposed projects relate to nursing practice in clinical, education or leadership areas.  Each project refers to measures of success which can be tangibly evaluated.  The key to a successful practicum project is a clearly defined objective which has specific measures tied to that objective.

Dr. Maggie

Writing Curricula Vitae for Online Masters of Science in Nursing Degree Students

A curriculum vitae is a compilation of one’s education, employment experience, and scholarly works. The “CV” is best written for Masters in Nursing Science degree nurses seeking academic positions.  The best way to begin is to find an example and enter your information into that example.  Templates are OK, but can be really tough to work with, esp. with trying to change the formatting if needed.  Ask a mentor for a copy of their CV to help you get started.

Start the CV with contact information then list Education then Licensure and Certifications.  Then list experience with only job titles and years employed (unlike the resume where accomplishments are listed).  After experience, you would then list specifics such as courses taught (and where), publications, grants, memberships, awards etc.  Unlike a resume’s limit of one page, the CV can have as many pages as needed to reflect education and experiences.

Dr. Maggie

What is the difference between a Clinical Nurse Leader and an Executive Nurse Leader (nursing administration) ?

Executive Nurse Leader Role (Nursing Administration): connecting the business of health care with patient care

Executive nurse leaders are  in all areas health care, from a chief nursing officer leading a 200+ bed hospital to a nurse manager leading change in the unit; from a director of nursing in a sub acute care/rehab or long term care facility to a nursing administrator in home care.  Nurse leaders are vital to any health care organization. Leadership is not necessarily defined by a title; rather it is defined by actions.  Nurse leaders are at the forefront of generating creative and effective ways to address the critical issues facing nursing and health care today such as: staffing, budgeting, cost effective care, marketing, business planning, organizational assessment and inter-health care provider communication and collaboration (AONE, 2012).

Clinical Nurse Leader Role: A leader of quality patient care for improved patient health outcomes.

Basically, the CNL is in charge of implementing evidence based practices in nursing. The CNL is a leader in the health care delivery system across all settings in which health care is delivered, not just the acute care setting. The implementation of the CNL role, however, will vary across settings. The CNL role is not one of administration or management. The CNL functions within a microsystem and assumes accountability for healthcare outcomes for a specific group of clients within a unit or setting through the assimilation and application of research-based information to design, implement, and evaluate client plans of care. The CNL is a provider and a manager of care at the point of care to individuals and cohorts. The CNL designs, implements, and evaluates client care by coordinating, delegating and supervising the care provided by the health care team, including licensed nurses, technicians, and other health professionals (AACN, 2007).

References:

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2007). Retrieved from:  http://www.aacn.nche.edu/publications/white-papers/cnl

American Organization of Nurse Executives. (2012). Retrieved from:  http://www.aone.org/membership/membership.shtml

Dr. Maggie