Doctor of Nursing Practice Scholarly Projects
The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) degree represents the pinnacle of professional nursing education, specifically tailored for those seeking to excel in advanced clinical practice and leadership within the healthcare sphere. By pursuing a DNP, nurses embark on a journey to enhance their expertise and competencies in evidence-based practice, quality improvement initiatives, systems leadership, and the ever-evolving field of healthcare informatics. The DNP aims to cultivate nursing leaders who possess the acumen and finesse to navigate the intricacies of contemporary healthcare systems. These leaders are prepared to make a significant impact on patient outcomes and propel the nursing profession forward. By engaging in rigorous academic discourse and research, DNP graduates emerge as trailblazers in their respective fields, poised to address the complex challenges faced by healthcare providers and patients alike.
The purpose of the DNP scholarly project serves as a testament to the intellectual and professional maturation of doctoral nursing candidates. This capstone endeavor embodies the synthesis and application of theoretical knowledge, clinical acumen, and leadership skills acquired throughout the course of their DNP program. At its core, the DNP scholarly project aims to address a relevant issue or challenge within the nursing discipline or healthcare system. By engaging in a rigorous process of inquiry, analysis, and evidence-based decision-making, DNP candidates demonstrate their ability to generate practical solutions and implement innovative strategies that contribute to the advancement of nursing practice and improved patient outcomes. Moreover, the DNP scholarly project serves as an opportunity for candidates to showcase their commitment to lifelong learning and professional development. By delving into complex, real-world problems, these emerging leaders in nursing are poised to make a lasting impact on healthcare delivery, policy, and practice—ultimately shaping the future landscape of the nursing profession.
Scholarly Projects from 2023
Healthy Work Environments: Improving Staff Satisfaction and Attrition Rates in a Community
Hospital through the Communication of Appreciation
DNP: Sarah Hannah
Chair: Dr. Roberta Logsdon
Decreasing the number of attempts for peripheral intravenous access in pediatric patients
in the Emergency Department by implementing the DIVA score: A Quality Improvement
Project
DNP: Roneika Moore
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Reducing Blood Culture Contamination in a Pediatric Emergency Department: A Nurse-Led
Educational Intervention
DNP: Nayade Sizemore
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Program Evaluation of Post-Transplant Care Program Options: Advanced Care at Home
versus Short Stay Unit, Inpatient and Outpatient Approaches
DNP: Lois Merrick
Chair: Dr. Lila de Tantillo
Decreasing the Rate of Readmissions Among Heart Failure Patients with a Medication
to Bedside Delivery Program Through Policy Analysis and Advocacy
DNP: Shivani Patel
Chair: Dr. Lila de Tantillo
A Quality Improvement Project to Improve the Confidence of Emergency Department Nurses
by Implementing Workplace Violence Prevention Education
DNP: Rhiannon Powell
Chair: Dr. Kathryn Kott
Meeting the Joint Commission Standards for Maternal Safety: A Policy Analysis
DNP: Jennifer Jacobson
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
The Use of HeartMath Technology as a Quality Improvement Intervention to Reduce Perceived
Stress Levels in Pre-licensure Nursing Students to Improve Outcomes
DNP: Melissa Nelsen
Chair: Dr. Teri Chenot
EV1000 Fluid Responsiveness Policy Analysis and Reducing Sepsis Mortality in Patients
in the Intensive Care Unit
DNP: Kaitlyn Elizabeth Allen
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Depression Screening of PCU Patients: A Program Evaluation
DNP: Jennifer Leeanne Santos
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Program Evaluation of a Nursing Assistant Apprenticeship and the Cost-Effectiveness
in a University Health System
DNP: Janice E. Simmonsen
Chairs: Dr. Amber Santos, Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Utilizing Lean Methodology to Improve Wasted Nursing Time: A Quality Improvement Project
DNP: Jean Heather M. Crisostomo
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Increasing Measles, Mumps, and Rubella Serologic Screening in Pre-liver Transplant
Patients Quality Improvement Project
DNP: Kelly Lynn Larimore
Chair: Dr. Lila de Tantillo
Effectiveness of a Nurse Leader Mentorship and Support in the Acute Care Setting:
A Program Evaluation
DNP: Kymberlee Christine Shutts
Chairs: Dr. Melissa McRae, Dr. Erica Kines
Promoting an Antibiotic Stewardship Protocol to Address Urinary Tract Infections in
Long Term Care: A Quality Improvement Project
DNP: Naydean Lashon Ruffin-Brisco
Chair: Dr. Roberta Logsdon
Improving Interventions on Cardiovascular Disease and Diet: A Policy Incentive Analysis
DNP: Sandra A. Hurst
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Improving Bariatric Support by Incorporating Virtual Peer Groups
DNP: Teresa L. Peterson
Chair: Dr. Kathryn Kott
A Quality Improvement Project on Evaluating the Effectiveness of Implementing a Fall
Intervention Checklist During End of Shift Report on Post Operative Unit
DNP: Victoria Leeanna Hogans
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Scholarly Projects from 2022
Increasing Nursing Workforce Diversity by Improving Basic Nurse Education and Practice
through Health Policy Analysis and Advocacy
DNP: Alexis Allen
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Reducing Toxic Stress During Pregnancy: A Quality Improvement Initiative
DNP: Alissa Mortis
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Promoting Physical Activity to Reduce Stress in Undergraduate Nursing Students
DNP: Ancy Anne Abraham
Chair: Dr. Mary Gipson
Quality Improvement of Patient Satisfaction and Emergency Department Overcrowding
with a Systems Level Coordinator Bed Manager
DNP: Ann Shellman Young
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Heart Failure Education to Improve Self Care Management
DNP: Anna Wright
Chair: Dr. Lila de Tantillo
Improving Depression Screening and the Referral Process in a Cardiac Rehabilitation
Setting by Implementing the Patient Health Questionnaire-9
DNP: Asha Inniss
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
The Role of Remote Patient Monitoring in Improving Medication Adherence and Efficacy
in Patients with Asthma and Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease: A Quality Improvement
Project
DNP: Barbara Werner
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
A Quality Improvement Project: Nursing Handover Standardizing for Safety
DNP: Bradley Blake Turner
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Promoting Safe Sleep Education For At Risk Mothers
DNP: Breanna James
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Increasing Awareness of Human Trafficking Among Emergency Department Staff
DNP: Catherine Ann Candelaria
Chair: Dr. Cheryl Bergman
A Policy Analysis of the Surgical Counting Process
DNP: Charles A. Harvey
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Hourly Rounding Quality Improvement Initiative
DNP: Chelsea Marie Brouillet
Chair: Dr. Erica Kines
Quality Improvement: Improving Type 2 Diabetes Self-Management and A1C Levels in Older
Adult Veterans Using an Automated Message System
DNP: Danielle Brunson
Chair: Dr. Kathryn Kott
Improving Nurse Retention Rates by Implementing an Individualized Orientation for
Experienced Nurses Transitioning into a Specialty Area
DNP: Elizabeth Fabrette Hammack
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Evaluation of Remote Video Monitoring in the Prevention of Falls in High-Risk Patients
DNP: Elizabeth Gunn
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Evaluation of Provider Education and Routine Implementation of the SCOFF Questionnaire
on the Detection of Eating Disorders at the Primary Care Level: A Program Development
Project
DNP: Emily Archer
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Safety Stop Program in Reducing Catheter-Associated
Infections in the Acute Care Setting
DNP: Esther C. Duffy
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Simulation-Based Experimental Learning for Undergraduate Nursing Students: A Policy
Analysis
DNP: Felicia Mason
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
The Effectiveness of Intimate Partner Violence Screening Intervention in Primary Care:
An Evidence Based Practice Project
DNP: Jamie Chapman
Chair: Dr. Michelle Edmonds
Program Effectiveness of a New Nurse Mentorship
DNP: Jennifer Lee Malig
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Nursing Attitudes and Beliefs on Early Mobility of Critically Ill Pediatric Patients
DNP: Jennifer Perfect & Rachel Wassel
Chair: Dr. Teresa MacGregor
Exploring the Effects of a Nurse Mentorship Program on Career Satisfaction and Retention
DNP: Jennifer Smith
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Implementing an Educational Program to Improve Nurses’ Knowledge and Decrease Medication
Administration Errors
DNP: Keli-Lloyd Alecia Nelson
Chair: Dr. Mary Gipson
Decreasing Unnecessary Continuous Cardiac Telemetry Monitoring Through Evaluation
of a Nurse-Driven Collaborative Decision-Making Checklist
DNP: Kellene Sauls
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Improving Operating Room Turnover Time Through Process Redesign
DNP: Kevan Wright
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
A Policy Analysis of Patient Handoff
DNP: LaToya Driskell
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
The Effectiveness of Consistent Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support on
Diabetes Self-Management Adherence in Primary Care Patients
DNP: Maya Maria Saikali
Chair: Dr. Kathryn Kott
Improving Risk Screening in Pregnancy
DNP: Michelle McDonald
Chair: Dr. Erica Kines
A Policy Analysis of Epinephrine Autoinjector Rights Among Students
DNP: Michelle Rutilius
Chair: Dr. Lila de Tantillo
The Effectiveness of an ERAS® Infographic Guide in Colorectal Surgeries: A Quality
Improvement Project
DNP: Michelle S. Foster
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Effects of Nurse Practitioner Autonomous Practice on Chronic Disease Outcomes and
Cost Introduction: A Health Policy Analysis
DNP: Natasha Anderson
Chair: Dr. Michelle Edmonds
Mending Minds: Recognizing, Responding, Resourcing through the Implementation of a
Novel Leadership Toolkit
DNP: Richard Morton
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Education for Medical-Surgical Nurses on Recognizing Deterioration and the Impact
on Early Intervention Strategies
DNP: Sadie Durham
Chair: Dr. Cheryl Bergman
Integrating a Team Approach to Increase Sepsis Core Measure Bundle Adherence and Time
from Patient Emergency Department Entry to Completion
DNP: Sean P. Lynch
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Improving Clinical Alarm Fatigue and Alarm Management Competency Among Critical Care
Nurses by Implementing a Unit Based Alarm Management Bundle
DNP: Stephanie Bosma
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Effects of Mindfulness Training on Reducing Stress and Anxiety in Nurses New to Practice
DNP: Terri Lynn Delgado Roulhac
Chair: Dr. Lila de Tantillo
Improving patient care through effective nurse delegation to assistive personnel
DNP: Toni Hamilton
Chair: Dr. Lila de Tantillo
Quality Improvement: Reduce Door to Electrocardiogram Time in Suspected Acute Coronary
Event Patients Arriving in the Emergency Department
DNP: Tracie Drinkwater
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Enhancing the Adoption of the Peer Support Specialist Role for Substance Use Disorder
and Mental Health Treatment: A Health Policy Analysis
DNP: William Morrison Hale
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Chlorhexidine Gluconate Bath Project: A Program Evaluation
DNP: Yavesh Crawford
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Improving Perinatal National Provision of Care Standards Using Policy Analysis
DNP: Lauren Holloway
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Improving Practice Readiness Among Nurse Residents Using Virtual Simulation
DNP: James D. Brown
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Scholarly Projects from 2021
Implementation of the Asthma Control Test and Asthma Action Plan in Pediatric Primary
Care to Improve Patient Outcomes
DNP: Amber Santos
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Outcome and Process Assessment (Healthcare): Efficacy of Contact Precautions in the
Control of MRSA Transmission
DNP: Amy Svensson
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
The Use of Simulation-Based Education to Elevate Nursing Knowledge Related to Post-Operative
Head and Neck Oncology Patient with an Advanced Airway
DNP: April Starling
Chair: Dr. michelle Edmonds
Body Image Distress and Post Mastectomy Women
DNP: Ashely Ceithaml
Chair: Dr. Hilary Morgan
Depression Screening and Management in a Free Primary Care Clinic
DNP: Ashley Gagne
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
A Quality Improvement Project to Assess Anxiety of Family Members who Receive Standard
Communication During the Intraoperative Period
DNP: Ashlie E. Sinclair
Chair: Dr. Kathryn Kott
Reducing No-Show Appointments in the Outpatient Rheumatology Setting: A Quality Improvement
Project
DNP: Callie Soltero
Chair: Dr. Erica Kines
Improving Implementation of Prenatal Programs amongst High-Risk Population through
Policy Analysis and Advocacy
DNP: Chelsea Fore
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Reducing Acute Care Hospital Setting Inpatient Falls with Implementation of Hourly
Rounding
DNP: Courtney Delaparte
Chair: Dr. Mary Gipson
An Evaluation of Timing of Discharge Instruction and the Impact on Patient Satisfaction
DNP: Donald L. Tanner
Chair: Dr. Hilary Morgan
Interdisciplinary rounding and Its Effect on Communication and Quality
DNP: Elizabeth Dasher
Chair: Dr. Ashlee Loewen
Preventing Healthcare Workplace Violence Through Legislation
DNP: Erika Cunningham-Regis
Chair: Dr. Erica Kines
Improving Practice Readiness Among Nurse Residents Using Virtual Simulation
DNP: James Brown
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Enhancing Surgical Patient Safety by Implementing an Obstructive Sleep Apnea Screening
Program: A Quality Improvement Project
DNP: Jason Bailey
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Hourly Rounding to Reduce Falls: A Quality Improvement Project
DNP: Jennifer Morton
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Nursing Educational Intervention to Alter Pain Perception and Improve Satisfaction
with Pain Treatment after Elective Surgery
DNP: Jennifer L Willison
Chair: Dr. Hilary Morgan
The Effectiveness of the Sexual Assault Simulation Course for Health Care Providers
(SASH) in a Rural Emergency Room
DNP: Leanne Dye
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Implementation of a Nurse-Led Etelcalcetide Protocol at the Outpatient Dialysis Unit
DNP: Lidia Dalessandro
Chairs: Dr. Michelle Edmonds and Dr. Laurie Buschini
Improving Patient Satisfaction Scores by Optimizing Nurse/Patient Communication
DNP: Lisa Caplan
Chair: Dr. Dorcas Kunkel
Nursing Emergency Support Team for COVID-19: A Formative Program Evaluation
DNP: Lisa M. Heath
Improving Nursing Knowledge of Post Intensive Care Syndrome and Determining the Effect
on Post-Liver Transplant Patients
DNP: Mariah Rose
Chair: Dr. Mary Gipson
Leveraging Shared Governance to Improve Clinical Nurse Engagement with Quality Initiatives
DNP: Maureen Williams
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Effectiveness of an Interprofessional Team Model of Care in the Acute Care Setting
DNP: Melissa McRae
Chair: Dr. Dorcas Kunkel
Decreasing Pre-procedure Anxiety in School-aged Patients in an Outpatient Surgery
Setting Using a Video Prior to Anesthesia Induction
DNP: Michelle Charette
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Improving Maternal Outcomes in African-American Women: A Task Force Policy Initiative
DNP: Nadine Ellis
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Diabetic Education to Reduce Readmission of Patients with Diabetes
DNP: Nicoleta Buiciuc
Chair: Dr. Kathryn Kott
Evaluation and implementation of a sustainable and effective evidence base handoff
communication tool for a pre-licensure nursing medical surgical course use: A program
implementation guide for faculty
DNP: Peierrela Gerdes
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Hypoglycemia Management in the Inpatient Setting: Protocol Education for the Registered
Nurse
DNP: Sarah Firmin
Chair: Dr. Lila de Tantillo
The Effectiveness of a Decision-Making Tool Intervention on Physical Restraint Use
Among Adult Patients on a Progressive Care Unit
DNP: Shannon Gaetjens
Chair: Dr. Mary Gipson
Evaluating the Effectiveness of a Patient-Centered Type 2 Diabetes Prevention Program
DNP: Sharie Blythe
Chair: Dr. Michelle Edmonds
Evaluating the Effectiveness of Increased Screening for Non-Accidental Trauma in the
Emergency Department
DNP: Stephanie Dorsey
Chairs: Dr. Lindsay Wolf and Dr. Teresa MacGregor
Educational Intervention to Enhance Staff Knowledge and Increase Awareness Regarding
Risk Assessment and Personal Protective Equipment Selection to Reduce Blood and Body
Fluid Exposures
DNP: Teresa Smoot
Chair: Dr. Hilary Morgan
The effectiveness of a Preoperative preparation program in the decreasing parental
preoperative anxiety
DNP: Thao Tran
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Effectiveness of Music on Comfort and Adherence to Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
Therapy in an Adult Population with Obstructive Sleep Apnea
DNP: Tina Barber
Chair: Dr. Ashlee Loewen
Scholarly Projects from 2020
Incorporating a human trafficking screening assessment tool in triage
DNP: Alisha Wise
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Reducing perceived stress and burnout and improving joy in work for nurse leaders:
A wellness initiative
DNP: Amanda Lyons
Chair: Dr. Dorcas Kunkel
Quality Improvement Initiative: The Impact of a Mindfulness Intervention on Healthcare
Work Environment and Patient Outcomes
DNP: Blanca McKean
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Implementation of an educational program to manage disruptive patient behavioral events
DNP: Candace Moll
Chair: Dr. Mary Gipson
Classification of surgical case descriptions for surgical scheduling improvement in
neurosurgery
DNP: Deborah S. Hickman
Chair: Dr. Lesley Morgan
Evidence-Based Educational in home program to improve self-management adherence and
A1C levels for patients with diabetes
DNP: Garrett Blaker
Chair: Dr. Kathryn Kott
The use of telehealth to increase mental health services access and promote medication
adherence in rural locations
DNP: Irene Talarico
Chair: Dr. Pam Rillstone
Lowering stress, anxiety, and distress levels in medical oncology patients actively
receiving intravenous treatment with utilization of art therapy
DNP: Katarina DeVault
Chair: Dr. Mary Vanderhoef
From expert to novice: Effect of a nursing orientation program on novice nurse educator
role conflict and role ambiguity
DNP: Kathy Bonthuis
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Improving perinatal national provision of care standards using policy analysis
DNP: Lauren Holloway
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
Improving transitional care in rural health using standardized discharge time-out
DNP: Lori Koethe
Chair: Dr. Mary Vanderhoef
Improving resource access and implementation for informal cancer caregivers in a clinic
at an outpatient cancer center
DNP: Marie Milton
Chair: Dr. Lindsay Wolf
Knowledge and compliance of staff in using the clostridium difficile bundle
DNP: Marissa Trino Lovely
Chair: Dr. Hilary Morgan
The effect of MyMedSchedule® Plus Smartphone application on antihypertensive medication
adherence in hypertensive adults in the outpatient setting
DNP: Meredith Kelly
Chair: Dr. Mary Gipson
Finding Support: Evaluating use of a virtual DNP final project peer support community
in a limited-residency program
DNP: Pamela Simon Card
Chair: Dr. Pam Rillstone
Does an Evidenced-based supplemental education brochure enhance patient understanding
for those undergoing bariatric surgery?
DNP: Sona P. Dolsenhe
Chair: Dr. Michelle Edmonds
An evaluation of an intervention designed to assist undergraduate college students
with stress, anxiety, or depression to increase physical activity levels
DNP: Tim Byrd
Chair: Dr. Teri Chenot
Developing and Implementing a Bedside Tablet Application Training Program
DNP: Veronica Lacambra
Chair: Dr. Michelle Edmonds
Reducing medication errors through addition of a pharmacist and standardized communication
to interdisciplinary team rounding: A quality improvement project
DNP: Victoria Kozel
Chair: Dr. Lynette Kennison
A quality improvement project to improve staff recognition of early signs of sepsis
DNP: Vikas Crawford
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
Scholarly Projects from 2019
Implementation of a transitional care heart failure checklist to reduce hospital readmissions
DNP: Dawn Harris
Chair: Dr. Ashlee Loewen
A bundled approach to peripheral IV site care and maintenance
DNP: Dawn Smith
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
This is my story: Using patient personalization posters to improve nurses' caring
behaviors.
DNP: Kelly Johnson
Chair: Dr. Roberta Christopher
A plant-based dietary intervention for nurses
DNP: Rachel Rodriguez
Chair: Dr. Leigh Hart
A DNP Quality improvement project to implement and evaluate an electronic employee
injury form for reporting healthcare employee sharps injuries and splash exposures
to blood and bodily fluids
DNP: Shannon Terrell
Chair: Dr. Robert Christopher