DNP Topic 1 Doctoral Strategies Essay and Attestation

The doctoral learning process is uniquely autonomous and requires self-imposed initiative to investigate, gather information and orient yourself to the expectations of the program. In order to be successful, it is important to develop strategies to maintain a healthy balance in your academic, professional, and personal life.

The purpose of this assignment is to reflect on the “Doctor of Nursing Orientation Webinar,” the doctoral dispositions, and the resources introduced to you in this topic in order to prepare a plan to be a successful learner.

General Requirements:

• Attend the “Doctor of Nursing Orientation Webinar.”
• Read the “Doctoral Dispositions and Acknowledgement of Review” document attached in the assignment.
• Read the “Direct Practice Improvement Project Groups and Associated Milestones,” “DNP Learner Expectations,” and “DNP Direct Practice Improvement Project Recommendations,” located in the DC Network.
• Explore the APA resources, including the APA Style Guide, located in the Writing Center in the Student Success Center.
• This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.
• Doctoral learners are required to use APA style for their writing assignments. The APA Style Guide is located in the Student Success Center.
• You are not required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite.
• Learners will submit this assignment using the assignment dropbox in the digital classroom. In addition, learners must upload this deliverable to the Learner Dissertation Page (LDP) in the DNP PI Workspace for later use.

According to the American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) (2006), having scientific underpinnings for practice and clinical scholarship are two of the eight essential competencies required for Doctor of Nursing Practice degrees. The role of a DNP is to review applicable research to transform and advance practice. Research needs to be properly performed with strong evidence to be safely translated into practice. To consider the scholarly application of research into practice, information is analyzed to implement accurate and evidenced-based changes into practice. As levels of evidence increase, data is less subject to bias if the study is properly designed and is typically stronger evidence (Glasofer & Townsend, 2019).

The intention of the DPI project is the implementation of high-quality evidence to improve patient outcomes. Interventions for this project should have solid scientific underpinnings. Practice improvement projects do not generate new ideas but implement research into practice. For my DPI project, I would like to implement a communication bundle involving family members and evaluate if this shortens the length of stay in the ICU.

In the primary research conducted by Kenji et al. (2020), delirium increased when COVID visitor restrictions were implemented. Prior to COVID visitor restrictions, families and visitors were allowed to be with patients. During this time, Kenji et al. (2020) reported a delirium prevalence of 1.8% of patients. After restrictions were initiated, family visitation was limited. Without having family present, delirium incidence increased to 6.2% (Kenji et al., 2020). Lack of family involvement in patient care led to a significant increase in delirium which can negatively impact patient outcomes.

McKenzie and Joy (2018) conducted a meta-analysis of five different studies. The consensus was family involvement decreased the length of hospital stay for delirious patients. The studies included in the meta-analysis utilized various interventions to treat delirium such as establishing a daily routine, engaging in leisure activities or music. When the healthcare team partnered with families to implement the interventions, the length of hospital stay was reduced, along with family anxiety (McKenzie & Joy, 2018). Applying this toward my potential DPI project supports family engagement to reduce the length of stay.

References

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. Retrieved March 3, 2022 from https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/DNPEssentials.pdf

Glasofer, A. & Townsend, A. (2019). Determining the level of evidence experimental research appraisal. Nursing Critical Care, 14 (6), 22-25.

Kenji, K., Yohei, O., Wataru, I., Hiromichi, N., Yoshiro, M., & Ryoji, I. (2020). Association between visitation restriction during the COVID-19 pandemic and delirium incidence among emergency admission patients: a single-center retrospective observational cohort study in Japan. Journal of Intensive Care, 8 (1), 1–9.https://doi-org.lopes.idm.oclc.org/10.1186/s40560-020-00511-x

McKenzie, J., & Joy, A. (2020). Family intervention improves outcomes for patients with delirium: Systematic review and meta‐analysis. Australasian Journal on Ageing, 39 (1), 21-30. doi:10.1111/ajag.12688

Directions:

After attending the “Doctor of Nursing Orientation Webinar,” reading the doctoral dispositions, and reviewing all of the resources indicated, write a 500-750-word paper including the following:

1. Discuss what concerns you have about matriculating through a DNP program, and insights you gained from the “Doctor of Nursing Orientation Webinar” that helped mitigate those concerns.
2. Describe what your expectations are for the program and what challenges you might anticipate. Identify personal strengths and explain how these will help you persevere in the DNP program.
3. Outline a plan that you can use to be successful as a DNP learner. Include strategies for time management, autonomy, and self-directed learning. Explain how you can utilize the resources introduced in this topic to help you become more proficient.

Provide confirmation that you have attended the “Doctor of Nursing Orientation Webinar,” read the “Doctoral Dispositions and Acknowledgement of Review,” and familiarized yourself with all the listed resources, by completing the “Acknowledgement of Review” statement below and copying/pasting it to the bottom of your reflection paper.

Acknowledgement of Review:

I, (INSERT NAME), verify that I have reviewed doctoral dispositions, attended the Doctor of Nursing Orientation Webinar, and have accessed and reviewed the Direct Practice Improvement Project Group and Associated Milestones, DNP Learner Expectations, DNP Direct Practice Improvement Project Recommendations, and the APA, PowerPoint, and writing resources in the Writing Center of the Student Success Center. I agree to uphold the doctoral dispositions and comply with the expectations of the program.