Create a detailed, integrated project charter to address a healthcare gap, need, or improvement at your practicum site.

Introduction

In NHS-FPX8040, you prepared a preliminary project charter. At that time, you may not have secured your practicum site or preceptor yet. Now that these are in place, in this course you will delve more deeply into creating a project charter appropriate for your practicum site’s needs. You may be able to use some of the project charter work you did in the previous course. At the same time, you may find you need to completely retool your work as it may no longer be appropriate for your practicum site. This is the changing nature of doctoral projects.  As we learn more information, doctoral projects change. Your ability to manage this ambiguity and change will be critical to your successfully completing your doctoral program.

In this assessment, you will create a detailed, integrated project charter to address a healthcare gap, need, or improvement at your practicum site. You will need to obtain input from your practicum site about how you can help to meet their needs. After submitting your project charter, you will receive your faculty member’s feedback on your charter’s alignment with department objectives, academic rigor, coherency, and readiness for Institutional Review Board (IRB) submission.

Demonstration of Proficiency

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

• Competency 1: Create a project charter to address a clinical or organizational problem or take advantage of an opportunity for improvement within a health care setting.
  • Clearly describe the people who will be involved in and affected by a project.
  • Clearly describe an overview of all aspects of a project plan.
  • Clearly describe the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to a project plan.
  • Clearly describe the ethical considerations, constraints, external dependencies, and communication strategy of a project plan.
  • Clearly describe the outcome measures related to a project plan.
  • Clearly describe the data collection procedures related to a project plan.
  • Describe a project that could, within 8 to 12 weeks, produce a meaningful, sustainable change in practice or process that can be empirically evaluated, with minimal or no risk to participants or the organization.
  • Synthesize scholarly, authoritative evidence supporting each part of the project charter.
• Competency 4: Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
  • Write clearly and coherently, using communication style and vocabulary appropriate for scholarly work.
  • Correctly reference and cite scholarly and/or authoritative sources.

Preparation

To successfully prepare for this assessment, you will need to:

• Ensure that your project aligns with your practicum site expectations and the DNP expectations for doctoral projects.
  • Consult this resource for guidance: Acceptable vs. Unacceptable SoNHS DNP Projects [PDF].
  • Definition of Research.
• Conduct a comprehensive review of the literature to gather data that will support your identified need, intervention, and assessment “instrument(s)”:
  • Focus your research on current resources available through peer-reviewed articles and professional and government websites. Current means less than five years old. 
  • Use these research guides for help in identifying scholarly and authoritative sources:
    • Nursing Doctoral (DNP) Research Guide.
    • Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Health Sciences. 

Instructions

Note: The assessments in this course must be completed in the order presented; subsequent assessments should be built on both your earlier work and your instructor’s feedback on earlier assessments. If you choose to submit assessments prematurely, without considering and integrating your instructor’s feedback, your assessment may be returned ungraded, resulting in your loss of an assessment attempt.

This assessment has been identified as a Signature Assessment. Signature assessments serve a dual purpose: to meet the competencies in the course where the signature assessment appears and acquire skills needed to demonstrate competencies specific to the completion of the Doctoral Project Report. Learners must successfully meet the established criteria for demonstrating competence on this assessment in order to successfully complete the course (see University Policy 3.4.07 Grading). Completion of this course is a program-specific requirement. Consequently, learners must pass this course in order to remain in good academic standing (see University Policy 3.01.04 Academic Standing).

This assessment also includes review by a Secondary Reviewer to ensure the work meets doctoral expectations for writing, content, connection to the discipline, scholarship, quality, integrity, and ethical compliance. Secondary review is both an essential program expectation and important opportunity for learners. A hallmark of doctoral learners, in particular, is openness to critique and responsiveness to feedback. Like any scholarly endeavor (e.g., journal article, book chapter, or dissertation), the doctoral project will benefit from the integration of feedback from a reviewer and a process of ongoing revision at each stage of development.  Learners may also reasonably expect to incorporate revisions and refinements of components of earlier completed signature assessments as they advance through the program to ensure the coherence and alignment of their completed project.  A doctoral-level project should, therefore, be viewed as a work-in-progress that is not completed until the final Dean review and approval is issued.

As you begin work, you may find the following activities helpful to completing a scholarly, successful project charter. Note: These activities are not mandatory; they are optional:

• Seek out free writing workshops and other resources available through the Capella Writing Center. The Writing Center’s workshops address such topics as: correct APA usage, paper organization, synthesis of material, and so on.
  • Note: Remember that this keystone course will help determine whether you are ready to proceed with your doctoral project. You will want to do everything you can to ensure that your critical thinking, research, and writing skills are at the doctoral level.

For this assessment, you will populate the three parts of the Project Charter Template [DOCX] with detailed information. Use the Project Charter Proposal Checklist [PDF] to ensure all content is included. Faculty will use the checklist to provide additional feedback.

• Part 1 includes these sections:
  • General Project Information.
  • Project Team.
    • You may find the work you did in the Team Effectiveness in Health Care Settings assessment helpful to you as you complete this portion of your Project Charter.
  • Stakeholders.
• Part 2 is the Project Overview and includes these components:
  • Project Description/
    • Write the project description in a narrative style. Avoid bullet points and incomplete sentences.
  • Evidence to Support Need (background and significance).
    • Be sure to provide the most relevant, data-driven evidence to support key points.  
  • Project Purpose/Business Case.
  • SMART Objectives (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-Bound).
  • Deliverables.
  • Project Scope.
  • Project Milestones.
• Part 3 includes these sections:

Note: You may find the work you did in your Ethics Analysis assessment helpful as you complete this section of your project charter.

• SWOT Analysis.
• Known Major Risks.
• Ethical Considerations.
• Constraints.
• External Dependencies.
• Communication Strategy:
  • Consider questions like these in your communication strategy: Will you hold an in-person or video conference-kickoff meeting? How will you communicate with all involved parties (email, telephone, periodic meetings, project tools, et cetera)?
• Proposed Outcomes.
• Data Collection Plan.

Example Assessment: You may use the following to give you an idea of what a Proficient or higher rating on the scoring guide would look like:

Provide a minimum of a two to three paragraph response that directly addresses your thoughts on their post.

Describe how the results of the measures can be used for quality improvement in one of the following medical settings: physician office (ambulatory care),community health center and hospital

Post listed for response to:

CMS

Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services is an organization that, “Ensures the voices and needs of the populations we represent are present as the agency is developing, implementing, and evaluating its programs and policies” (Mission, Vision & Our Work). This organization is governmental as it assists individuals of all ages in the United States. The information gathered is for External Stakeholders. This is due to changes being readily available for those who are impacted by the updates. The quality improvement measures found on the CMS website are patient engagements, care coordination, health outcomes, patient safety, and clinical processes. (Mission, Vision & Our Work)

JC

The Joint Commission mission statement is, “To continuously improve health care for the public, in collaboration with other stakeholders, by evaluating health care organizations and inspiring them to excel in providing safe and effective care of the highest quality and value” (The Joint Commission). The Joint Commission is not working for profit so it can be accounted as an accreditation. In comparison with CMS, the Joint Commission also has external stakeholders so that changes can be available for all that may be impacted with such updates. The five quality improvement measures found on the JC website are data knows best, invest upfront, communication, proper planning prevents poor performance, and don’t be a dinosaur. (The Joint Commission)

1 reference and no plagiarism 

Upon completion, summarize and share with your group what you learned about your specific leadership qualities, so you can become familiar with how you are similar and different from your peers when it comes to being a leader.

Review the study materials related to servant leadership. Using what you have learned about the tenets of servant leadership and traits and practices of successful leaders, create a 1-4 slide PowerPoint presentation with speaker notes. Add an additional slide for references at the end of your presentation.  

Include the following in your presentation:

1. Create a slide that summarizes your leadership style, traits, and practices. (1 slide)

2. Explain why it is important for nursing professionals to be aware of their personal leadership style, traits, and practices. (2 slides).

As a nurse with five years of experience in critical care, including intensive care, emergency department, and post-anesthesia care, I have become more concerned with preventative care. Seeing patients with diseases that have been unmanaged or mismanaged has driven my pursuit of an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner degree.

According to Walden (2019b), the vision of the University is directly related to advancing the greater global good. When researching higher educational opportunities provided online, there are a plethora of opportunities available. However, I believe this one statement in the vision of Walden University encompasses the reason I want to achieve an advanced degree. Increasing chronic disease compliance with education as preventative medicine will advance the greater good starting in my community.

The mission of Walden University (2019b) states that they strive to produce a diverse community of career professionals to create positive social change. Merriam- Webster (2019) defines diversity as the inclusion of people of all races, genders, and cultures. As students at Walden University, we should feel honored to attend a school where all are welcome. 

The goals described by Walden University (2019b) mention professional excellence, multi-contextual career opportunities, quality, and integrity. All of these words describe attributes anyone would want in an advanced care practitioner. 

All of the Master of Science in Nursing learning outcomes is important in becoming an Adult-Gerontology Nurse Practitioner. However, the MSN program outcomes that most specifically relate to my career are to transform health outcomes for diverse populations and exhibit ongoing professional development (Walden University, 2019a). As mentioned at the beginning of this paper, I have spent the majority of my career involved in taking care of patients whom it is already “too late.” I want my focus to be on preventative care and proper education to patients newly diagnosed with chronic conditions.

References

Merriam-Webster. (2019). Diversity. Retrieved from https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/diversity

Walden University. (2019a). Masters of Science in Nursing. Retrieved from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/preview_program.php?catoid=168&poid=65077&returnto=58170

Walden University. (2019b). Vision, Mission, and Goals. Retrieved from https://catalog.waldenu.edu/content.php?catoid=168&navoid=57778

IOM Future of Nursing Report and Nursing 

Review the IOM report, “The Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health,” and explore the “Campaign for Action: State Action Coalition” website. In a 1,000-1,250 word paper, discuss the influence the IOM report and state-based action coalitions have had on nursing practice, nursing education, and nursing workforce development, and how they continue to advance the goals for the nursing profession.

Include the following:

1. Describe the work of the Robert Wood Foundation Committee Initiative that led to the IOM report, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.”
2. Outline the four “Key Messages” that structure the IOM Report recommendations. Explain how these have transformed or influenced nursing practice, nursing education and training, nursing leadership, and nursing workforce development. Provide examples.
3. Discuss the role of state-based action coalitions. Explain how these coalitions help advance the goals specified in the IOM report, “Future of Nursing: Leading Change, Advancing Health.”
4. Research the initiatives on which your state’s action coalition is working. Summarize two initiatives spearheaded by your state’s action coalition. Discuss the ways these initiatives advance the nursing profession.
5. Describe barriers to advancement that currently exist in your state and explain how nursing advocates in your state overcome these barriers.

You are required to cite to a minimum of three sources to complete this assignment. Sources must be published within the last 5 years and appropriate for the assignment criteria and relevant to nursing practice.  

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required. 

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion. 

You are required to submit this assignment to LopesWrite. Refer to the LopesWrite Technical Support articles for assistance.