Capstone Assessment 1: Assessing the Problem: Leadership, Collaboration, Communication, Change Management, and Policy Considerations

Preparation

In this assessment, you’ll assess the patient, family, or population health problem that will be the focus of your capstone project. Plan to spend approximately 2 hours working with a patient, family, or group of your choice to explore the problem from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective. During this time, you may also choose to consult with subject matter and industry experts about the problem (for example, directors of quality or patient safety, nurse managers/directors, physicians, and epidemiologists).

To prepare for the assessment, complete the following:

• Identify the patient, family, or group you want to work with during your practicum. The patient you select can be a friend or a family member. You’ll work with this patient, family, or group throughout your capstone project, focusing on a specific health care problem.
•  

Instructions

Complete this assessment in two parts.

Part 1

Define the patient, family, or population health problem that will be the focus of your capstone project. Assess the problem from a leadership, collaboration, communication, change management, and policy perspective and establish your evidence and research base to plan, implement, and share findings related to your project.

 

Part 2

Connect with the patient, family, or group you’ll work with during your practicum. During this portion of your practicum, plan to spend at least 2 hours meeting with the patient, family, or group and, if desired, consulting with subject matter and industry experts of your choice. The hours you spend meeting with them should take place outside of regular work hours. 

 

Requirements

• 1. Define a patient, family, or population health problem that’s relevant to your practice.
  •      – Summarize the problem you’ll explore.
  •      – Identify the patient, family, or group you intend to           work with during your practicum.
  •      – Provide context, data, or information that                 
  •         substantiates the presence of the problem and its 
  •         significance and relevance to the patient, family, or         population.
  •      – Explain why this problem is relevant to your     
  •         practice as a baccalaureate-prepared nurse.
• 2. Analyze evidence from peer-reviewed literature and professional sources that describes and guides nursing actions related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
  •      – Note whether the authors provide supporting 
  •         evidence from the literature that’s consistent with 
  •         what you see in your nursing practice.
  •      – Explain how you would know if the data are 
  •         unreliable.
  •      – Describe what the literature says about barriers to 
  •         the implementation of evidence-based practice in 
  •         addressing the problem you’ve defined.
  •      – Describe research that has tested the effectiveness 
  •         of nursing standards and/or policies in improving 
  •         patient, family, or population outcomes for this 
  •         problem.
  •      – Describe current literature on the role of nurses in 
  •         policy making to improve outcomes, prevent 
  •         illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
  •      – Describe what the literature says about a nursing 
  •         theory or conceptual framework that might frame 
  •         and guide your actions during your clinical 
  •         practicum.
  • 3. Explain how state board nursing practice standards and/or organizational or governmental policies could affect the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
  •      – Describe research that has tested the effectiveness 
  •         of these standards and/or policies in improving 
  •         patient, family, or population outcomes for this 
  •         problem.
  •      – Describe current literature on the role of nurses in 
  •         policy making to improve outcomes, prevent 
  •         illness, and reduce hospital readmissions.
  •      – Describe the effects of local, state, and federal 
  •         policies or legislation on your nursing scope of    
  •         practice, within the context of this problem.
• 4. Propose leadership strategies to improve outcomes, patient-centered care, and the patient experience related to the patient, family, or population problem you’ve defined.
  •      – Discuss research on the effectiveness of leadership         strategies.
  •      – Define the role that you anticipate leadership must         play in addressing the problem.
  •      – Describe collaboration and communication 
  •         strategies that you anticipate will be needed to 
  •         address the problem.
  •      – Describe the change management strategies that 
  •         you anticipate will be required to address the 
  •         problem.
• 5. Organize content so ideas flow logically with smooth transitions.
• 6. Apply APA style and formatting to scholarly writing.

 

Additional Requirements

• Format: Format your paper using APA style. 
• Length: Your paper should be approximately 5–7 pages in length, not including the reference page.
• Supporting evidence: Cite at least five sources of scholarly or professional evidence that support your central ideas. Resources should be no more than five years old. Provide in-text citations and references in APA format.