What is the DNP Capstone project?
Also known as the DNP research project, this is a type of project that will enable you to put your knowledge into practical use, to show mastery of your advanced nursing specialty. It will also reflect your preferred area of specialization.
The DNP capstone project offers a variety of choices ranging from portfolios and manuscript publication to practice topic dissemination.
Regardless of the project that you choose, they will all follow a standard procedure; planning, implementation, and finally the evaluation process. The main aim of the project should be offering education and delivering care. It will also show your ability to practice at the highest clinical practice level.
Critical thinking and research are essential skills in putting together your project. To help you formulate a project idea, the 5-step evidence process is advised. They are;
- Identify the issue or problem and formulate a question.
- The literature review. Here you are to apply the evidence you researched from the literature
- Evaluate the credibility of your resources backed by evidence. Gather data by justifiable means.
- Apply the findings
- Implement the results
Some of the pertinent questions you will need to ask before embarking on the project are; whom does this project focus on? What issues will the project address? Is it grounded in clinical practice? Is it going to solve a problem or is the purpose to inform? Will it demonstrate mastery of my skills and lastly, is the project backed by evidence?
