Building on their specialty practice, Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) graduates design new models of care; use evidence to improve practice; evaluate outcomes; identify and manage the health care needs of individuals, communities, and populations; and use technology and information systems to improve health outcomes.
Guided by faculty mentors, DNP candidates enrich and deepen their specialty practice by engaging in transformative educational activities. Through experiential learning, self-assessment and reflection, community engagement, interprofessional relationships, and scientific inquiry, nurses emerge as leaders, transforming their practice and health care in self-identified areas of concern and influence.
The program culminates in a doctoral project that reflects a synthesis of the knowledge and skills gained throughout the candidate’s educational experience.
DNP Projects from 2023
Weight Loss Communication and Treatment in Primary Care, Courtney Russell, Sarah Puckett, and Jessica McRill
Development of Neuraxial Anesthesia Educational Videos for Nurse Anesthesia Students, Mackenzie Schutt and Kaylie LaJeunesse
A Comparison of Erector Spinae Plane Block and Epidural Analgesia for Major Abdominal Surgery, Charles Serrano
Remifentanil in Labor Analgesia, Courtney Silberberg
Telehealth Integration in Primary Care, Ashley Simons
Implementation of a GlideScope Educational Program for Novice Student Registered Nurse Anesthesiologists, Joshua F. Snodgrass and Brian Bendel
Enhancement of a Peer Mentorship Program for Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist, Cassie Starrett and Katrina Harlan
Subcutaneous infusions for comfort care patients, kelci steeples
Enhancing Communication Pathways Between Care Environments to Improve Patient Outcomes, Heather Tucker
Road to Recovery for Craniotomy patients, Louisa Ustrzynski
STI education for adolescents, Maryann Van Ryn and Lucy Nyrongo
Developing an Advocacy Campaign to Minimize Barriers to SRNA Political Awareness, Alejandra Villescas
Increasing Education and Awareness of Patients who Identify as Transgender in Primary Care, Cindy Wallace
Prophylactic Tranexamic Acid Administration to Prevent Postpartum Hemorrhage After Cesarean Delivery in Patients at High Risk of Severe Postpartum Bleeding, Alexandra White and Stephanie Lafikes
Improving Depression Remission Screening Compliance, Crystal Wingerter
Fantastic Four, Jaden Zumbahlen and Andrea Palmer
DNP Projects from 2022
Introduction of Enhanced Recovery After Cesarean Section (ERAC) Protocol, Kwame Adu-Affum
Vasovagal Syncope During Venipuncture:Alleviating Symptoms Through Leg Muscle Tension and Moving Toes Sequentially, Velina Andrewski
Pediatric Distraction Methods for the Perioperative Period, Jennifer L. Ashton and Katherine M. Rosner
Improving Staff Education on Lung Cancer Screening at the Illinois Correctional Facilities for the Justice-Involved Individuals, Natalie Bethel and Jillian Youngquist
Development of Evidence-Based Rubrics and Instructional Videos for Anesthesia Induction Sequences, James P. Canny and Nathan M. Carroll
Exploring the Use of Telehealth in a School-Based Health Center, Kourtney Chapman, Mia Rhodes, and Jordan Smith
Identifying Facilitators and Barriers for a Successful Student Registered Nurse Anesthetist’s Clinical Experience, James Clancy and Adam Bruinius
Implementation of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery for Adult Cervical Spine Fusion Patients: A Quality Improvement Project, Ashley Darin-Messmer
Critical Care Orientation Escape Room, Leah Deaton
The Effectiveness of Using the Anatomage Table as a Learning Adjunct to Peripheral Nerve Blocks Among Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Paige Dickey, Melissa Gerlach, and Mary Zerlan
Empowering Nurses to Recognize Post-Stroke Depression in the African American Community, Deidra Frisbie and Robin Simon
Conducting a Root Cause Analysis to Improve Intake Processes and Record Review in Home Health, Christina Guerrero
Implementation of PrEP Protocol in Primary Care, Myia Harper and Catalina West
Implementation of Childhood Trauma Questionnaire in a Primary Care Setting, Michele Hartke
Implementation of Routine Screening to Detect Early Cases of Depression and Anxiety in Hispanic Adolescents in the Primary Care Setting, LaToya Hayward
The Development of an Evidenced-Based Guideline for the Anesthetic Management of Surgical Cases Utilizing Evoked Potential Monitoring, Brent Hitchens and Darrell Risinger
Integrating Mental Health into Primary Care, Lori Hopwood and April Schmidt
Physician Use of the RAPID3 to Guide Rheumatology Follow-Up: A Retrospective Examination, Karen Howard
Establishing a Neonatal Peripherally Inserted Central Catheter (PICC) Team, Rebecca Hunt
Controlling Hypertension: A Self Blood Pressure Monitoring Program plus Health Coaching compared to Health Coaching Alone, Jordan Joynt and Alex Watson
Utilizing a Personal Health Coach in the Management of T2DM, Emily Killebrew, Matthew Huelsman, Verah Bonareri, and Terri Furfaro
Implementation of Written Discharge Instructions for Common Diagnoses in the Urgent Care Setting, Melissa Kulp and Kristin Elmore
Best Practice in the Perioperative Anesthetic Management of Infants with Gastroschisis, Emily R. Lester
Increasing Obesity Education in an Underserved Latino Population, Morgan Lippert and Kelsey Beard
Implementation of PHQ-2 Screening Tool in a Telemedicine Based Setting, Joanna Luong
Improving Healthcare Team Communication with Limited English Proficiency Families in the NICU, Ivonne Mandell
Increasing HPV Vaccination in Adolescents, Emily Martin and Emily Hartmann
Improving no show rates in a GI Endoscopy outpatient lab, Mark McAteer
Creating a guideline for STI testing in the pediatric population, Alexandria Molaro, Alexandra Evans, and Alex Niebrugge
Implementation of Routine Screening with Patient Health Questionnaire 9 (PHQ-9) of Adults with Crohn’s Disease, Jo A. Muller-Krause
Computer-Based Learning Module: Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity, Nhan Nguyen
Dexmedetomidine as an Adjunct Therapy to Neuraxial Anesthesia in Labor and Delivery, Anthony Nungesser
Anticipatory Guidance for Parents/Caregivers of Pediatric Patients Ages 0-12 Months, Cody Palmer and Anna Hagnauer
Assessment of Caregiver Burden in a Memory Loss Clinic, Andrea Perkins
The Implementation of a Mental Health Screening Protocol in an Occupational Health Setting, Chandra A. Pierson-Rye
Neuraxial Anesthesia for Total Joint Arthroplasty, Katherine Pozzo
Implementation of Depression Screening in a Nursing Home, TITILAYO RAJI
Difficult Labor Epidural: Intrathecal Catheter Management, Andrew Screnchuk
The Use of Point of Care Ultrasound to Assess Gastric Contents and Determine Aspiration Risk in the Obese Patient Presenting for Elective Surgery, Harry Senaldi and Mary Zerlan
Retention of New Nurses in the Cardiovascular Operating Room, Hannah Shufeldt
Development of a Protocol to Manage Postdural Puncture Headache, Ashley M. Shulman and Lynexis P. McVey
Reducing Errors Through Implementation of Standardized Electronic Order sets in the Intensive Care setting, Mary Slusser
Improving Depression Surveillance at the We Care Clinic, Kaitlin Springer and Emma Hanney
Perioperative Tube Feeding Guidelines for the Pediatric Burn Patient, Jordan Swanberg
Establishing Guidelines to Promote Best Practice for Common Ailments in School-Based Health Clinics, Kaitlin Sweeney and Rachael Schaefer
Intrathecal and Epidural Dexmedetomidine for Obstetric Patients, Sarah Tobias and Addison Hohner
Implementation of a Tele-Triage Protocol in an Emergency Department Setting, Megan Tuetken, Sierra Hamlin, and Sydney Spaulding
Peer Support Specialist Incorporation into Collaborative Patient Centered Care, Jamie L. Wagner and Mathew Blount
Assessing Provider Confidence of Acute Otitis Media Diagnosis and Treatment with an Optical Coherence Tomography Device in the Urgent Care Setting, Meghan Weber and Susan Wolf
Establishing Care with a Primary Care Provider, Ashley Whitlatch
Community Health Worker Intervention to Improve HbA1c in Adult Diabetic Patients, Megan Wojtko
Development and Evaluation of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery protocols for General Abdominal and Orthopedic Surgery with Focus on Preoperative Hydration and Multimodal Management in Preoperative and Postoperative Phases, Kristin Wolff and Sadie Spilker
Hypertension Management in Primary Care Using Target:BP; Meeting Patient Goals and Quality Measures, Hollie Yoder
DNP Projects from 2021
Interventional Techniques for Chronic Low Back Pain and Migraine Headaches: Development of Educational Pamphlets, Muhidin Abukar and Mathew Schilling
Implementation of a Standardized Care Pathway for Ureteral Stents Patients Across the Continuum of the Acute and Ambulatory Setting: A Quality Improvement Project, Ibukunoluwa Afolabi
Standardizing Evaluation Methods for Simulation, Jessica Antisdel and Leslie Artinger
Implementing a Validated Developmental Screening Tool in a Rural Pediatric Primary Care Clinic to Enhance Early Diagnosis of Developmental Delays from Birth to 36 Months, Melissa A. Armstead
Improving Depression Awareness and Screening in a Community College, Shelly Baldwin
Improving Skin Cancer Screening in Primary Care, Jaclyn Barnhouse and Rebecca Baietto
Increasing Patient Access to Medication-Assisted Treatment Programs for Opioid Use Disorder, Matthew J. Bednarchik
Development of a Heparin Dosing Guideline for Vascular Surgery, Brittany Bertoni and Anna Holdener
Addressing Referral Discrepancies for Hyperglycemia Diagnosis Codes, Brooke Buffington, Aubrey Parnell, and Abigail Brohammer
Integration of the SVS WIfI Classification System for Ulcer Staging and Management in an Amputation Prevention Program, Allison Campos
Development and Implementation of an Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocol for Thoracic Surgery Procedures, Nicholas Collier
Implementation of A Mental Health Screening in a Gastroenterology Office, Kayla Craig
Introduction of Strong for Surgery Pre-surgical Checklist for Elective Procedures, Dylan DeFauw
The Impact of a Cultural Competence Assessment Tool on Teaching Strategies in the DNP Curriculum at Southern Illinois University of Edwardsville, Katarina Dobrosavljevic
Voyage: A Passage Through Orientation, Patricia Eppel
Developing an Educational Pamphlet for Patients Undergoing Interscalene Blocks with Liposomal Bupivacaine Exparel, Steve Fankam
Developing a Peer Mentoring Program for SRNAs, Morgan E. Fitterer and Miranda Portwine
Compassion Fatigue and Burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic, Gabrielle Giamanco and Tyler Tanzyus
Increasing Low-Dose CT Screening in Primary Care, Bethany Huelskoetter
Increasing Compliance and Patient Outcomes In Hypertensive Patients Using the Hill- Bone High Blood Pressure Compliance Scale, Lauren Huff, Allyson Barbee, and Julie Milton
Care of the Healthcare Provider, Kari Hullinger and Emily Moscardelli
Short Term Medical Mission Antibiotic Protocol, Greg Jennings
The misuse of convenient care and importance of establishing a primary care provider, Bailey M. Johnston and Amanda LT Hawkins
Improving Patient Outcomes by Preventing Airway Injuries Associated with Video Laryngoscopes, Alexis Jones and Kay Williamson
Presurgical Optimization Videos for Patients Undergoing Elective Spine Surgery, Megan Knetzer
Inpatient Observation Safety Assistant Practices, Jennifer Knight
ERAS Protocol for Lower Extremity Orthopedic Procedures, Tyler McDonald and Joshua Vaughn
Media Use Management with Toddlers and Preschoolers: Introducing Screen Time Recommendations in Pediatric Primary Care, Kaitlyn McGough
Culturally appropriate health education: Translation of a parturient pain relief options pamphlet into French and Spanish, Francis Minor and Austin Cook
Continuing Education Preferences Amongst CRNAs, Jamie Nichting
Development of a Protocol for Perioperative Management of the Breastfeeding Mother, Kayla Nyseth and Kelsey Park