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 2024
Education for Healthcare Professionals on Protocol for Prostate Cancer Screenings on Inmates, Heather Ackerman and Randi Janae Ballard
Hepatitis C Management for Individuals in Custody, Oluronke D. Akinola
Ketamine Infusion Protocol & Patient Education Pamphlet for Complex Regional Pain Syndrome, Ricardo Aranda and Giles Howard
Integrating Psychotherapy in a Psychiatric Outpatient Clinic, Ayesha Baluch
Identifying and Improving Developmental Delays in Children Within Central America, Alyssa Blake
Mentorship Program Including Alumni, Nicole Brainin
Addressing Air Quality Mitigation as a Key Factor in Asthma Management and Prevention, Julia Buckles and Jewel Radford
Enhanced Recovery After Surgery (ERAS) Protocol for Bariatric Surgery, Krista Bunch
Qualitative vs. Quantitative Train of Four, Caleb Culbreath
A Behavioral Intervention Checklist to Reduce Re-Hospitalizations in Residents with Mental Illness, Jeffery Davis
Shivering in Postpartum Women: Development of a Perioperative Protocol for Women Undergoing Cesarean Section, Lindsay Dawson and Kara Peters
Educating SRNAs on Barriers and Facilitators of Clinical Learning, Mesud Dedic and Richard Heuermann
Introduction of Osteoporosis Screening within Orthopedic Clinics, Kimberly Dray
EMR Templates for Age-Appropriate Well-Child Pediatric Visits, Alison Drerup and Kelsey Piper
Identifying SRNAs individual learning preferences utilizing the VARK Learning Inventory Tool, James Eads
Implementing an Insomnia Assessment and Management Algorithm in a Rural Pirmary Care Clinic, Rebekah Gaffin
Emotional Intelligence and SRNA Success Utilizing a SIM Experience, Melody Gassoway and Kaleigh Peters
Implementation of a Prediabetes Class in the Primary Care Setting, Kristie Goeckner
Blunt Cerebrovascular Injury (BCVI): Universal CTA Neck Screening at Level 2 Trauma Center, Tamine Gogel
Discharge Lounge Utilization, Jessica Goneh and Areo Comonal
Creation of an Educational Pamphlet for Patients Receiving Upper Extremity Peripheral Nerve Blocks, Elizabeth Hamlin
Implementing the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale in the Emergency Department and Family Care Settings, Laura Hardiek and Thomas Dissette
Procedural Sedation Training: Competency Verification Through Simulation, Christine Hawknuff
Implementation of Prenatal and Postpartum Depression Screening for a Telehealth Company, Allison Herrmann and Lori Deibel
Evaluation and Education of Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols for Total Knee Arthroplasty, Lauren Hunt and Jessica Prost
What's in your nursing labor toolkit? Promoting patient satisfaction while decreasing cesarean section rates., Jennifer Isip, Damaris Peralta, and Hannah Zions
Equipping Home Visiting Staff for High PHQ-9 Scores in the Home, Haley Junge and Gayle Schlabach
Iron Deficiency Screening Implementation for Patients with Heart Failure Reduced Ejection Fraction, Rachel Kister, Brittany Beler, and Nicholas Bauder
Promoting the Incorporation of Regional Anesthesia to Improve Pain Management for Lower Extremity Surgeries, Kendra Knaga
Educating Anesthesia Providers on the Physiological Effects and Anesthesia Implications of Cannabis, Carmel Loud
Recommendations for Sugammadex Administration in Standard and Special Populations, Kristen E. Mattson and Alexa Brummund
Application of Ultrasound for Difficult Vascular Access in Obstetric Patients, Carly McCleland
Screening for Suicide in Veterans with Cancer, Dina E. McNeil
Effectiveness of Virtual Reality in Anesthesia Machine Education, Heather Milder and Rachel Geisendorfer
Lung Cancer Screening in a Primary Care Clinic for Coal Mine, glenda mills and Sarah Cobb
Best Practice in Airway Management of the Neonatal Population, Brittaney Montcalm
Increasing OB/GYN Clinic Nursing Staff Knowledge and Comfort Level in Providing Breastfeeding Education, Nancy Moore
Anesthetic Management of the Parturient with Increased Intracranial Pressure Disorders, Madeline Olson
Human Trafficking and Resources Provision in the ED, Kathryn Patrick
Methadone, Haley Pschirrer and Christy Tocco
Nurses' Experience Implementating Weighted Blankets in Inpatient Psychiatric Unit, michael ragen
Development of High-Fidelity Simulations for SRNAs: Airway Fire and Venous Air Embolism, Ashlyn Russo and Brooke Skaggs
Establishing Routine Multiple Micronutrient Supplementation During Pregnancy in an Impoverished Guatemalan Community, Marissa Schuette and Erin Brueggemann
Implementation of Electronically integrated Pediatric Screening Templates, Kayla Seed
Evaluating Nurse Comfort Levels Assessing for Depression in an Urban Hospital Setting, Jonathan Shafer and Riley R. Clubb
Pneumococcal and Influenza Vaccine Co-Administration in the Incarcerated Population, Kaitlyn Stroh
Implementation of Menstrual Cycle and Fertility Awareness Education for Community Healthcare Providers Serving Guatemalan Women, Alissa Struble
Anesthesia Management for the Preeclampsia or Hypertensive Parturient, Britanie Sumpter
Implementing Pain Management Policies and Procedures at a Rural Pain Clinic, Jamie Swearingen
Evaluating the efficacy of perioperative methadone in cardiac surgery, Brock Thornton
Local Anesthetic Systemic Toxicity: LAST Protocol Development, Implementation, and Evaluation for Healthcare Providers, Rachel Vaughn
Establishing Community Connections for a Mobile Health Clinic, Shunera Wells
Improvement in Patient Compliance for Gynecological Care, Tracee Williams
Improving Depression Screening in Primary Care, Grace Wilson and Annmarie O'Connor
Increasing Oral Health in A Midwest Elementary School: Quality Improvement Project, Dee Young
Diversity, Equity, & Inclusion in Nurse Anesthesia: Bridging the Gap, Aminat Yusuff-Akinbo
DNP Projects from 2023
New Graduate Nurse Professional Development Planning, Cassandra Adkins
Second-victimhood Among Anesthesia Providers & the Effects on Patient Outcomes, Erika Aitken
Recognizing Barriers in the Elderly Population and Increasing Access to Case Management Services, Loveleena Alex
Implementing the Timed Up and Go Test to Prevent Falls, Shamika Allen
Advanced Care Planning in Primary Care, Kaylee Beals and Amanda Merriman
Establishing a Diabetes Self-Management Resource for the Self-Pay Client in a Rural Clinic, Emily Birkhead
Active Learning Techniques to Improve Emotional Intelligence Among Student Registered Nurse Anesthetists, Sydney Bontz
Introduction of a Spinal Care Pathway Triage Protocol in the Secondary Care Setting, Tonicia I. Boston
Utilizing Gastric Point-of-Care Ultrasound Assessment for Patients with Questionable NPO Status, Carolina Botero
Postoperative Pruritis from Neuraxial Anesthesia, Paige Buckner and Kaleigh Kuhlman
Development of a Nurse Anesthesia Program Point-of-Care Ultrasound Airway Examination Curriculum, Sarah Elyse Sandheinrich Butler and Colton Phillip Butler
Advance Care Planning in Primary Care, Isabel Butterfield, Darby Creasey, and Jenna Dean
Utilizing the Anatomage Virtual Dissection Table for Learning Neuroanatomical Structures in Nurse Anesthesia Programs, Domenica Camaci-Douleh and Nicole Gorris
A Multifaceted Approach to Promoting Speaking Up Behavior in a Community Hospital, Carrie Carls
Caring for the Adult patient with Autism: Development of staff education and an online toolkit for Healthcare Providers, Kristen Conkle
Tranexamic Acid Protocol for Lower Extremity Total Joint Arthroplasties, Autumn Cullison
Cefazolin Administration in Penicillin Allergic Patients, Jessica Doerr
Understanding COVID-19 Vaccine Hesitancy in Underserved Populations, KeNecia Dones
Adjuncts and Additives to Regional Anesthesia, Kaisi Dye and Kelcie Brunnert
Use of Anticipatory Guidelines in Late Infants and Toddlers 12 to 24 Months in Primary Care, Claire E. Eller
Hyperoxemia Education to Nurses to Increase the Adherence to Oxygen Weaning Goals in Inpatient COPD Patients., Katherine Ellingson
Expansion of Heart Failure Education from Hospital to Clinic, Abigail M. Fischer
Improving Pulmonary Rehabilitation Referral and Uptake for Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disorder, Amanda Frassato
Postdural Puncture Headaches and the Development of a Treatment Protocol, Matthew Gill
Emergency Department Nurse Preceptor Development, Allison Helmerichs
Implementation of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale in a Mental Health Clinic, Anne Hocking
CBT Technology Implementation with Pediatric and Adolescent Populations, Tracey W. Kreipe, Heath Gage, and Sandra Obiebi
Education for Oncology Providers on the Benefits, Uses, and Local Resources of Medical Marijuana, Jessica Landrum and Brianna Linsley
Just Culture in Undergraduate Nursing Academia, Marcie Leonard
Foley Catheter Algorithm, Chary Mathew
A Community Health Outreach Project Focused on Developing and Implementing a Culturally Competent Tobacco Cessation Education Toolkit, Tori Mattingly, Wesley Ferrill, and Lechi Nkwocha
Amniotic Fluid Embolism Diagnosis & Treatment Pathway, Jeremy May
Implementing an EMR System in a Small Psychiatric Practice, Brandy McCrudden
Improving Student Registered Nurse Anesthesiologists’ Skills and Confidence Through High-fidelity Simulation, Daniel McGee and Robert Stein
Management of Ineffective Epidural for Cesarean Section, MIRIAM NDENECHO
The Effects of Postpartum Hemorrhage Simulation, kera olson
Diversity in Nurse Anesthesia Education: Understanding the Perspective of Racial-Ethnic Minority Nurse Anesthesia Students, Lorette osun and Jeannette Ineza
Standardization of Perioperative Management of the Breastfeeding Women, Amrutha Panakkal
Primary Care Management of Breast Cancer Screening, Katelyn Phillips and Lainey Brown
Short Term Medical Mission GERD and Ulcer Treatment Guideline, Robin Risky
Improving Traumatic Brain Injury Outcomes: Early Identification and Management of Paroxysmal Sympathetic Hyperactivity, Randi Rockwell
Compassion Fatigue and Burnout In Mission Trip Providers, Camille Roland
Weight Loss Communication and Treatment in Primary Care, Courtney Russell, Sarah Puckett, and Jessica McRill