NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 1 Forum
Preparing for Professional Transitions
In the 21st century, nurse executives face many challenges, including navigating the interdisciplinary healthcare environment, addressing the nursing shortage, adopting ever-evolving technology, and using complex business and financial models. To best address these challenges, nurse executives need to develop a range of competencies—from communication and relationship management to business acumen.
Considering your professional and educational experiences, where are your strengths and where are your areas for improvement? How can you advance your skills to achieve your professional aspirations?
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In this Discussion, you reflect on your aspirations and consider the transitions that may be required to achieve them. You identify professional development objectives and evaluate opportunities for meeting them through your experiences in the practicum.
To prepare:
Think about the professional role changes you have undergone or that you may undertake following completion of this MSN program.
Review the information related to professional development and role change in the Learning Resources, and conduct additional research as necessary to address any questions or concerns you may have.
Consider the following questions:
What types of professional positions interest you? Are they significantly different from the types of positions you have held in the past? If so, how?
What challenges are you likely to encounter as you transition into a new role?
What resources could help you to manage this change? Consider your inner resources (e.g., drawing on previous experiences, stress management), resources available to you through your relationships with others, and institutional supports.
Consider how you could use this practicum experience to apply what you have learned and enhance or acquire specialization skills and knowledge, regardless of whether you intend to change roles or stay in your current position for the time being.
Review the NURS 6600 Course Outcomes listed in the Syllabus. Determine how your experiences in the practicum could help you to achieve one or more of these outcomes.
Review the information on the Field Experience website, including the Practicum Manual, as necessary to ensure you have a clear understanding of the practicum requirements.
Review the suggestions for developing effective learning objectives provided in the Learning Resources.
Think of two or three objectives that could help guide your professional development during your practicum. These objectives, referred to as your practicum professional development objectives, must be:
Specific
Measurable
Attainable
Results focused
Time focused
Reflective of the higher order domains of Bloom’s Taxonomy (i.e., Application level and above)
Select one or more practicum professional development objectives to focus on for this Discussion. (You may continue to hone these objectives as you work on the Week 2 Assignment.)
Reflect on how you could achieve each objective through your practicum experience.
By Day 3
Post an explanation of your professional aspirations and how you intend to use the practicum experience to promote career change and/or enhance your performance. Describe at least one objective to facilitate your professional growth, and explain the steps you could take to achieve the objective(s) during your practicum experience. Support your response with examples from the literature.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 3 Forum
Practicum Project Goals, Objectives, and Justification
After identifying the focus of her project, MSN student Maria had to begin developing the plan. What exactly did she want to accomplish? She needed to start with a goal and develop several smaller objectives as milestones toward meeting the goal. Maria decided that her goal was to reduce patient safety incidents by 25%. Her objectives, then, were to analyze current safety and shift change procedures, develop guidelines for a huddle process, and apply the huddle process over a 3-week period. She justified the project focus by citing research about huddling as an effective technique to mitigate patient safety problems.
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In this Discussion, you will articulate your project goal and objectives and provide research-based justification for your topic selection. You will receive feedback from colleagues to help refine your objectives and address your concerns.
To Prepare:
Reflect on the focus of your proposed Practicum Project, which you identified through discussion with your practicum Faculty Member and Preceptor last week.
View the Practicum Project Plan Overview document provided in this week’s Learning Resources. Consider the project planning guidelines included in the document as you prepare for this Discussion.
Address the following to help you develop your plan for the Practicum Project:
Review the scholarly literature, specialization standards, and/or regulatory standards that validate and shed light on your Practicum Project focus. Which professional organizations would you contact in relation to your topic? What regulatory standards would you address? As you proceed, you will continue to gather evidence from a combination of sources for your project as part of your written Practicum Project Plan.
Identify the overarching goal for your Practicum Project.
Consider how you can achieve your Practicum Project goal through the development and fulfillment of objectives. Based on your Practicum Project goal, develop two or three objectives that are specific, measurable, attainable, results focused, and time focused. Incorporate higher order verbs from Bloom’s taxonomy (i.e., Application level and above) as you create the objectives. Start the objective with the descriptor (descriptive word such as analyze, synthesize).
Contemplate any questions or concerns you may have about your Practicum Project or the planning involved. What kind of support could your colleagues offer to help you move forward?
Note: Be mindful of privacy concerns as you engage in this and future Discussions. Do not identify any organizations or individuals by name.
By Day 3
Post a description of your proposed Practicum Project. Provide a brief rationale for your selected focus that incorporates references from the literature, specialization standards, regulatory standards, and/or other sources you have used to validate this project. Explain the overarching project goal and list two or three measurable objectives that will help you meet the goal. Also, share any questions or concerns that your colleagues may be able to help you address as you proceed with planning for your Practicum Project.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 4 Forum
Practicum Project Methodology and Evaluation
Now that her project goal and objectives were in place, Maria set out to determine her methodology and evaluation plan. How would she achieve her objectives? How would she know she had achieved them? She began to think about the theories and concepts she had examined in her program of study and how they might inform her methodology. She also realized that she needed to think about evaluation early in order to establish appropriate criteria and make sure she could assess the evidence related to the process, impact, and outcomes of her project.
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She wondered how she might use formative evaluation to develop and improve the project, as well as how she could use summative evaluation following the implementation of the project to determine if it had been successful.
For this Discussion, you will go through this same process of inquiry as you determine the methodology and evaluation for your Practicum Project.
To Prepare:
Reflect on the Practicum Project goal and objectives you developed in Week 3.
Refer to the Practicum Project Plan Overview document as needed for information related to the Assignment.
Consider the models, theories, and concepts you have examined in your program of study as they relate to your project. How can this information be applied to the development of the methodology and evaluation for your project?
Review the information on methodology in the Learning Resources, and conduct additional research to facilitate your analysis for your project. Evaluate the who, what, how, where, and when associated with each objective: Who will make what change, by how much, where, and by when? Consider the methods you could use to meet each objective. Devise your methodology in as much detail as possible to identify how you could meet each objective. For example, identify which professional organizations or regulatory bodies you would consult (by viewing their websites or contacting them directly) to gather evidence.
Review the information on formative and summative evaluation in this week’s Learning Resources, and conduct additional research to facilitate your analysis for your project. How could you evaluate achievement of your Practicum Project objectives using formative and/or summative evaluation? Begin to develop an evaluation plan for your Practicum Project.
By Day 3
Post a brief summary of your Practicum Project focus, including the goal and objectives of your project (to serve as a reminder for your colleagues). Explain and justify your selected methodology. Include a detailed explanation of how you could meet each objective using this methodology. Also describe your evaluation plan, noting at which points during your Practicum Project formative and/or summative evaluation will occur.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 6 Forum
Practicum Professional Development Objectives: Progress Appraisal
The practicum provides the opportunity not only to design a project but to develop your own skills, competencies, and practical understanding of the nurse executive role. How have your experiences thus far contributed to your growth? What difficulties, if any, have you experienced, and how might they affect the achievement of your practicum professional development objectives? In what ways has your Preceptor mentored you and illuminated what it means to be a nurse executive?
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In this Discussion, you check in with yourself and with colleagues to determine how you are advancing toward your practicum professional development objectives.
To prepare:
Reflect on the practicum professional development objectives you developed and outlined in your Professional Experience Plan in Week 2.
Keeping in mind the practicum activities you have engaged in thus far, consider the following questions:
How have these activities helped to promote your professional development?
How were potential barriers/challenges in the practice setting managed?
Are you satisfied with your progress toward meeting your objectives? If not, what will you do to ensure you achieve them before the end of your practicum experience? As a reminder, you must complete all of your practicum hours on or before Day 5 of Week 10.
What challenges or unexpected opportunities have arisen at your practicum site? How has this affected your professional development?
Think about the experiences you may have in the forthcoming weeks. Do you foresee any particular challenges on the horizon? If so, what is your plan for addressing those challenges?
Think about the time you have spent with your Preceptor. How has this time enhanced or changed your understanding of the role and functions of a nurse executive?
By Day 3
Post an assessment of your progress toward achieving your practicum professional development objectives, including how your involvement in specific practicum activities has contributed to your development. Explain what you will do to ensure you achieve your objectives by the end of your practicum. Summarize obstacles or unexpected opportunities that have arisen, as well as any challenges that you anticipate may arise. Explain how you will address those challenges. Finally, summarize what you have learned about the role and functions of a nurse executive through time spent with your Preceptor.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 8 Forum
Dissemination of Scholarship Related to the Practicum Project
Throughout this course, you have been developing and implementing your Practicum Project. Dissemination of the findings of your Practicum Project is critical for advancing the nursing field and your specialty area. Without proper dissemination, the Practicum Project cannot achieve its intended impact.
Publishing an article in a respected peer-reviewed journal is one means of reaching an audience interested in evidence-based solutions to nursing practice problems. Other options include conference presentations and poster sessions.
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Think about your Practicum Project. Which groups would find your project findings, conclusions, and recommendations most valuable? Why? How might your focus differ if you were delivering a presentation at a professional conference versus at your practicum site? What would you emphasize if you were publishing an article in a peer-reviewed journal related to your specialization as opposed to in an online forum with a wider healthcare readership?
For this Discussion, you justify dissemination of your Practicum Project findings and select a method that you would use.
To prepare:
Reflect on your Practicum Project.
Speak with various individuals, especially those in your practicum setting, about presentations or poster sessions they have given and/or publications they have authored. Ask which organizations or journals they would recommend you consider for dissemination based on your Practicum Project topic.
Consider the following questions related to dissemination:
Who is your target audience? Who would be most interested in your project findings, conclusions, and recommendations? Consider how the needs or dispositions of the intended audience may inform your choice of dissemination method.
Which method of dissemination would you choose to convey the findings, conclusions, or recommendations from your Practicum Project? What are the relative benefits and challenges of giving a presentation, sharing your findings through a poster session, and/or publishing an article?
Consider various nursing, healthcare, and leadership and management organizations and journals. What is one organization or journal you would select for your presentation or publication?
What are some potential challenges? Evaluate what you could do to increase the possibility that your presentation, poster, or manuscript would be accepted.
Conduct a search of the literature using the Walden Library and other reliable sources. Locate two or more articles published in peer-reviewed journals within the last 5 years that relate to your Practicum Project. These articles should demonstrate the significance of the topic for nurse executives. Note: These articles may also help you determine if your project findings are related to an area that will contribute to a more comprehensive literature base.
By Day 3
Post a brief description of your Practicum Project, including the anticipated outcomes and implications for nursing practice in the nurse executive specialty. Explain why your results warrant dissemination. Describe your target audience, and explain which method of dissemination you would use and why, as well as the organization or journal you would choose for sharing findings related to your Practicum Project. Support your response with at least two citations from the literature.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 9 Forum
Practicum Project Presentation Review and Feedback
The development and completion of your Practicum Project is a significant milestone in your MSN program of study. It is now time to share the results of your effort. As you know, there are many traditional formats you can use to share your results, such as presenting at a professional conference or publishing an article in a journal. As a leader with graduate-level knowledge, you may also have the opportunity to present your results virtually. Webinars and virtual workshops are additional methods professionals can use to share knowledge and evidence-based findings.
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As you prepare to share your presentation virtually in this Discussion, think about what you would like to convey about your project to your colleagues in this course and to your practicum Faculty Member. What should you take into account as you prepare to present your Practicum Project findings, conclusions, and recommendations online? What strategies can you use to ensure your presentation clearly articulates your results in the virtual environment? Keep these thoughts in mind as you prepare the initial draft of your Practicum Project presentation.
To prepare:
Review the Practicum Project Presentation Overview document in the Learning Resources.
Review the information in the Learning Resources on creating effective PowerPoint presentations.
Consider the distinctions between delivering a presentation in person (e.g., at a professional conference or at your practicum site,) and presenting online. What do you need to consider as you prepare to share your presentation with your colleagues in this online forum? What steps do you need to take to ensure the information is conveyed clearly and effectively?
Using PowerPoint, complete a draft of your Practicum Project presentation. Note that this draft of your PowerPoint presentation should be complete and polished. While you will have an opportunity to make revisions based on your colleagues’ feedback, the document you share should reflect your best effort to create a thoughtful, clear, and engaging presentation.
The title slide should include your name, presentation title, and the submission date.
Presentation objectives should follow the title slide.
Slide design aesthetics should be selected to complement the presentation.
A minimum of 12 slides and not more than 15 slides—not including the title slide, objectives slide, and references slide—should be presented.
By Day 1
Post the draft of your Practicum Project presentation (by attaching your PowerPoint to your post). Additionally, explain the distinctions that you took into account as you prepared to share your presentation online.
Review your colleagues’ presentations.
By Day 3
Post one or more questions related to the content of the presentation posted by at least one of your colleagues. Be sure to direct your inquiry to someone who has not yet received a question.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 10 Forum
Professional Development and Certification
Consider the following scenario:
Maria recently earned certification in executive nursing practice from the American Organization for Nursing Leadership. She was especially proud of this accomplishment and was confident it would serve her well as she continued her career. At a conference last week, she had found herself talking with a colleague about certification.
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To her surprise, her colleague suggested that she look into the Project Management Institute. It had not occurred to Maria that she might need or want that type of certification, but upon further reflection, she could see how important it was to be able to manage projects effectively. She wondered how pursuing this type of certification might further her professional development and lead to new opportunities. At the very least, she decided it was worth exploring further.
Certifications like those Maria has pursued recognize an individual’s specialty area knowledge and skills and can lead to professional empowerment. By obtaining certifications, you can help improve your quality of practice and increase your earning potential.
In this Discussion, you consider development opportunities afforded through professional associations and examine how earning certifications can advance your career.
To prepare:
Reflect on your professional goals. These goals may relate to the practicum professional development objectives you established in Week 2, but you are encouraged to take a broader view of what you would like to accomplish in the immediate future, as well as 5 or 15 years from now. Identify at least one goal that is especially important to you.
Think about the benefits of becoming involved in professional organizations and obtaining certifications.
If you already have a specialty or clinical certification, reflect on how this has impacted the achievement of your professional goals thus far.
As a Walden graduate, consider how you will advance the role of scholar-practitioner in your daily practice and how certification may assist.
Review information about two or more of the professional organizations listed in the Learning Resources. Consider the following questions:
As you explore each organization’s website, review the mission, vision, and value statements. Also examine the strategic plan, if possible. How do these align with your interests and your professional goals?
Investigate whether the organization offers networking opportunities with fellow professionals. Is there a local or regional chapter you could join?
What are the potential benefits of obtaining a certification through each organization? Examine the criteria for certification.
Evaluate your readiness and desire to become certified through each organization. What hesitations, if any, do you have?
How and why might this certification be useful to you and/or enhance your professional development?
By Day 3
Post a description of one or more of your professional goals. Describe a certification provided by a professional organization that would be of interest to you. Explain how and why this additional certification would be useful to you and/or enhance your professional development and your role as a scholar-practitioner. Evaluate your readiness to obtain this certification, noting any reservations you may have.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 11 Forum
Job Search, Application, and Interview Processes
Throughout your program of study, you have been encouraged to think about your strengths, values, and professional aspirations, as well as the opportunities you have to create positive impact as a nurse executive.
How would you most like to leverage your knowledge and expertise going forward? What types of professional positions could you see yourself in, now and further along in your career? No matter whether you are secure in your current position or looking for a new professional challenge, job search skills are a necessity.
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In this Discussion, you examine strategies for conducting an effective job search and assess how you could convey your qualifications for a position of interest to you.
To prepare:
Reflect on your strengths, values, and professional aspirations. How will these inform the next stage of your career?
Consider what you have learned through your experiences in the practicum about professional roles and functions of a nurse executive.
Review the information in the Learning Resources, and think about the process of conducting a job search. If possible, speak with individuals in your practicum setting as well as other nursing professionals about how they have identified positions that align with their needs and ambitions. Ask for advice about conducting a successful job search.
Search postings of open positions that appeal to you, and identify one for which you would like to apply. If you have difficulty finding such a position, for the purposes of this Discussion, you may select one that has already been filled or is in a different region. (Note: If you are not interested in finding a new position, please approach this activity as an opportunity to explore the field. If you are interested in changing positions, please use this activity for that purpose.)
What steps would you take to apply for and secure an interview for this position? For practice, write a cover letter and target your résumé or Curriculum Vitae (CV) to this position. (Note: You are not required to submit these materials for this Discussion.)
How would you prepare for an interview for this position? What questions do you think would be posed, and what information would you like to learn about the position and the organization? Ask a colleague or friend to conduct a practice interview with you.
Consider how you might use your Professional Portfolio to demonstrate your capabilities during the interview process.
By Day 3
Post an explanation of the strategies and resources you used to conduct a job search for a position of interest. Include a brief description of the position you identified. Share an application and interview plan for that position, noting how you would convey your qualifications for this position.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 3 Assignment
Practicum Journal Entry 1
The purpose of your Practicum Journal is to engage in reflection as an active pursuit, placing your experience in a larger context. Your journal draws from evidence, concepts, and/or theories you have examined throughout your program, especially those related to the nurse executive specialization. It prompts you to make connections between that research and the applied practice at your site.
What have you observed during your practicum experience that you would like to analyze through your journal writing? What can be applied to your Practicum Project? Consider these questions, as well as how your day-to-day experience applies to the larger context of your professional skill development, as you reflect. For this Assignment, you complete and submit your first of three journal entries.
To Prepare:
Reflect on your practicum experiences in Weeks 1–3.
Reflect on evidence, concepts, and/or theories learned throughout this program and your nurse executive specialization.
Analyze a problem, issue, or situation that you have observed during your practicum experience.
Using a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources of evidence, consider what you have observed within the context of your specialty using appropriate concepts, principles, and theories. Give special attention to observed events that vary from scholarly literature.
Including personal communications from leaders in healthcare administration is acceptable; however, this does not replace the requirement for three peer-reviewed sources of evidence.
Determine the degree to which the problem, situation, or issue was addressed in a manner consistent with the theory, concepts, and principles detailed in the evidence.
Given the various evidence-based approaches that can be used in addressing the observed problem, situation, or issue, think about a plan for approaching the matter differently.
If you have not already done so, download the Practicum Experience Journal Template, found in this week’s Learning Resources.
To complete Practicum Journal Entry 1:
Open your saved Practicum Experience Journal.
In the Journal 1 area of the document, write a 250- to 300-word entry in which you do the following:
Document specific objective(s) for the specific time frame.
Describe a problem, issue, or situation that you have observed during your practicum experience (no more than half a page).
Using no fewer than three peer-reviewed sources of evidence, analyze what you have observed within the context of your specialty using appropriate concepts, principles, and theories. Give special attention to observed events that vary from scholarly literature.
Explain the degree to which the problem, situation, or issue was addressed in a manner that is consistent with the theory, concepts, and principles detailed in the evidence.
Given the various evidence-based approaches that can be used in addressing the problem, situation, or issue, formulate a plan for approaching the matter differently.
Include APA-formatted references immediately following the content.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 5 Assignment
Practicum Project Plan
In scholarly writing, to synthesize means to bring various ideas and pieces of information together. In this “bringing together,” new comparisons are drawn and new meanings derived. Your Practicum Project Plan includes a synthesis of scholarly research justifying your project topic, as well as a formal plan for the implementation of your project and evaluation of your objectives. As such, the project plan offers the audience—including organizational stakeholders—clarity about what will take place and why.
For this Assignment, you anticipate the needs, questions, and concerns of your intended audience as you lay out your Practicum Project Plan.
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To prepare:
Review the information in the Practicum Project Plan Overview document as needed. The overview describes the elements that must be included in your plan.
Reflect on the development of your Practicum Project Plan thus far. Address any questions you have and/or identify areas in need of further consideration or improvement. How can you craft your proposal objectively yet persuasively?
Develop any outstanding components of your Practicum Project Plan. For instance, you may need to continue your review of the literature that justifies your project and create your project timeline.
Review the information on scholarly writing in this week’s Learning Resources; be sure to integrate these principles as you develop your Practicum Project Plan.
If you posted a draft of the Practicum Project Plan in this week’s optional Discussion, incorporate any feedback you received from your colleagues as appropriate.
Use the College of Nursing template linked in the Learning Resources to draft your Practicum Project Plan.
To complete the Practicum Project Plan:
Write a 4- to 6-page scholarly paper in which you formulate a detailed plan for the problem or issue you are examining at your practicum site. Your paper should include the following:
Title. The title includes the name of your project and follows the Uniform-Guidelines format.
Introduction. The introduction includes the purpose of the paper, the goal of the project, and the name of the project. It also outlines the structure of the paper.
Goal statement. A goal statement identifies what you expect to accomplish, the focus area, and the population. It introduces the project and conveys, in broad terms, how you plan to solve a particular problem or issue.
Project objectives. Project objectives delineate your strategy for reaching the goal and the steps you will follow to complete the project. You must include two or three measurable objectives that use Application-level or higher verbs from Bloom’s Taxonomy.
Evidence-based review of the literature for project justification. This review provides evidence-based support for your identified problem, project methods, and evaluation. The literature should be directed toward justifying the project, not focus on potential solutions. You must include a review of your specialization’s professional-practice standards and guidelines related to your project and a minimum of five scholarly references for this section of the paper.
Methodology. This section addresses in detail how you will accomplish the project objectives. Include, as relevant, the who, when, where, and how of each objective.
Resources. Identify and justify the human, physical, and/or technical resources you will need to complete this project. Note that for this assignment, you do not have to address the financial aspects of your plan.
Formative evaluation. Describe how and when you will conduct a formative evaluation of your project. Explain how you will use the evaluation results and how you will determine if the project is proceeding as planned.
Summative evaluation. Describe how and when you will conduct a summative evaluation of your project. Explain how you will use the evaluation results.
Timeline. Create a graphic timeline representing significant stages of your project. Provide a narrative to help your Faculty understand the timeline. Include the timeline in an Appendix to your Practicum Project Plan.
References. References should be formatted in APA style and reflect current nursing/health literature (i.e., published within the past 5 years).
Note: You must use APA Style headings, but you are not required to title the headings as listed above.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 7 Assignment
Practicum Journal Entry 2
Your second journal entry provides another opportunity for active reflection—consideration, engagement, and application. You may notice that the prompts repeat from your first journal. This is deliberate, designed to foster reflection and iteration. Your perspective, focused as it is on the practical experience found at a dynamic institution, may shift. Or, you may find evidence to support a concept or theory you have applied or intend to apply.
To prepare:
Reflect on your practicum experiences in Weeks 4–7.
Think about the evidence, concepts, and/or theories learned throughout this program and your nurse executive specialization.
Analyze a problem, issue, or situation that you have observed during your practicum experience.
Using a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources of evidence, consider what you have observed within the context of your specialty using appropriate concepts, principles, and theories. Give special attention to observed events that vary from the scholarly literature.
Including personal communications from leaders in healthcare administration is acceptable; however, this does not replace the requirement for three peer-reviewed sources of evidence.
Determine the degree to which the problem, situation, or issue was addressed in a manner consistent with the theory, concepts, and principles detailed in the evidence.
Given the various evidence-based approaches that can be used in addressing the observed problem, situation, or issue, think about a plan for approaching the matter differently.
To complete Practicum Journal Entry 2:
Open your saved Practicum Experience Journal, which should already include your Journal 1 entry.
In the Journal 2 area of the document, write a 250- to 300-word entry in which you do the following:
Document specific objective(s) for the specific time frame.
Describe a problem, issue, or situation that you have observed during your practicum experience (no more than half a page).
Using no fewer than three peer-reviewed sources of evidence, analyze what you have observed within the context of your specialty using appropriate concepts, principles, and theories. Give special attention to observed events that vary from scholarly literature.
Explain the degree to which the problem, situation, or issue was addressed in a manner that is consistent with the theory, concepts, and principles detailed in the evidence.
Given the various evidence-based approaches that can be used in addressing the problem, situation, or issue, formulate a plan for approaching the matter differently.
Include APA-formatted references immediately following the content.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 8 Assignment
Practicum Project Poster Abstract
If you want to spark conversation with nursing scholars in person, poster sessions are an appropriate way to disseminate your research. Posters are a typical offering at many professional and academic conferences. In this format, each presenter displays a poster and stands beside it, ready to engage with any participants who walk through the room. As such, posters can be dynamic ways to see audience receptiveness to your research, up close and in real time.
For this Assignment, you will practice communicating your project topic, findings, and recommendations in the context of one dissemination method: a conference.
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Specifically, you will develop an abstract for a poster session based on your Practicum Project. The call for abstracts comes from Phi Nu, Walden’s chapter of Sigma Theta Tau International, and is representative of others you may see in the field.
To prepare:
Review the Writing Center materials on conference proposals and presentations and on writing concisely.
Download and complete the Poster Abstract Template found in the Learning Resources. Answer the questions in numerical order and write concisely.
Tip: When submitting abstracts through juried/peer-reviewed processes, follow exact directions. Do not give reviewers a reason to eliminate your abstract. As future scholar-practitioners, you will submit abstracts to disseminate scholarly works. It is imperative that you follow exact directions.
By Day 7
Submit your completed Poster Abstract using the Poster Abstract Template.
Submission and Grading Information
To submit your completed Assignment for review and grading, do the following:
Please save your Assignment using the naming convention “WK8Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” as the name.
Click the Week 8 Assignment Rubric to review the Grading Criteria for the Assignment.
Click the Week 8 Assignment link. You will also be able to “View Rubric” for grading criteria from this area.
Next, from the Attach File area, click on the Browse My Computer button. Find the document you saved as “WK8Assgn+last name+first initial.(extension)” and click Open.
If applicable: From the Plagiarism Tools area, click the checkbox for I agree to submit my paper(s) to the Global Reference Database.
Click on the Submit button to complete your submission.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 9 Assignment
Practicum Project Presentation
Thought provoking. Precise. Engaging. Illuminating. Motivating.
What adjectives would you like those who review your Practicum Project presentation to ascribe to your work? As you finalize your PowerPoint presentation, reflect on the impact you would like to have and how you can apply what you have learned about effective communication and design.
Keep in mind that your presentation must demonstrate graduate-level writing and presentation standards. Your presentation will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
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Inclusion of all required content, (e.g., evidence of scholarly products developed for the Practicum Project)
Effective communication and appropriate emphasis of content
Organization and clarity
Visual appeal
To prepare:
Integrate feedback from this week’s Discussion to hone your presentation.
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 10 Assignment
Professional Portfolio
Throughout this course, you have been developing your Professional Portfolio, assembling evidence of your accomplishments in your program of study to generate a positive impression of your capabilities as a nurse executive.
It may be difficult to think back to how you felt at the beginning of your program or even what you accomplished in your earlier courses.Thankfully, your Portfolio provides a record—in the form of your submitted assignments—that you can use to show your growth and achievements. No doubt you have improved in confidence, knowledge of the discipline, and critical and analytical thinking, not to mention APA Style.
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Your Portfolio is not just a record of your academic development, though; it can be a useful tool for career advancement as you meet with potential employers.
While finalizing your Professional Portfolio, think about how you would like to use this “living” artifact as you proceed through the next phase of your career. With whom will you share it? How and when will you update it? How will you use it to help secure future work?
To prepare:
Assemble the elements of your Portfolio using the Guide to Creating a Professional Portfolio and the Professional Portfolio Template in the Learning Resources. The portfolio includes: (a) Title page, (b) Table of Contents, (c) Curriculum Vitae (CV)/Résumé, (d) Required Portfolio Assignments (Core and Nurse Executive), (e) Continuing Education/courses if applicable, (f) End-of-Program Outcomes Evidence Chart (POEC), and (g) Final Reflection. The Final Reflection should reflect on work completed in this course and throughout your program of study in the nurse executive track, using the recommended format found in the Guide to Creating the Professional Portfolio.
If the Track Changes function has been used in your document, accept the changes and turn the tracker off to ensure a clean and professional appearance.
Reflect on your academic journey in the MSN nurse executive track, including the experiences, readings, or assignments that changed your perspective or significantly impacted your growth.
Reflect on your strengths and improvement areas. How will you continue to advance your career with those in mind?
NURS6600 Capstone Synthesis Practicum
Week 11 Assignment
Practicum Journal Entry 3
You now near the conclusion of your involvement in the practicum. Recall the theory you may have put into practice, the opportunities for evidence-based practice you may have observed, and the opportunities for nurse executives to improve health outcomes. This final journal entry allows you to again actively analyze a problem, issue, or situation you have observed in practicum and ultimately turn to the process of reflecting on what you have learned about yourself as a scholar-practitioner.
To prepare:
Reflect on your practicum experiences in Weeks 8-–11.
Think about the evidence, concepts, and/or theories (evidence) learned throughout this program and your nurse executive specialization.
Analyze a problem, issue, or situation that you have observed during your practicum experience.
Using a minimum of three peer-reviewed sources of evidence, consider what you have observed within the context of your specialty using appropriate concepts, principles, and theories. Give special attention to observed events that vary from the scholarly literature.
Including personal communications from leaders in health care administration is acceptable; however, this does not replace the requirement for three peer-reviewed sources of evidence.
Determine the degree to which the problem, situation, or issue was addressed in a manner consistent with the theory, concepts, and principles detailed in the evidence.
Given the various evidence-based approaches that can be used in addressing the observed problem, situation, or issue, think about a plan for approaching the matter differently.
To complete Practicum Journal Entry 3:
Open your saved Practicum Experience Journal, which should already include your Journal 1 and Journal 2 entries.
In the Journal 3 area of the document, write a 250- to 300-word entry in which you do the following:
Document specific objective(s) for the specific time frame.
Describe a problem, issue, or situation that you have observed during your practicum experience (no more than half a page).
Using no fewer than three peer-reviewed sources of evidence, analyze what you have observed within the context of your specialty using appropriate concepts, principles, and theories. Give special attention to observed events that vary from scholarly literature.
Explain the degree to which the problem, situation, or issue was addressed in a manner that is consistent with the theory, concepts, and principles detailed in the evidence.
Given the various evidence-based approaches that can be used in addressing the problem, situation, or issue, formulate a plan for approaching the matter differently.
Include APA-formatted references immediately following the content.
