DNP Practice Improvement Initiative: Staff Nurse Competency Evaluation.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Practice
• Healthcare Quality Improvement
• Nurse Education

Background:

• The Doctorate of Nursing Practice (DNP) prepares advanced practice nurses for leadership roles.
• Evaluating the impact of DNP-prepared nurses in practice improvement initiatives is crucial.
• Existing competency assessment models require integration with DNP competencies.

Purpose of the Study:

• To demonstrate the impact of DNP-prepared nurses on practice improvement beyond direct patient care.
• To implement and evaluate a competency assessment for staff nurses using established frameworks.
• To assess staff nurse competency in critical areas such as shift hand-off, physical assessment, and hand hygiene.

Main Methods:

• A practice improvement initiative (PII) was designed and executed by DNP graduates.
• The PII utilized the Donna Wright Competency Assessment Model, AACN DNP Essentials, and NONPF competencies.
• A competency assessment was administered to 1,055 staff nurses, evaluating shift hand-off, physical assessment, and hand hygiene.

Main Results:

• The initiative successfully assessed 1,055 staff nurses.
• A significant majority of staff nurses (95%) achieved 100% competency scores in the assessed areas.
• The DNP graduates effectively planned, implemented, and evaluated the competency assessment.

Conclusions:

• DNP-prepared nurses can effectively lead practice improvement initiatives impacting nursing quality.
• The PII model proved successful in evaluating staff nurse competency and can be adopted for future use.
• This initiative highlights the value of DNP skills in enhancing healthcare quality and patient safety.