Strategies for developing faculty confidence and competencies to mentor quality improvement DNP projects.

Area of Science:

• Nursing Education
• Quality Improvement Science

Background:

• Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) faculty often lack essential knowledge of quality improvement (QI) principles needed to mentor students effectively.
• This gap can hinder DNP students' success in completing QI-focused DNP projects.

Purpose of the Study:

• To guide Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) programs in developing faculty mentors who are confident and competent in QI principles.
• To facilitate the success of DNP students undertaking QI projects.

Main Methods:

• Implementation of structural supports (workload standardization, collaborative scholarship, instructional resources) and organizational processes (practice site identification, project development).
• Collaboration with Institutional Review Boards to streamline human subjects protection policies for DNP projects.
• Integration of library support, ongoing faculty QI training, feedback mechanisms, and peer coaching for sustained faculty development.

Main Results:

• Implemented strategies for faculty QI development were well-received by faculty.
• The transition to competency-based education offers opportunities to develop tools for measuring student competencies in quality and safety.

Conclusions:

• Effective faculty development in QI principles is crucial for supporting DNP student success.
• Future directions include leveraging competency-based education to enhance measurement of student quality and safety competencies.