Assignment: DNP Graduates
Assignment: DNP Graduates
DNP graduates are expected to apply research findings and integrate nursing science into evidence-based practice. To develop your ability to engage in this high level of nursing practice, you will analyze the strengths and weaknesses of a research study Your final analysis will be a 5-page paper that includes the following:
Brief one to two paragraph overview of the study
Two to three strengths of the study and support for your selection (i.e. why is this a strength)
Two to three weaknesses of the study and support for your selection (i.e. why is this a weakness)
Note: The strengths and weaknesses you identified should be in relation to design, sampling, data collection, statistical analysis, results and discussion of the study
Proposed changes to improve the quality of the study, capitalizing on the strengths and improving on the weaknesses identified in the study
Summary of the implications for nursing practice
The purpose of the analysis is to help you develop a deeper understanding of the research process, to inspire you to think critically and deeply about research on a specific topic, and to strengthen your ability to integrate research findings into evidence-based nursing practice. This assignment also gives you practice in analyzing the research literature, which will support you when you begin your DNP project. Before you proceed, please review the rubric for this assignment, which is located in the Grading section in the left-hand navigation menu of this course.
Using ONE of the attached articles, review the various quantitative research designs presented in the textbook readings and research articles and discussed in the “Musings: Aligning Research Question and Methodology” media.
Consider the research design used in your selected article. Ask yourself the following questions. Is the design appropriate for the study? Would a different design provide better results?
PART 2
Investigate a health information technology system or health information technology application in your area of interest. The health information technology system/application may be in any setting where health care information is developed or managed. You may choose your system or application from any organization or virtual environment.
Examples of health information technology systems or health information technology applications that are acceptable include but are not limited to:
Consumer health applications
Clinical information systems
Electronic medical record (EMR) systems in hospitals or provider offices
Home health care applications
School health applications
Patient portal/personal health record
Public health information systems
Telehealth (i.e., from facility to home)
Simulation laboratories
Health care informatics research and development centers
Discuss your proposed health information technology system/application with your Instructor before proceeding with your final selection. You may visit a health care organization in person or virtually in order to make your final choice about the health information technology system or health information technology application of interest.
Choose the best strategy to gain information about your selected information technology system/application. Some ways to gather information include virtual visits; vendor demonstrations; on-site visits; interviews via face-to-face, phone, or teleconference. You must conduct at least one interview for this project.
Assignment: DNP Graduates
Assignment: DNP Graduates
Assignment: DNP Graduates
Complete a literature search to gather information about your selected information technology system. You may also need to review related scholarly articles to help answer the questions presented below.
To complete write 13-page scholarly report, A successful report should leave the reader with confidence in understanding the answers to all the questions listed below. Graphics may be used to illustrate key points.
Organization Information
•Briefly describe the health information technology system/application and the organization type (hospital, clinic, public health agency, health care software company, government health information website, private virtual health information site, etc.).
•Is the health information technology system/application clinical, administrative, educational, or research related?
•What were the key reasons for the development of this health information technology system/application, i.e., what made the organization believe this system/application was needed? How did this organization determine those needs? Did the organization use specific tools to conduct needs assessments, staff opinions, or workflows?
•How did the organization determine that this specific system/application could fulfill its predetermined needs?
•Who manages this health information technology system/application and where are they located within the organization’s administrative structure?
Information System Application Design and Development
•Many health care systems have multiple independent entities that work together toward the common goal of providing high-quality care. How did—and do—the various stakeholders make decisions related to this health information technology system/application? Were the end users involved in the development of this health information technology system/application?
•How are individuals trained to use the health information technology system/application?
•How are security issues addressed? How does this health information technology system/application support a legally sound health care record?
•Where did initial funds for this health information technology system/application come from?
•Who manages the budget for this health information technology system/application?
•Have organizational or political issues impacted the ongoing funding for this health information technology system/application?
•What are the arrangements for planned or unplanned downtime?
•How are health information technology system/application upgrades scheduled or planned?
•How has the health information technology system/application changed in response to health care reform and related legislation?
•What suggestions could you make regarding changes needed to support health care reform and related legislation?
Innovative Aspects of the System
•How does the health information technology system/application utilize technology innovations?
•What technology innovations would you recommend for this organization? What innovations presented in this course, or found through your own research, could this organization benefit from?
•What innovations could further promote evidence-based practice and efficiency within this organization?
End Product
Your report is a scholarly paper and needs to include a minimum of 9 citations from peer-reviewed journals. Every statement made in a scholarly report must be supported by a reference. Be very cautious when stating your opinion, or using terms suggesting absolute facts, or values, as these must be supported by references. Note that textbooks, including the course texts, are composed of information cited from other sources (see the reference section in the course textbooks). With this in mind, there should be an adequate number of appropriate references (a minimum of 9). Please note that primary sources are to be used. Peer-reviewed journal articles should make up the bulk of your references (90%). If referring to a book, be sure to include all information in APA style, including specific page numbers when necessary.
A superior paper demonstrates breadth and depth of knowledge, and critical thinking appropriate for doctoral level scholarship. The report must follow APA Publication Manual guidelines (6th edition) and be free of typographical, spelling, and grammatical errors.
You must proofread your paper. But do not strictly rely on your computer’s spell-checker and grammar-checker; failure to do so indicates a lack of effort on your part and you can expect your grade to suffer accordingly. Papers with numerous misspelled words and grammatical mistakes will be penalized. Read over your paper – in silence and then aloud – before handing it in and make corrections as necessary. Often it is advantageous to have a friend proofread your paper for obvious errors. Handwritten corrections are preferable to uncorrected mistakes.
Use a standard 10 to 12 point (10 to 12 characters per inch) typeface. Smaller or compressed type and papers with small margins or single-spacing are hard to read. It is better to let your essay run over the recommended number of pages than to try to compress it into fewer pages.
Likewise, large type, large margins, large indentations, triple-spacing, increased leading (space between lines), increased kerning (space between letters), and any other such attempts at “padding” to increase the length of a paper are unacceptable, wasteful of trees, and will not fool your professor.
The paper must be neatly formatted, double-spaced with a one-inch margin on the top, bottom, and sides of each page. When submitting hard copy, be sure to use white paper and print out using dark ink. If it is hard to read your essay, it will also be hard to follow your argument.
ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS
Discussion Questions (DQ)
Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words.
Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source.
One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words.
I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses.
Weekly Participation
Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately.
In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies.
Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work).
Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week.
APA Format and Writing Quality
Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required).
Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation.
I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition.
Use of Direct Quotes
I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly.
As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content.
It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source.
LopesWrite Policy
For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me.
Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes.
Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own?
Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score.
Late Policy
The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies.
Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances.
If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect.
I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension.
As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading.
Communication
Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me:
Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class.
Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.
