What aspects of developing the proposal were most enjoyable? What aspects of developing the proposal were most challenging?
The aspects of developing the proposal that were the most enjoyable were the translation of the project’s vision. However, if the rigor of the proposal was challenging, it was pleasant to go to every step of the proposal and envision the finished product. The challenges were the quantity of information delivered one by one and the strict requirements. The most difficult part for me was the budget. Patients will be coming to the clinic and project or not, their fingerstick blood glucose will be taken and recorded. I felt it was difficult to separate the cost related to the project from the cost of day-to-day activities.
The preceptor
My preceptor is a role model in daily practice, and she kept her qualities during this session. She received the proposal’s different phases by email, especially in Week 4 and 6, for review. She provided feedback on the proposal within 24 hours, ideas, questions and shared her suggestions which were all incorporated into the proposal. Working in the same organization, in similar clinics with the same population, I felt she was the best person to comprehend and “feel” the project.
Project dissemination
Following the AACN essentials, the DNP project should provide recommendations for dissemination and sustainability (AACN, 2006). The project should be meaningful and lead a change in practice to continue after the DNP project. The DSMES at the FQHC should become part of the routine and direct patient care. This education should be embedded in daily practice and offered to everyone presenting to the clinic. To ensure sustainability, the DNP project must be selected with the approval of the practicum site as a need for practice (Turkson‐Ocran et al., 2020). If the results are favorable, it is expected to be ruled out to three other FQHCs in the organization.
Recommendations for potential DNP students
Don’t do it! You will lose your sleep and mind! Or, if you decide that it is essential to you, try to work part-time to allow plenty of time to do and redo, and redo your work. Make sure your schedule is open and do not take other obligations. Before starting, review the expectations and your understanding of Evidence-Based Practice (Volkert & Johnston, 2018). If your program is rigorous, strict, and with high expectations, the quality of your work will only benefit from it. This will be challenging and character proving, but bring you personal satisfaction.
American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). The essentials of doctoral education for advanced nursing practice. Https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/DNPEssential.pdf (Links to an external site.)
Turkson‐Ocran, R., Spaulding, E. M., Renda, S., Pandian, V., Rittler, H., Davidson, P. M., Nolan, M. T., & D’Aoust, R. (2020). A 10‐year evaluation of projects in a doctor of nursing practice programme. Journal of Clinical Nursing, 29(21-22), 4090–4103. https://doi.org/10.1111/jocn.15435 (Links to an external site.)
Volkert D, & Johnston H. (2018). Unique Issues of DNP Students: A Content Analysis. Nursing education perspectives. 2018;39(5):280-4. http://dx.doi.org.chamberlainuniversity.idm.oclc.org/10.1097/01.NEP.0000000000000379
