As a neonatal nurse practitioner, I have not been directly involved with quality improvement (QI) projects and have focused on clinical practice. The motivation for advancing my education revolves around improving neonates' quality of care at a practice level.  

The American Association of Colleges of Nursing (AACN) essentials, Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) competencies, and Emory University program outcomes identify knowledge, skills, and competencies of Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) education. DNP-prepared nurses to influence healthcare quality through QI, improving patient and healthcare outcomes by developing, implementing, and evaluating new approaches to clinical practice through initiatives at an organizational level (AACN, 2006; Emory DNP Program, 2019). The DNP graduate leads efforts to promote excellence in practice and eliminate health disparities (ACCN, 2006). Systems thinking knowledge is gained through leadership among interprofessional teams to analyze complex practice and organizational issues (Emory DNP Program, 2019). Furthermore, utilizing change management principles to implement care processes at a microsystem level for ongoing health outcomes and ensuring patient safety (QSEN, 2020; AACN, 2006).

     Based on self-assessments taken, my knowledge base gaps are the implementation of QI and is a personal learning goal. There has been a vast improvement in my knowledge of systems thinking following past courses throughout the DNP programs. However, there are still areas for improvement, translating the knowledge into practice. My strength includes teamwork and effective communication. This strength will be useful with group work this semester.

Personal aspirations and learning goals for DNP education

• Gain knowledge in ways to identify gaps in evidence-based practice, develop solutions, and evaluate the outcomes utilizing a system-thinking approach to improve the quality and safety of healthcare

• Analyze factors to impact quality and safety using systematic methods and tools

• Interpret measures for quality and safety using existing data sources.

• Translate knowledge into practice through implementation to improve healthcare outcomes at a practice level and national level.

 

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. (2006). The Essentials of Doctoral Education for Advanced Nursing Practice. https://www.aacnnursing.org/Portals/42/Publications/DNPEssentials.pdf

Emory DNP Program. (2019). The Doctor of Nursing Practice Program Handbook 2019-2020. http://www.nursing.emory.edu/_includes/documents/20192020_doctor_of_nursing_practice_program_handbook_final.pdf

Quality and Safety Education for Nurses. (2020). Graduate QSEN Competencies. https://qsen.org/competencies/graduate-ksas/

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Conclusion: 

Transforming Healthcare was an excellent course that equipped me with the knowledge and skill to lead quality improvement (QI) and patient-centered efforts in the healthcare setting. The course guided me to optimize my own QI project in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU). Throughout the course, we followed through the Institute for Healthcare Improvement quality and safety courses. These courses were a tremendous asset to my learning. I enjoyed melding my project to the course objectives. The Quality Measures that Matter assignment helped decide what outcome measurements are beneficial for my specific QI project. Additionally, the clinical microsystem assignment allowed me to delve deeper into the NICU's microsystem, where I will be implementing my project.

The DNP Essentials that the course covered included:

Essential II: Organizational and System Leadership for Quality Improvement and Systems Thinking

Essential III: Clinical Scholarship and Analytical Methods for Evidenced-Based Practice.

Essential VI: Interprofessional Collaboration for Improving Patient and Population Health Outcomes.