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Question · Nursing school

What is a DNP project?

Short answer

A DNP project is the scholarly project that completes a Doctor of Nursing Practice degree. Instead of generating new knowledge like a PhD dissertation, it puts existing evidence into practice: you identify a practice problem, plan and implement an evidence-based change, such as a quality improvement initiative, and evaluate its outcomes.

A group of clinicians walking down a bright hospital corridor

Answer and explanation

It shows you can lead evidence-based change in real practice, the core of the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree.

Typical steps

  1. Identify a practice problem, such as high fall rates on a unit.
  2. Review the evidence.
  3. Plan the change, often with Plan-Do-Study-Act.
  4. Implement it with the practice team.
  5. Evaluate the outcomes with data.
  6. Share the results in a final paper and presentation.

Example topics

  • A fall-prevention bundle on a medical-surgical unit
  • Depression screening in primary care
  • A nurse-led sepsis recognition protocol

DNP project vs PhD dissertation

A dissertation creates new knowledge through original research; a DNP project puts existing evidence into practice and evaluates the result.

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