Tenth Annual DNP Project Day Highlights Students' Efforts to Improve Health Care

On January 26, the School of Nursing hosted its tenth annual Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project Day. Each year, the event showcases students’ areas of clinical interest and provides a forum for exchanging ideas and suggestions to strengthen scholarly work.

“DNP Project Day is an opportunity for feedback: giving feedback, receiving feedback, and helping students to advance their thinking about the projects,” said DNP program director Lydia D. Rotondo, DNP, RN, CNS, who is also associate dean of education and student affairs.

All DNP students design, and evaluate interventions focused on improving the delivery and outcomes of healthcare or influencing health policy. Students conduct their projects independently, with guidance from a DNP committee and in close collaboration with practice partners and mentors. The summative scholarly product of the program, the DNP project serves as an opportunity for students to employ the tools of clinical scholarship to develop new practice knowledge within their specific clinical settings.

This year’s DNP Project Day featured podium presentations by students enrolled in DNP practicum courses who are developing and implementing interventions in specialty areas as well as poster presentations by DNP students early on in their programs of study who are beginning to explore potential areas of practice inquiry.

Michael L. Brennan, FNP-C, took to the podium to present his plan to optimize cardiovascular health in the uninsured through implementing clinical practice guidelines for management in high-risk patients. Brennan, clinical coordinator at St. Joseph’s Neighborhood Center and instructor at the School of Nursing, said he plans to stay on in those roles after completing his doctoral degree.

Denise M. Burgen, MBA, MSN, RN, FNP, is a senior associate in the School of Nursing. Burgen designed an intervention guided by relational coordinator theory to improve interprofessional team performance in the home health care setting. Burgen said she will submit a manuscript describing her DNP scholarly project to Home Healthcare Now this spring and will continue teaching at the School of Nursing following graduation.

Luke S. Angell, MS, RN, PPCNP-BC evaluated risk factors for pediatric readmissions, including health literacy rates among caregivers. He implemented a nursing-focused standardized discharge education program for pediatric nurses in an inpatient medical-surgical setting as part of a bundle aimed at improving hospital readmissions.

In continuing his work as a pediatric nurse practitioner at Golisano Children’s Hospital, Angell’s post-DNP Project Day plans come full circle.

“As a researcher, I have grown to love numbers and statistics, but behind every number is a patient,” Angell said at the conclusion of his presentation. “Just over 25 years ago, I was born into this world three months early. As a result of the care and education from my health care team, my parents' dream of bringing me home from the hospital truly became a reality for them.

“I am excited to continue to collaborate with interdisciplinary teams to ensure parents and caregivers are equipped with the knowledge and resources to care for their child upon discharge, helping to make each parent’s dream of bringing their child home from the hospital a true reality,” Angell said.

Learn more about the Doctor of Nursing Practice degree program here.