Case Studies: Professional Role Development
The advanced nursing practice role I selected is a psychiatric mental health nurse practitioner (PMHNP). Major competencies required for this role include clinical expertise, communication, critical thinking and problem-solving skills, interpersonal skills, leadership and management skills, and knowledge of evidence-based practices (Kumar et al., 2020). These competencies are essential to effectively assessing patient health status; diagnosing conditions; developing, implementing, and evaluating plans of care; providing counseling, education, and referral services; managing resources to maximize outcomes; and collaborating with other health professionals.
Project management concepts such as goal setting, task prioritization, timeline development, resource allocation, and risk assessment can be aligned with this advanced nursing practice role (Bakerjian, 2022). For example, a primary care nurse practitioner must set goals and prioritize tasks to facilitate the best patient outcomes. They must also develop a timeline for completing patient assessments and developing plans of care, as well as allocate resources such as time, money, supplies, and personnel to effectively meet their goals. Finally, they must assess risks associated with treatment options and identify strategies to mitigate those risks.
These same concepts and a similar approach can be used for completing a DNP doctoral project or dissertation. Rew et al.’s (2020) steps and processes, as well as the resources on techniques and tools for nursing research, provide an effective framework to guide the development, implementation, and evaluation of the project or dissertation. For example, one could use goal setting to develop a research question or hypothesis and task prioritization to break down complex tasks into smaller, more manageable steps. Additionally, timeline development can be used to create project milestones and deadlines, while resource allocation can help determine the resources needed for the project or dissertation. Lastly, risk assessment can be used to identify potential barriers that may impede progress and develop strategies to mitigate them (Lamb et al., 2018). Thus, project management concepts are essential for completing a successful DNP doctoral project or dissertation. The processes and techniques that will provide the most guidance to assist with planning and developing a DNP doctoral project or dissertation include setting goals, prioritizing tasks, developing timelines, allocating resources, developing research questions/hypotheses, conducting literature reviews, collecting data, analyzing data and making conclusions. Additionally, risk assessment can be used to identify potential barriers that may impede progress and develop strategies to mitigate them.
The project management strategies learned as a nurse leader can also be applied to facilitate nursing research or nursing practice for the DNP doctoral project or dissertation. For example, nurses in leadership roles can use goal setting and task prioritization to organize their projects, timelines for completing tasks, resource allocation for personnel and materials needed, and risk assessment to assess potential threats and develop strategies to address them. Additionally, they can use literature reviews to gain an understanding of the current evidence related to their project or dissertation, collect data relevant to their research question or hypothesis, analyze this data, and make conclusions based on the results (Rew et al., 2020). Thus, utilizing project management strategies as a nurse leader can help facilitate nursing research and practice for a successful DNP doctoral project or dissertation.
References
Bakerjian, D. (2022). The advanced practice registered nurse leadership role in nursing homes: Leading efforts toward high quality and safe care. The Nursing Clinics of North America, 57(2), 245–258. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cnur.2022.02.011
Kumar, A., Kearney, A., Hoskins, K., & Iyengar, A. (2020). The role of psychiatric mental health nurse practitioners in improving mental and behavioral health care delivery for children and adolescents in multiple settings. Archives of Psychiatric Nursing, 34(5), 275–280. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apnu.2020.07.022
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