Create a detailed, integrated project charter to address a healthcare gap, need, or improvement at your practicum site.

Introduction

In NHS-FPX8040, you prepared a preliminary project charter. At that time, you may not have secured your practicum site or preceptor yet. Now that these are in place, in this course you will delve more deeply into creating a project charter appropriate for your practicum site’s needs. You may be able to use some of the project charter work you did in the previous course. At the same time, you may find you need to completely retool your work as it may no longer be appropriate for your practicum site. This is the changing nature of doctoral projects.  As we learn more information. Doctoral projects change. Your ability to manage this ambiguity and change will be critical to your successfully completing your doctoral program.

In this assessment, you will create a detailed, integrated project charter to address a healthcare gap, need, or improvement at your practicum site. You will need to obtain input from your practicum site about how you can help to meet their needs. After submitting your project charter, you will receive your faculty member’s feedback on your charter’s alignment with department objectives, academic rigor, coherency, and readiness for Institutional Review Board (IRB) submission.

Demonstration of Proficiency

By successfully completing this assessment, you will demonstrate your proficiency in the course competencies through the following assessment scoring guide criteria:

Competency 1: Create a project charter to address a clinical or organizational problem or take advantage of an opportunity for improvement within a health care setting. Clearly describe;
the people who will be involved in and affected by a project.
an overview of all aspects of a project plan.
the strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats related to a project plan.
the ethical considerations, constraints, external dependencies, and communication strategy of a project plan.
the outcome measures related to a project plan.
Clearly describe the data collection procedures related to a project plan.

Describe a project that could, within 8 to 12 weeks, produce a meaningful, sustainable change in practice or process that can be empirically evaluated, with minimal or no risk to participants or the organization.
Synthesize scholarly, authoritative evidence supporting each part of the project charter.
Competency 4: Address assessment purpose in a well-organized text, incorporating appropriate evidence and tone in grammatically sound sentences.
Write clearly and coherently, using communication style and vocabulary appropriate for scholarly work.
Correctly reference and cite scholarly and/or authoritative sources.
Preparation

To successfully prepare for this assessment, you will need to:

Ensure that your project aligns with your practicum site expectations and the DNP expectations for doctoral projects.
Consult this resource for guidance: Acceptable vs. Unacceptable SoNHS DNP Projects [PDF].
Definition of Research.
Conduct a comprehensive review of the literature to gather data that will support your identified need, intervention, and assessment “instrument(s)”:
Focus your research on current resources available through peer-reviewed articles and professional and government websites. Current means less than five years old.
Use these research guides for help in identifying scholarly and authoritative sources:
Nursing Doctoral (DNP) Research Guide.
Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing & Health Sciences.
Instructions

Note: The assessments in this course must be completed in the order presented; subsequent assessments should be built on both your earlier work and your instructor’s feedback on earlier assessments. If you choose to submit assessments prematurely, without considering and integrating your instructor’s feedback, your assessment may be returned ungraded, resulting in your loss of an assessment attempt.

This assessment has been identified as a Signature Assessment. Signature assessments serve a dual purpose: to meet the competencies in the course where the signature assessment appears and acquire skills needed to demonstrate competencies specific to the completion of the Doctoral Project Report. Learners must successfully meet the established criteria for demonstrating competence on this assessment in order to successfully complete the course (see University Policy 3.4.07 Grading). Completion of this course is a program-specific requirement. Consequently, learners must pass this course in order to remain in good academic standing (see University Policy 3.01.04 Academic Standing).

Identify one evidence-based intervention to reduce health disparities in the selected population.

The hot spot I chose is Arizona and the selected population is the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender. And queer (LGBTQ) community. I chose this state because I worked as a nurse in Arizona in cities like Phoenix, Scotsdale. And a few others. One of the Phoenix LGBT Communities is located in the North close to Roosevelt Avenue. I was in this state for 5 years and my first apartment rental was from a gay young man.

I did community nursing where I visited patients at home. It is not easy discussing this subject but I feel very strongly about this minority. And what they have to go through. I have had the privilege to work very closely with families who are either gay or have gay children. To be honest, my biases were finally broken down as I allowed myself to feel deep empathy for these folks. After listening to some of their stories and the plight they face.

health disparities

By addressing the health disparities that are so prevalent in this community. And the need for health equity through evidence-based solutions. By developing a therapeutic framework to expressly ground the principles of health equity. Concerning this community that is so stigmatized, advance practice nurses. Stakeholders and funders of this process can incorporate practices that are inclusive as they embark on working with this population.

Specifically, since I have worked closely with families with teen-age youths that are either lesbian. Or gay, I understand what this community goes through at home, at school and with their neighbors. In one of the instances, I had parked my car in front of the patient’s house. When I came to do an oasis assessment. The harassing neighbors that hated the family because the two ‘moms’ were lesbians. Came and pitched a basketball hoop very close to my car. And told the parents of my patient to ask me to move my car. Because her kids wanted to play basketball on the street.

a hate-driven move

This was just a hate-driven move against anyone that associated with the lesbians. Now we are talking about neighbors that do have a large yard and could pitch a basketball net anywhere in their yard. This incivility resulted in an altercation between the two families. The family I came to work with had just bought the home but since the purchase it was one form of harassment after another. It was not until I worked with them and other gay families that I discovered what this community suffered. Seeing their plight and listening to their stories I was forced to examine my own biases against this minority group of people.

Anyway, that aside, one issue that the family discussed with me is that of healthcare inequality and how they had suffered discrimination this area amongst other areas. I consider evidence-based interventions and strategies that could leverage science to promote equity-focused healthcare for youths and families as a worthy cause. Starting an educational organization whose curriculum is run by LGBTQ researchers, educators, program designers, relevant publishers,/writers/editors, and techies, all contributing their sympathetic skills and talents to advance advocacy to improve lives and promote equity has become something I would very much like to pursue. I now reside in Massachusetts and I keep running into the same issue in community nursing as well as school nursing.

Arizona community

My interest for this Arizona community runs deep with good reason. I find myself driven by their mission to advance healthcare equity and opportunities for youths and families especially those parents that are reluctant about getting fair healthcare treatment. I also saw how their children found it difficult maintaining a steady attendance in school due to the fear of stigmatization and ridicule. Laws are in place to protect, but the public is still not sensitive enough to the needs of this community and are very subtle in the way they practice discrimination and bias within the healthcare industry.

Advanced practice nurses have a responsibility to educate nurses in our hospitals and healthcare facilities. Our doctors also need proper education on how not to discriminate against the LGBT community. Advance practice nurses must educate school nurses to exercise their leadership roles in fostering safety by being supportive in our school environment. They must deal with the unfairness and inequality to bridge the gap in gender discrimination and health disparities. Collaborating with the school and the community to advocate for change in policy will go a long way to improve outcomes (Shattuck et al.)

Write a paper (2,000-2,500 words) in which you apply the concepts of epidemiology and nursing research to a communicable disease. Refer to “Communicable Disease Chain,” “Chain of Infection,” and the CDC website for assistance when completing this assignment.

Communicable Disease Selection

1. Chickenpox
2. Tuberculosis
3. Influenza
4. Mononucleosis
5. Hepatitis B
6. HIV
7. Ebola
8. Measles
9. Polio
10. Influenza

Epidemiology Paper Requirements

1. Describe the chosen communicable disease, including causes, symptoms, mode of transmission, complications, treatment, and the demographic of interest (mortality, morbidity, incidence, and prevalence). Is this a reportable disease? If so, provide details about reporting time, whom to report to, etc.
2. Describe the social determinants of health and explain how those factors contribute to the development of this disease.
3. Discuss the epidemiologic triangle as it relates to the communicable disease you have selected. Include the host factors, agent factors (presence or absence), and environmental factors. Are there any special considerations or notifications for the community, schools, or general population?
4. Explain the role of the community health nurse (case finding, reporting, data collection, data analysis, and follow-up) and why demographic data are necessary to the health of the community.
5. Identify at least one national agency or organization that addresses the communicable disease chosen and describe how the organizations contribute to resolving or reducing the impact of disease.
6. Discuss a global implication of the disease. How is this addressed in other countries or cultures? Is this disease endemic to a particular area? Provide an example.

A minimum of three peer-reviewed or professional references is required.

Prepare this assignment according to the guidelines found in the APA Style Guide, located in the Student Success Center. An abstract is not required.

This assignment uses a rubric. Please review the rubric prior to beginning the assignment to become familiar with the expectations for successful completion.