Week 8 Culminating Experience Evidence-Based Change Project Paper
Your final paper will encompass all assignments you have completed thus far. At
this point you will have submitted each section and received feedback. Your
culminating experience is designed to be an experiential continuum of successful
execution of your change project designed and implemented throughout both
courses. The final paper should be edited and professionally presented. An
attempt to incorporate all previous assignment feedback should be evident.
The final evidence-based change project paper should include the following
headings (see the WCU Culminating Experience Sample Proposal Template):
• Introduction and Background: You will begin to explain what your change
project topic is. Include background information you have obtained. Make
sure to discuss the importance of your topic and why there is a need for it
to be researched and implemented in your assigned facility or in advanced
practice nursing in general.
• Problem Identification and Description Using PICOT Format: Identify and
describe the problem in clear and concise language. Describe the
significance of the evidence-based project that can be implemented in the
selected setting to the nursing profession. Give a clear and explicit
statement of the problem and target population as well background of the
specific problem relative to the clinic or hospital setting.
• Critical Appraisal/Integrative Literature Review: Write a literature review
using peer-reviewed articles and books, as well as non-research literature
such as evidence-based guidelines, toolkits, and standardized
procedures. Provide reference(s) to recent literature related to your
specific unit. Identify and cite all sources of data according to APA
guidelines. The goal is to review and analyze the most current research to
support your project. Summarize the key findings, and provide a transition
to the methods, intervention, or clinical protocol section of the paper.
Describe any gaps in knowledge that you found and the effects this may
have on nursing practice as it relates to your change project topic. The
discussion of the literature review should be a synthesis of how each
article relates to your project.
• Project Aims, Values, and Desired Outcomes:
o Describe the project aim: The project aim should include examples
of features and functions that will occur as a result of implementing
your change project.
o Describe the project value: The value should describe the benefits
of the change project implementation to the stakeholders, the
organization, and the nursing profession.
o Describe the desired outcomes: Specifically, state the purpose,
quality focus, and viewpoint of the project as well as its expected
accomplishments. A project goal should reference the project’s
business benefits in terms of cost, time, and/or quality that address
individual and family healthcare needs or changes, results, impacts,
or consequences that the project has on people, programs, or
institutions. Goals and objectives should be measurable, shared,
and agreed on by all key stakeholders. They are directly linked to
the concept of project success factors.
• Theoretical Framework: Identify at least two independent theories or
conceptual models that relate directly to the planned project in addition to
the Plan Do Study Act (PDSA) cycle. Including a discussion of how each
theory or model applies to the individual project is essential.
• Proposed Evidence-Based Project Plan: Develop the project plan based
on your theoretical framework and the literature review, and include an
environmental assessment of the readiness for change.
o Develop the strategy or strategies for meeting the desired
outcomes that includes a work breakdown structure (timeline/task
list/Gantt Chart)—a hierarchical definition of the tasks and activities
of a project that normally begins with the highest-level activities and
works downward into the individual tasks.
o Include a project budget (table or spreadsheet) for the project that
addresses the needed personnel, equipment, and/or supplies that
may have associated costs.
o Plan the design and methodology used.
o Evaluation methodologies
• Actual Outcomes/Evaluation: Measureable evaluation methods
(indicators/metrics) are cost savings, improved efficiencies, access to care
(visits/procedures/admissions), patient/family satisfaction, associate
satisfaction, associate engagement, retention, clinical outcomes, injury
prevention, risk reduction, etc.
• Summary and Conclusions: Includes the following but is not limited to a
summary of the project, a summary of main points and findings, the
significance of project to the nursing profession, and any
recommendations for future research.
• References
• Appendices
The paper should be between 20 and 30 pages in length, not including the cover
page, references, or any appendices. It must follow APA Manual (6th ed.). Each
section of the paper should be clearly identified using proper headings (see the
WCU Culminating Experience Sample Proposal Template). The final paper
should be professionally written in a manner suitable for publication.
Due: Sunday, 11:59 p.m. (Pacific time)
Points Possible: 150