The Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) curriculum was developed to incorporate learning outcomes and experiential opportunities for students to attain the core FNP knowledge for doctoral education. Historically, challenges related to developing clinical skills in blended/online programs has been problematic. The appeal of online FNP education has challenged educators to develop new ways to provide students opportunities to experience hands-on clinical skills within the subspecialties of the DNP, FNP role. With limited clinical sites, and now with more clinical access constraints imposed by the COVID-19 pandemic, it is imperative that new models of instruction provide students opportunities for skills training. The purpose of this project is to describe use of scaffolding methodology to design student skills learning activities using synchronous online and on-ground sessions during DNP intensives. Student and faculty input identified the types of practice skills and procedures needing improvement, such as suturing, electrocardiogram, etc. An intensive task force was organized to evaluate curricular elements; content was then mapped to analyze gaps. The first step included aligning advanced practice nursing skills sessions in each intensive with the related clinical courses offered within that semester. Then, students were organized into a skills rotation plan based on their date of admission and place within their program of study. Modifications required by COVID-19 on-ground restrictions necessitated re-thinking intensive skills sessions. Student satisfaction scores significantly improved after the intensive sessions were restructured. Faculty continue to seek feedback from the students to provide beneficial practice opportunities during the DNP intensives.
| Identifer | oai:union.ndltd.org:ETSU/oai:dc.etsu.edu:es-conf-1036 |
| Date | 14 April 2022 |
| Creators | Short, Candice, Hemphill, Jean, Pope, Victoria |
| Publisher | Digital Commons @ East Tennessee State University |
| Source Sets | East Tennessee State University |
| Detected Language | English |
| Type | text |
| Format | application/pdf |
| Source | Epsilon Sigma at-Large Research Conference |
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