NURS 4220

Capstone Paper Guide

 

The Capstone Paper is the culminating assignment of your undergraduate-nursing program at Walden University. In this assignment you will identify a quality improvement practice problem, review and synthesize evidence-based practice evidence, and propose an evidence-based quality improvement plan that you will use to address your practice problem.

 

Capstone Paper Overview

 

The Capstone Paper is written in sections each week and submitted for grading in two parts.

 

Capstone Paper: Part I (3-4 pages) includes the Practice Problem; Analysis of Evidence; and Quality Improvement Process sections that are written during the first three weeks of the course. The Capstone Paper, Part I will be submitted for grading at the conclusion of Week 3.

 

Capstone Paper: Part II (3-4 pages) includes the Evidence-Based Practice Quality Improvement Plan Explanation and Project Resources sections written in weeks 4 and 5. Part II of the capstone paper is submitted for grading at the conclusion of Week 5.

 

The two parts of the Capstone paper are designed to be combined into one document and used in conjunction with your storyboard to present a quality improvement plan. You may use these documents demonstrate to your employer an understanding of quality improvement processes that improve patient care and/or patient safety.

 

Assignment Template

 

You will use the Walden University APA Course Template to complete this Assignment.

 

• Walden University. Walden templates: General templates: APA course paper template with advice (6^th). Retrieved from http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/templates/general#s-lg-box-2774360
  • Delete the abstract page in the template. This is not required for this course.
  • The template includes the correct font and formatting: 12 pt. Times New Roman font, double spacing, and 1-inch margins on all sides.

 

Writing Standards

 

• Review the Academic Writing Expectations Checklist Capstone Level found in your Week 1 Learning Resources
  • Note the new expectations for Use of evidence and Credit to Source
  • Use a Scholarly Voice
    • http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/scholarlyvoice
    • http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/webinars/scholarlywriting#s-lg-box-2773859
  • Review the Walden University Writing Center webpage: Using Evidence: Synthesis – http://academicguides.waldenu.edu/writingcenter/evidence/synthesis

 

Rubrics (found on the Course Information page)

 

• Week 3 Assignment Rubric
• Week 5 Assignment Rubric

 

 

Capstone Paper, Part I

 

• Introduction (Completed in Week 1)
  • State the practice problem in measurable terms and that reflect quality indicators.

This is the same problem described in the Week 1 Practice Experience discussion.

Provide the rationale for selecting the practice problem

• Include a purpose statement.

• Analysis of Evidence (Completed in Week 2)
  • Synthesize a minimum of 5 evidence-based practice resources that support your practice problem. Include a minimum of two to three research studies obtained from the Walden Library.
• Quality Improvement Process (Completed in Week 3)
  • Describe the quality improvement process and a brief overview the quality model that will be used to improve your practice problem. Include a description of a quality tool that will be used in the quality improvement plan.
  • This process will be used to support the detailed proposed quality improvement plan in Week 4
  • Explain why the specific quality model was selected and document your explanation with references.
  • Summary

Summarize the key points discussed in the paper