While the nursing capstone project for the UW-Milwaukee RN-to-BSN program through UW Flexible Option can appear daunting, don’t fret–it’s definitely doable with a little planning.
What is the Nursing Capstone?
The capstone practicum, NURS 445, is a lot like your other nursing courses. It teaches clinical skills along with problem-solving, critical thinking, understanding systems, and the role of research, but offers you more flexibility to work on projects that actually improve patient care in your workplace. It gives you an opportunity to apply the skills and knowledge you have gained in the RN-to-BSN program to identify a challenge in your workplace and take the initiative to address it. You’ll be required to complete several assessments and a quality improvement project.
How Long Will it Take Me To Complete the Capstone?
The capstone course is a significant time commitment, though there is no minimum hourly requirement. You should plan on taking the capstone course solo – or with one other course, max.
Note: You can re-enroll in the capstone course if you don’t finish within the designated 12-week subscription period. Some students need multiple periods depending on how they are able to manage their time, with work and other commitments.
How Do I Begin the Nursing Capstone?
Here are a few tips to get you started:
- Start preparing for the capstone project before you’ve even enrolled in the capstone course. While this may sound backwards, it’s the best approach. The capstone is the final course in the curriculum, but you must prepare for it even before you enter the course because there’s simply not enough time in the subscription period to complete everything. You’ll also need faculty approval for the project before starting.
“This is the only course where they do the work before they enroll, and that’s not something students are thinking about,” says Nicole Simonson, DNP, and director of the RN-to-BSN program.
She encourages students to begin accessing the capstone prep site as soon as possible so they will have all of the information they need to begin preparing, including what they have to do in their workplace to complete the project, where to get permission, along with some advice and tips.
- Identify a quality improvement project in your workplace. The good news is that there are literally hundreds of topics to choose from for this project. Your project is a conduit to address an ongoing concern or problem you face every day on the job. If you’re deciding among several topics, check with your leader to see which topic is the biggest priority or has the largest need for your workplace.
“I had a pleasant experience during my capstone course,” says Jordan Smoldt, a recent graduate of the UW-Milwaukee RN-to-BSN program. “The first challenge I encountered was deciding what I wanted my capstone project to be. There are always things you can do in the workplace to improve your workflow/patient care/outcomes. It was difficult picking a topic that I could explore in my workplace where I could see improvement in a short amount of time (the 12 weeks we’re given).”
- Once you’ve identified the problem, address it, and then seek out literature to find best practices. Analyze the existing environment and ask yourself, what are staff members doing to address the problem? Jordan chose a project for her capstone that directly affected her patients’ health, specifically, reproductive health.
“I am a registered nurse in an OB/GYN clinic where we have a decent number of patients who do not speak English,” she says. “The nurses and providers at my clinic have noticed over the last couple of years that the number of positive STD tests in this group of patients is high. We believe that issue is because of the lack of STD education in their home countries as well as communication barriers.”
- Develop a solution to address the area of concern. Perhaps you’ll implement a new policy, change care tactics, or educate staff. For example, if you were going to tackle the risk of falling in your long-term care facility, you might look at how to reduce the risk of falls, along with how to implement ways to prevent that risk.
For Jordan, the solution to her problem was patient education.
“My project ultimately was to translate our English STD educational materials into the two most popular non-English languages that we see (Spanish and French),” she notes. “I wanted to see if providing patients with this material would lead to safer sex practices and improvement with treatment regimens.”
- Assess whether the steps taken to resolve the problem were successful. Some questions to consider: Were you able to reduce the number of falls? If not, why not? Maybe at the end of 12 weeks you didn’t get to the finish line of your plan. If so, what happened? Did it take longer? Did you face resistance at your site? Did something change? Outlining these scenarios can help provide a better understanding of what took place. Remember, just because you weren’t able to remedy the problem, doesn’t mean the capstone is ineligible for submission.
“I did not have enough time [12 weeks] within the capstone course to see if this project was successful, but the providers in the office and my office manager were happy to have this translated information to provide,” Jordan says.
How Should I Manage My Time When Completing the Nursing Capstone?
Tackling the final capstone project can be tough, but a little perseverance and time management goes a long way.
“Try to break the project up into smaller pieces and work little by little at it,” Jordan suggests. “This is a large project which can be overwhelming when you look through the requirements…the hardest part is starting! Once you start working on the project, it really all falls into place. Also, do not be afraid to reach out to your capstone professor with any questions or concerns! They want to help you and see you succeed.”
And, don’t forget to give yourself some grace when it feels as though you’ve got a lot on your plate.
“Trying to juggle school with work is difficult because let’s be honest, being a nurse is mentally, emotionally, and physically challenging. I spent a majority of my days off working on school work which allowed me to have more of a mental break on the days I did work. I feel like that helped me keep my stress levels down. I recommend getting out of the house and doing some computer work at a coffee shop or bakery–food and good vibes made working on school work much more enjoyable!”
What Else Should I Know About the Capstone?
While the capstone may seem like a hurdle, remember that you have a support network if you need it. In addition to your course instructors, UW Flexible Option Success Coaches are available to help you every step of the way. They can help you set priorities and manage your time as you tackle this project, and provide you with extra resources if you need it. Unlike other traditional degree programs, UW Flexible Option is designed to fit into your schedule and your life while giving you the moral support you need to achieve your goals.