NURS 6320 DNP Practicum for CNS Practice IV: Capstone Immersion for CNS Independent Practice
This is a clinical capstone course where students demonstrate competencies related to all domains of the Clinical Nurse Specialist (CNS) as well as those competencies needed to support the Military Health System (MHS) Quadruple Aim. In this full scope CNS immersion rotation, students develop inter-professional relationships between nurses, physicians, and key leaders within the healthcare organization to optimize health system performance and improve safety and outcomes for the adult and geriatric populations. During this course, students complete a "macro" and "micro" organizational assessment, critically analyze scientific literature, evaluate nursing and patient outcomes, and translate evidence to support clinical, fiscal, and managerial recommendations for process and system improvements. The culmination of these efforts results in the creation of a comprehensive Business Plan presented to the leadership with the goal to guide change, undergirded by evidence based practice, in support of the goal of high reliability organizations' to achieve consistent excellence across the organization. The third order effect of these efforts is the creation of a "current state map" with pre-intervention data points from which the organization can assess outcomes achieved once recommendations are implemented. This effort also demonstrates the magnitude of the impact the CNS has within an organization in transforming healthcare to improve safety and outcomes for our patients.