Nursing capstone projects are exciting, but they can be equally frightening. They are exciting because they signal the finalization of your nursing course, but handling them can be confusing. These capstone papers are meant to demonstrate how much you have learned in your studies and how well you can use what you have learned in practice. Students are allowed to choose what topic to handle in their capstone project. However, there is a need to have consultations with your instructors to ensure you choose an appropriate topic. Consulting with your professor/instructor allows them to guide you in your writing, making sure you choose a topic that best shows how well you have been learning in your studies. Moreover, because the paper can be lengthy, ensure you choose something you can cover comprehensively. Here are some nursing capstone example to help illustrate this further.
Nursing Capstone Examples that are Interesting to Cover
Nursing Capstone Example One
Title: Promotion of Exclusive Breastfeeding for Infant’s Health: A Nurse’s Role
Why it is a relevant topic. (In your nursing capstone project you need to show why your topic is relevant to you as a nursing practitioner.)
Nurses spend a lot of time with mothers postnatal and they are pretty influential in the lives of these mothers and their children. It is their job to advise these mothers and promote compliance to recommended dietary habits for the infants. Most hospitals hold sessions where mothers receive all the information they need on how to take care of their babies, and it is the nurses that usually handle these sessions. Therefore, nurses must be well informed about the subject of breastfeeding and especially exclusive breastfeeding.
Examples of what to highlight in the bulk of your project
- Highlight research on breastfeeding and especially explain why breastmilk is considered the superior form of nutrition for infants. There are a lot of scholarly articles you can get on the matter
- Highlight factors that influence breast milk production. Some mothers indeed produce more milk than others and it is important to know why.
- Discuss ways of boosting breast milk production naturally through good nutrition and lifestyle.
- Highlight ways that other people can support these mothers. Nurses deal with family members oftentimes and they should ensure that they can advise these people on how to support mothers. This is important because stress can interfere with the milk produced by the mother.
- Discuss alternatives for breastfeeding. Sometimes, breastfeeding proves to be impossible and it is necessary to understand what options are available.
- You can discuss HIV/AIDS and the measures mothers should take to ensure the safety of their babies. There is a lot of research in this area.
- You can also discuss any new novel researches that you have found interesting in your studies on breastfeeding.
Nursing Capstone Example Two
Title- Hospital Acquired Infections: The Role of a Nurse
This is one of the most interesting nursing capstone examples.
Why it is a relevant topic
In your introduction discuss what these infections are and give examples. Acknowledge that they exist and that most of them are preventable. Mention that this is a topic every nurse must consider and is bound to encounter as they practice their trade. This shows that they are worthy of study. Mention that nurses are the patients’ primary caregivers when they are in hospitals and that this topic is right up their alley.
What to include in the bulk of your work
- Mention the fact that in the hospital, patients and those who accompany them are exposed to so many infections because all those who come to the hospital have varied diseases. Patients must consider this and take measures to minimize exposure.
- Illustrate that patients can develop infections while at the hospital in various manners. To begin with, they may have a disease that was in the incubation stage and therefore ends up exhibiting symptoms while in admission. Additionally, they may contract infections from other patients while exposed to the same environment as them. They may also develop diseases from contaminated food at the hospital. In addition, they may develop infections that are the result of being immobile for long periods; such as bed sores.
- Discuss preventative measures for these infections and cite a lot of research while at it. Highlight what nurses can and should do to prevent these infections and educate the patients on how to do the same.
- Discuss care and management. After an infection has occurred while in the hospital, nurses must act quickly and arrest the issue before it escalates further.
- Explore how other members of staff can contribute to their prevention. Patients’ care is holistic and every member in the hospital environment has a contribution to make.
- Mention the importance of policy changes. For example, owing to the covid19 pandemic, hospitals implemented the policy of wearing masks. Covid19 is communicable and patients can easily get it while in the hospital.
- As usual, you can mention what opportunities are there for further research.
Nursing Capstone Example Three
Title- Understanding Nurse’s Burnout and Dealing with It
This one is also one of the most relevant nursing capstone examples.
Why it is a relevant topic
In your introduction discuss what burnout is. Explain that it is a serious condition that could lead to depression. Mention that nurses are susceptible to burnout, which makes it a worthy topic of discussion as far as nursing practice is concerned.
What to include in the bulk of your work
- Give a review of research done on burnout and stress, and highlight statistics about burnout. Burnout is getting much more awareness and people understand it better today than they did a few decades ago.
- Explain that people in the healthcare industry are much more susceptible to burnout than those in other industries. Nursing requires a lot of altruism and caring for people who need help for a long time can cause depression and burnout. Nurses are exposed to so much pain and suffering when caring for patients, and this can be overwhelming.
- Discuss the symptoms of burnout. It is one thing to be stressed, but nurses must be able to recognize when it turns to burnout. Doing so will also help them recognize when their colleagues are experiencing burnout and point it out as well.
- Discuss the preventative measures for burnout and the dangers of ignoring the signs of burnout.
- Explore ways of dealing with burnout when it has occurred. Mention ways in which hospitals can support their nurses to ensure they do not suffer burnout.
Capstone projects are important in the assessment of nursing students and it is important to understand how to handle them. The above are nursing capstone examples you can use when deciding how to approach your project. Click here for more ideas for your nursing capstone project.