week 1: State Your Clinical Question
[100 to 150 words]
• State your clinical question or topic for
your capstone project proposal.
• What issue is the question/topic addressing?
• What are the reasons you selected this question/topic?
Week 2: Background Information
[200 to 250 words]
Address the following questions/bullets in completing this section:
• Start at the starting point – What, Where, When, Why, and How?
• What is known about this topic or what is the evidence on this topic (Scoping Search)?
• What is the outcome of interest?
• What are the gaps in our understanding or knowing related to this topic?
Week 3: Literature Search Strategies
[150 to 200 words]
Provide details of your exhaustive search process. Be certain to list:
• Databases searched.
• All the keywords or search phrases used.
• How many articles in total that were found?
• List the inclusion/exclusion criteria.
• Provide the number of articles that were retained and a description on why those articles were retained.
• Consider using a flowchart to outline the search process.
Week 4: Literature Review
[500 to 1000 words]
Conduct a review of the literature. Include at least five (5) research articles and/or evidence-based guidelines. Address the following questions/bullets in completing this section:
• Conduct a review of the literature.
• Provide the highlights from the research.
• Synthesize the literature on the topic.
• Summarize how the project will contribute to knowledge by filling in gaps, validating, or testing knowledge.
• Cite references in this section per APA and list the reference in the References section at the end of the form.
Week 5:PICOt Question
State your PICOt question here. Use the elements of the PICOt in separate sections below to describe each component.
• Population – Provide the description of the targeted population.
• Intervention – Describe your evidence-based intervention.
• Comparison – What is currently happening?
• Outcomes – List at least two (2) measurable outcomes.
• time – What duration of the study for the project? (e.g., usually 6 months or 3 months)
Week 6: P (Target Population)
[75 to 100 words]
Address the following questions/bullets in completing this section:
• Who is your target population?
• Describe your population, i.e., age, ethnicity, gender, condition/diagnosis, etc.?
• Describe the setting where this project be implemented?
Week 7: I (Intervention)
[100 to 200 words]
Address the following questions/bullets in completing this section:
• What are you planning to investigate or implement as a policy/process or program?
• What are you doing that is different than what is currently happening?
• List 2-3 potential actions that will be applied in this practice change.
NOTE: Be very specific in your description.
Week 8: O (Outcomes to be measured)
[100 to 150 words]
Every project is required to have an evaluation plan. Address the following questions/bullets in completing this section:
• Which 2-3 outcomes are expected for your project?
• What outcomes will be measured?
o How do you plan to do this?
o What tool will you be using to measure your outcome(s)?
o What data will be used to validate success of the project?
Be sure your outcomes link to the identified problem.
• How will you know if your intervention resulted in change?
Week 9: 9.1 Conclusion
[200 to 250 words]
• Provide a summary for your MSN Capstone Project.
• Select and provide the rationale for three (3) competencies or specialty standards that you would expect to use in implementing this project [List of your specialty competencies are listed in the Week 9 Reflection Post]
9. 2 References
[Minimal of 5 research articles and references are paged on the last page.]
• Add your references in APA formats on the last page.