Third year BSN-DNP students, Molly Aasby and Katie Peterson, presented posters of their DNP projects during the 2017 CHHS Student Research Symposium held on April 27, 2017 at Plaster Student Union Ballroom. Katie and Molly are part of an 11-student cohort who will be graduating on May 18, 2017 from the School of Nursing’s BSN-DNP program. Upon graduation, they are eligible to sit for the certification exam to become a family nurse practitioner.
Katie Peterson developed and implemented a multidisciplinary video education to patients diagnosed with hypertension at MSU Care. As part of her project, she educated providers at MSU Care regarding the evidence-based hypertension treatment guidelines, also known as JNC 8 Hypertension Guidelines. She then gathered a group of students from different CHHS departments, including: nursing, physical therapy, pharmacy, and dietetics. These departments assisted her in developing several video education modules on how to improve patient’s lifestyles to reduce their blood pressure. Patients who were determined to be hypertensive were given an educational brochure, which included information on how to access the videos online. Surveys were also collected to determine whether patients had barriers to accessing the videos, such as no computer, internet, or smartphone access. Patient blood pressures were collected to determine if these lowered during patient’s follow-up visits. Katie Peterson’s project chair is Dr. Rhea Faye Felicilda.
Molly Aasby developed a video education on smoking cessation for MSU Care patients. The patient education video on smoking cessation was presented to patients who were determined to be smokers during the initial assessment when visiting their primary care provider. Surveys on patients’ smoking habits were collected during their initial visit and after a 1-month follow-up to see if their were any changes. Providers were also informed about evidence-based care guidelines related to smoking cessation. Molly Aasby’s project chair is Dr. Rose Utley.
The School of Nursing would like to congratulate Molly and Katie for having been chosen to present their DNP projects during the CHHS Student Research Symposium. We hope this will lead the way for more undergraduate and graduate nursing students at Missouri State University to take an active part in presenting and publishing their research projects in the future.