Students are usually overwhelmed by the idea of writing a capstone project. It can feel like a mountain of work at first. Once you get into the swing of things, the pressure starts lifting. With most tasks, the beginning is always the hardest. You need to break this project up into smaller pieces. This way, you are just focused on one aspect of a larger task.
At the end of your nursing studies, you will be required to write a capstone project. Usually, DNP capstone projects are difficult because of the limited amount of topic options. You have to dig deeper into your research to come up with something new and fresh. Here are 5 tips you can apply to help you choose the best topic idea.
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A problem to solve
When you choose a capstone project idea, it needs to be of value to your industry. One way to do this is to start identifying a problem. You will then use your research to solve this problem. It should be something you can write an entire project about. This is easier to do if you already have some knowledge on the topic. List some possible solutions and then research all of these individually.
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Strengths and Weaknesses
Coming up with capstone nursing ideas can be challenging, but there are a lot more topics to cover. You want to stay away from the generic topics. Write down a few ideas and then rate the strengths and weaknesses of each one. You can look at this as a brainstorming session. It is going to give you a clear idea of which topic would be the most interesting and relevant to your findings.
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Specific topic
Start by writing down a general and broad idea you want to cover. Then go a little deeper and try to narrow it down. You want a specific topic and not something that seems too broad. When you are researching your initial idea, look for subtopics within that genre. This is a great way to find a specific and narrowed down a topic.
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Career goals
You already know that your career would be in nursing, but you need to go beyond that. Which area would you like to specialize in? This is a great way to come up with DNP project ideas. You want to use your career goals as one point of focus when selecting your topic. It might be an issue you would like to solve in the medical field going forward.
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Various sources
We are quick to go online and find research topic ideas. Try a few other sources to come up with your topic. It can be the library, academic literature or even previous academic research examples. You would not copy these ideas, but it does give you some guidance.
Conclusion
The primary focus of a capstone project is to problem solve. This can be done on various issues currently experienced in the medical field. If you get your proposal rejected, don’t ponder on it too long. In time, you will find the topic that best suits your expertise.
