Nursing Capstone Project Ideas for Nursing Students

Nursing students complete capstone projects toward the end of their training. While capstone formats differ between programs, they typically consist of hands-on, one-on-one experience with a nurse at a hospital or facility and or an evidence-based practice formal paper or presentation.

During their last semester, students work one-on-one with an experienced nurse caring for a full patient load. Here, students apply the nursing skills and knowledge learned throughout the nursing program. Students select a capstone project idea by evaluating their interests, strengths, and weaknesses, as well as their chosen nursing specialty area and creating a project on this idea.

Not every nursing program requires a capstone, but those that do, generally culminate in a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) or doctor of nursing practice (DNP) degree. Learn more about how to come up with ideas, complete, and present your capstone project at the end of your nursing program.

A capstone course functions as a bridge between the end of school and the beginning of a career, allowing nursing students to put what they’ve learned into practice. As the name suggests, students complete capstones toward the end of their nursing training.

Topics can also focus on the strategies needed to transition from students to baccalaureate-level nurses.

There is a difference between a capstone project and a thesis. Students complete capstones individually or in groups, while thesis projects must be done alone.

Capstone project time lengths span vary, while graduate students work on their thesis projects throughout their entire program length. Graduate thesis courses generally take place over 1-2 semesters to keep students on track.

Finally, capstone topics evaluate current issues and theories; thesis students incorporate existing case studies and literature while exploring and arguing for their original research. Some schools require students to publish their thesis papers in a healthcare journal.

Asking for guidance from faculty, supervisors, preceptors, and fellow students helps narrow capstone ideas and topics. Advisors assist in choosing an appropriate capstone site. Nursing students often create capstone project ideas around need areas in health or healthcare, particularly in their city or region.

A few examples of capstone project ideas include:

Nursing students might also choose emergency or intensive care topics, such as creating a more effective triage system to get higher-risk patients seen quicker.

Some students prefer outpatient topics, like developing programs for clinical services, long-term care, or public health. Readers should remember that each school sets its policies and recommendations.

Students develop and learn the skills needed to complete their capstones throughout their training. These include:

They also learn to conduct literature searches, identify research designs, and evaluate evidence.

Capstone formats and completion times widely vary between programs. Capstone projects can be completed in a few weeks or last till the end of the semester.

Most students follow a PICO format to complete their nursing capstone project regardless of the academic program. The PICO format is used in research to create a well-structured clinical question helping students direct their search on a particular topic. PICO stands for:

Some universities allow capstone projects to be completed in teams where students develop and implement the project. Capstone components may include defining the project and the team leader’s role, selecting team members, and formulating the project plan.

Capstone projects are meant to hone leadership and management abilities. Some examples include:

The capstone process culminates in a paper or presentation that measures students’ skills in communication, information dissemination, and application of evidence-based practice skills. Members of the public may attend.

Utilizing the poster format, students commonly use three panels to illustrate:

Students who present using PowerPoint on a laptop or other device should pay attention to time limits, plan for one slide per minute, and verify that equipment and internet connectivity are available.

Visuals like graphs, figures, and bullet points are more effective than large blocks of text.

Students should practice presenting in front of others to ensure they thoroughly know their content and can answer questions. Backing up a copy of a PowerPoint presentation and printing out copies or transparencies guards against last-minute glitches.

Capstone grading methods differ between programs. Some issue letter grades and others use a pass/no pass system. Grades typically hinge on a percentage basis of the project’s written sections, the final proposal, and the presentation.

Faculty evaluate how students execute the capstone course objectives, which may include the following criteria: