Termination of DNP Scholarly Project Chair Relationship. If either the candidate or the faculty chair for the DNP Scholarly Project determines that the student and the faculty member can no longer continue working together on the DNP Scholarly Project, then they both should consult with the Director for Graduate Nursing Programs. Beyond the first semester of the DNP Scholarly Project chair relationship, which should be considered a trial period, the investment of effort and resources by both parties indicates that termination is a step that should not be taken lightly. If after consultation with the Director for Graduate Nursing Programs, the candidate or the chair of the DNP Scholarly Project committee still determines that relationship must be terminated, it is his/her right to do so.

Termination of DNP Scholarly Project Committee Members. If the candidate feels he/she can no longer work with the committee member, the candidate should meet with the chair to discuss the issues. The chair of the DNP Scholarly Project can meet independently or in conjunction with the doctoral candidate and committee to resolve the issue. Any changes to the committee members after the initial DNP Scholarly Project approval by the Director for Graduate Nursing Programs shall be forwarded to the Director of Graduate Nursing Programs by the DNP chair for ratification and approval. Requests for changes to committee membership should include a reason for such changes.

DNP Scholarly Project Proposal. The DNP Scholarly Project Proposal is a document written in APA format. The SQUIRE 2.0 Guidelines will be utilized to create the proposal in the future tense. The DNP Scholarly Project Proposal defense should be scheduled no later than the first half of NUR 902 Residency I. Scheduling after this time period could potentially delay commencement for the student.

The student delivers a formal presentation of the proposed project. Following the presentation, members of the committee access the student's knowledge and synthesis of the body of literature and its application to the proposed project, as well as the student's ability to conduct the Scholarly Project. After closed deliberation, the DNP Scholarly Project Committee will discuss the merits and weaknesses of the proposal and the feasibility of implementation. The chair will record whether consensus has been reached and signed for Approval of the DNP Scholarly Project Proposal. The form is forwarded to the Director for Graduate Nursing Programs to be signed and for placement in the student's file. The student is responsible to address any deficits, errors, and/or shortcomings of the proposal as noted by the DNP Scholarly Project Committee before approval of the proposal.

Approval of Proposal. Approval of the proposal permits the candidate to apply for IRB approval and to proceed with the actual DNP Scholarly Project.

Institutional Review Board (IRB) Approval. Any DNP Scholarly Project that involves human subjects must have approval from the University Human Subject Review Board from the University before data collection may begin or before the other agency approval is obtained. Additionally, even if human subjects are not involved, IRB approval is necessary if the student is interested in publishing or presenting the DNP Scholarly Project findings. All students are expected to submit their project for publication.

The student is responsible for verifying the need for and securing IRB approval. The application may be secured from the appropriate office of the University. A copy of the approved outside agency IRB form must be submitted through Kentucky State University IRB before the student may proceed with implementation. Obtaining IRB approvals from other agencies (e.g. hospitals,