Work with your preceptor to perform a needs assessment of the organization and community for your practicum. Review the needs assessment to identify possible project topics. In preparation for the capstone change project proposal, compile a list of three to five possible topics for your project and submit to the assignment instructor in LoudCloud.

You are not required to submit this assignment to Turnitin

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A Guide to Performing a Needs Assessment and a Gap Analysis

A Needs Assessment is: A systematic process of gathering information that is appropriate and
sufficient to develop an effective educational program that will address the groups’ needs and
wants (gap). Methods that are frequently used for determining a needs assessment include the
following:

• Membership Learning Needs Survey
• Patient Care Requirements
• Request from Sample of Potential Audience (focus groups)
• Changes in Legislation or reimbursement
• Review of current professional literature
• Evaluation from prior learning activity
• Recent trends in patient population
• Annual event
• Others including: QI data, Morbidity and Mortality data, new methods of diagnosis or

treatment, new technologies.

What
 the
 Nurse
 Does
 Now:
 

• Current
 Practice
 
• Current
 Knowledge
 
• Current
 Skills
 

What
 is
 the
 

Best
 Practice
 

for
 Nursing?
 

• Evidence
 based
 practice
 
• New
 technologies,
 diagnosis
 or
 treatments
 
• Current
 research
 
• Legislative
 or
 regulatory
 changes
 effecting
 

patient
 care
 
• Literature
 
• Clinical
 guidelines
 for
 care
 

Gap
 noted
 
between
 current
 and
 

Best
 Practice
 

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A Gap Analysis is: A gap analysis can be defined as the determination of the difference between
current knowledge/practices (what we are doing) and current Evidence Based Practices (what we
should be doing). Gaps can occur in knowledge, skills or practice.

Steps to Performing a Gap Analysis:

1. Find the need- through conducting a Needs Assessment

2. Is the gap a knowledge, skill or practice? Determine “What is the best practice? “

3. Determine the Purpose of the Activity then develop the learning objectives to “closing the gap”

Copyright © 2012 by Anthony J. Jannetti, Inc. (2012). All rights reserved. Permission to reproduce this work
for educational purpose is granted, provided proper citation is given.

Suggested
 citation.
 Anthony
 J.
 Jannetti,
 Inc.
 (2012).
 A representation: Incorporating a needs assessment and
gap analysis into the educational design. Pitman, NJ: Author.

Step 1: Perform a Needs
Assessment

Step 2: Determine the Educational
Gaps in knowledge, skills or practice:

What is the best practice?

Step 3: Determine Purpose of the Activity
&

&Program objectives and Design

 Step 4: Course Development

Step 5: Implement the Activity

Step 6: Evaluate the Activity