Nurse Leader Uses DNP Capstone Research to Write Book About Nurse Burnout

The nursing profession attracts healthcare professionals who value compassion, want to make a difference in other people’s lives, and want to do greater good in the world. And while the profession offers great rewards, one DNP executive leadership graduate recognized it also brings excessive stress for nurses and leveraged her DNP Capstone research into an important nursing book, ‘Nurse Burnout: Overcoming Stress in Nursing.’

‘Nurse Burnout,’ a Sigma Theta Tau International (STTI) publication, was written by Dr. Suzi Waddill-Goad. She’s a DNP Executive Leadership program graduate from American Sentinel University and a 31-year nursing professional who owns and operates her own operational and compliance consulting business, working with hospitals, clinics, private practices, and other healthcare organizations on everything from cost reduction initiatives to clinical or regulatory turnaround efforts.

After getting an MBA and leaving her employer of eight years in various leadership roles in Washington, she started her own consulting business in 2003. Several years later, Waddill-Goad wanted to further her education and decided to earn a Doctor of Nursing Practice, Executive Leadership.

“I loved the idea of a terminal degree in nursing, as well as the practice emphasis, curriculum, and executive leadership focus,” she says. “Once I learned that American Sentinel University was launching a DNP Executive Leadership, I joined the second cohort in 2010.”

Connected to other nurse leaders
Waddill-Goad says one of the key attributes of taking an online class is being connected with nursing leaders from all over the country.

And in 2012, those connections became especially useful to Waddill-Goad when she was asked by Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing to consider writing a book.

“They were seeking an author for a book about nurse burnout, which happened to fit nicely with the doctoral research I was doing on leadership fatigue,” she says.

As she worked through the details with (STTI), she considered involving a few of her DNP cohort members in the project.

“I had lots of data on leadership fatigue through surveys I’d done with leaders around the country,” she says. “But it occurred to me that some of my fellow students had different experiences than me, and could offer insight into this topic through a different lens.”

Nurse Burnout, the book
Waddill-Goad approached three other DNP Executive Leadership students to contribute chapters to the book she was writing. She included Rita Haxton, who had spent many years as a CNO for different hospital systems in South Dakota; Debra Buck, a nurse educator in Michigan, and Holly Jo Langster, a nurse practitioner and nurse administrator for Baptist Health in Little Rock, Arkansas.

After graduating from American Sentinel in 2013 with a DNP Executive Leadership degree, Waddill-Goad worked to complete the book manuscript.

“It was a great experience for all of us, and allowed me to publish some of the doctoral research I was doing,” she says.

Nurse Burnout: Overcoming Stress in Nursing was published in January 2016. Waddill-Goad is working again with STTI and just completed another book for nurses about business, which will soon be available in the summer of 2017.

Rita Haxton, a contributor to ‘Nurse Burnout,’ and now the vice president of oncology and inpatient surgical services and interim vice president of women’s and children’s services for Baylor University Medical Center in Dallas, says contributing to a book was an enhancement of her DNP experience.

“I’m very proud of the book and the input and collaboration that went into it,” she says.

Haxton wrote chapters on healthcare as a business, professional integrity and culture.

“It’s an enormous testament to American Sentinel and how the DNP cohort structure fosters relationships with colleagues all around the country. We wouldn’t have had this opportunity if we hadn’t all been in the same DNP Executive Leadership cohort,” she says.

Connected for life
After recently moving back to Washington, Waddill-Goad is still consulting with healthcare organizations around the country and collaboration continues to be a theme in her career.

“The DNP was something I wanted to have more credibility and perpetuate what I’ve had already done in my career, but I gained so much more than that,” she says. “It was a great experience because of the people I met, and we all remain close today. Going forward, I plan to continue to partner with colleagues whenever the opportunity arises. It keeps things interesting.”

Learn more about American Sentinel University’s ACEN-accredited online Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program with a specialization in executive leadership at https://www.americansentinel.edu/nursing/dnp-executive-leadership or call 866.922.5690.

About American Sentinel University

American Sentinel University delivers accredited online degree programs in nursing (BSN, MSN, and DNP) and healthcare management (MBA Healthcare, M.S. Information Systems Management, and M.S. Business Intelligence and Analytics). Its affordable, flexible bachelor’s and master’s nursing degree programs are accredited by the Commission for the Collegiate Nursing Education (CCNE), of One Dupont Circle, NW Suite 530, Washington, D.C., 20036. The DNP program is accredited by the Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing (ACEN) of 3343 Peachtree Road NE, Suite 850, Atlanta, Ga., 30326. The University is accredited by the Distance Education Accrediting Commission, DEAC, 1101 17th Street NW, Suite 808, Washington, D.C. 20036, (202) 234-5100, www.deac.org

In June 2016, the Higher Education Commission Board of Trustees voted to grant American Sentinel University the status of candidate for accreditation. Institutions seeking accreditation by HLC are required to complete a period of candidacy before being evaluated for full accreditation. To earn and maintain candidacy, American Sentinel must fully meet the Commission’s Eligibility Requirements and Assumed Practices and demonstrate the capacity to meet all the Criteria for Accreditation within the candidacy period.

Please note, the MBA Healthcare Project-Based program is pending review for inclusion in the university’s programs covered by the Higher Learning Commission designation of candidate for accreditation.

For required student consumer information, please visit: www.americansentinel.edu/doe