Making Hospitals Safer

Amanda Jacovino (RN), a nursing major in Verrazano Honors' Class of 2018, examines how to prevent patient falls in a hospital setting.

            My experience of completing my Verrazano Honors Capstone was beyond successful and personally fulfilling.  As a nursing major I chose to title my project “A Quality Improvement Proposal on Fall Prevention in Health Care Settings.”  Not only did I chose a topic that was interesting to me, but one that is also extremely relevant in today’s health care system.  By completing this research I was able to gain better insight and acquire a great understanding on the issue of fall prevention in health care settings.  As a professional registered nurse it is my duty and desire to advocate and care for all patients.  Improving the quality of care I can provide while maintaining each patients safety is something I strive for as a nurse.  After researching causes of the high percentage of fall rates within numerous organizations I was able to develop a quality improvement proposal in attempts to decrease these rates and increase quality care and patient safety. 

Amanda at her pinning ceremony

At first thought I expected this capstone to be very challenging but I was mistaken.  I was taken back by how passionate I was about this subject and how useful it would be throughout my entire nursing career.  It took me by surprise that I was able to compose this proposal and be quite satisfied with the outcome.  It was also a wonderful experience to work with a nursing faculty advisor who helped me brainstorm, organize and look over my work.  We shared a common ground, our love for nursing and we both were intrigued by this topic.  Quality improvement is something that is always useful within our profession and is evidently the way we make advances within health care to better future care for all patients.  This capstone has both enlightened and encouraged me to look forward to completing any future research throughout my nursing career.