Nursing Capstone Project Topics & Ideas

Why Choosing the Capstone Project Topic Matter?

Whether you’re completing your BSN or MSN program, a capstone project is the culmination of years of study, clinical, and research. It’s your chance to show how much you’ve learned and how well you can apply this knowledge in a clinical setting. When you think of a capstone project as a rite of passage, choosing the topic becomes a constant source of anxiety and fear.  

What if you choose wrong and ruin your whole project? 

What if the topic is too stale or weird or complicated?

The worst-case scenario is that you realize the problem too late and have to give up your capstone change project topics and retake several classes to rework your project from scratch. Luckily, this situation is highly unlikely. In most cases, your professors or advisors will notice you are going down the wrong path and suggest you take a timely turn. But if you want to skip this useless detour altogether, read on. 

How to Choose a Nursing Capstone Project Topic?

If you have no idea where to start looking for a topic, use our tips:

• Combine theory and practice. Unlike a thesis, your capstone project should be practical, not theoretical. Historical overviews, simulations, and theoretical studies are better suited to Ph.D. programs.
• Focus on your career goals. If you know the ward you want to work in or a position you wish to hold, consider the pertinent issues and check out the ideas on our list to tickle your imagination. If you have no career plans for now, look into a research field that seems most exciting.
• Solve a real problem. In most cases, you will conduct part of your work on a capstone project nursing in a clinical setting, so find a problem there and consider possible solutions. It can be an overarching issue for the whole ward or a single patient’s trouble.
• Prepare backup options. Even if you fall in love with the first idea you develop, pick a couple of extra options to be safe. If you can’t find enough sources or data for your top pick, you will be able to switch to the next best option without wasting time.
• Pick a fresh but not obscure issue. Your topic should be exciting but researchable enough so that you can find at least five credible sources for your literature review. If no publications are available, you’d better pick another issue to study.

Creative and Unique Ideas for Any Nursing Specialization 

Noteworthy Capstone Project Ideas For Nursing

Do you want your project to be noticed by the department, board, or future employers? Consider using one of the topics below. They are sure to grab the attention of any reader.

1. Measuring the effects of employees’ physical activity on their performance
2. Assessing nurses’ perceptions and biases towards admitted patients with mental health issues
3. Building mutually beneficial relationships between patients and nurses for better healthcare outcomes
4. Comparing perceived sleep quality of nursing students and entry-level nurses
5. Shifting the nurses’ attitude toward technology as a foundation for professional development

Excellent Nursing Capstone Project Ideas for BSN

To finish your undergraduate program on a high note, you need a solid topic to work on for your final project. We’ve collected a handful of BSN capstone project ideas to help you graduate with a degree on time.

1. Developing a psychoeducational intervention program for high school students 
2. Comparison of nurse burnout rates across public and private healthcare facilities
3. The effects of antibiotic-resistant bacteria on nursing interventions
4. A study of a nurse’s role in preventing and mitigating the diabetic foot disease
5. An overview of patients’, physicians’, and nurses’ attitudes toward nurse prescriptions

Latest Nursing Capstone Projects Ideas

If you love being at the top of your class, learning new things, and hate recycling old ideas, you’ll enjoy our selection of the cutting-edge nursing issues we’ve collected for you. These are sure to make your project stand out.

1. Research into the relationship between patients’ social media activity and self-harm tendencies
2. Evaluating and addressing the rise of nurse burnout post-Covid-19 pandemic
3. Highlighting the value of transcultural nurses in a medical facility
4. Empowering nurses to become leaders and policy advocates
5. A study of a working relationship between licensed nurses and nursing aides in nursing homes

Examples of Capstone Projects For Nursing

If you’re starting with a blank page and have no particular preference, consider these options for your capstone project. They cover a range of subjects, fit almost any specialization, and will look good on your resume regardless of your future employment plans.

1. Setting up mental healthcare routines for mothers diagnosed with substance abuse
2. Assessing intervention priorities for patients with head trauma in a hospital with limited resources
3. Analyzing the relationship between certification exam grades and clinical nursing performance
4. Developing support techniques for the relatives of patients with chronic conditions
5. Building an environment to promote continuing professional development for practicing nurses

Capstone Nursing Ideas For Professionals

Are you working on your RN-to-BSN program? Do you have years of nursing experience under your belt? Use it to your advantage, and put your knowledge and skills on paper. Choose one of the topics below to make the most of your professional experience when writing a capstone project.

1. Developing effective interdisciplinary mentoring programs for surgery nurses
2. Addressing kinesiophobia in patients after surgery
3. Assessing self-health attitudes in obstetrical and gynecological nurses
4. The relationship between nursing team autonomy and quality of care
5. Assessing the effects of nursing supervisor’s caring behavior on their subordinates’ bedside manner

Creative Nursing Projects Ideas

For those tired of recycling the same traditional but overdone topics, we’ve come up with a handful of creative nursing projects ideas. These will give you plenty of chances to flex your out-of-the-box thinking and showcase your problem-solving skills.

1. Using music as a learning media for healthcare education and promotion
2. Best nursing practices to provide mental healthcare for religious minority groups
3. Evaluating the relationship between emotional intellect and nursing performance
4. Developing training exercises to build interprofessional collaboration skills in entry-level nurses
5. Implementing nursing practices for forensic analysis

Nursing Leadership Project Ideas

If you’re aiming for an administrative or management position, you may want to look into potential issues early. And a capstone project provides plenty of opportunities for your research.

1. Quantitative metrics for nursing administrative control and its impact on nursing performance
2. Implementing a peer learning strategy for nursing students to improve clinical performance
3. Developing project management competencies in charge nurses and nursing supervisors
4. Analyzing the advantages and disadvantages of mandatory nurse-to-patient ratios
5. The effect of online learning on nursing students’ knowledge retention and clinical performance

Nursing Capstone Projects Examples For Undergraduates

Undergrad capstone projects are usually less research-oriented and rely more heavily on practical applications. And that’s what you’ll find on our list of ideas for your final project.

1. Assessment tool for disaster nursing competencies in emergency nurses
2. Implementing preoperative psychological care for rapid urological surgery rehabilitation
3. Addressing the need for home calls by obstetrical nurses for pregnant women
4. Evaluating the changes in nurse’s caring behavior over time
5. Research of the standard precautions compliance among entry-level nurses

Senior Project Topics on Nursing

Your third or fourth year of nursing school is a high time to choose a capstone topic, whether you have a dedicated class or not. Check out our sample topics to get a feeling for solid research fields and niches.

1. Devising successful interventions for improving care for patients with dementia in emergency departments
2. Assessing the connection between nursing staffing shortages and patient falls frequency
3. Developing individualized nursing to accelerate postoperative rehabilitation
4. Evaluating coaching capabilities in a nursing team
5. Highlighting the differences between an entry-level and experienced nurse

Nursing Practicum Project Ideas

Evidence-based practical insights are usually the goal of capstone projects. We’ve selected a few topics to help you stay focused on the practical side of things instead of swaying towards pure Nursing theory.

1. Assessing the nurse’s role in general robotic surgery
2. The effect of early predictive nursing practices on post-surgery recovery rate
3. Accounting for unintended negative outcomes when planning clinical learning activities
4. Evaluating a nurse’s knowledge and skills in managing aggressive psychiatric patients
5. An overview of the causes of medical errors in nursing 

Capstone Project Ideas by Specialization 

General Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

If you can’t pick one direction to take your final project, check out these Nursing capstone ideas that cover anything from nursing education to pediatric nursing and beyond.

1. Analyzing the differences between problem-based and case-based nursing learning
2. Encouraging long-term adherence to weight management programs among child patients and their parents
3. Evaluating the effectiveness of telehealth nursing interventions
4. The effects of language barriers on nursing quality of care
5. The relationship between the use of hospital surveillance technology and nurse’s behavior
6. Assessing nursing performance in dealing with neonatal pain
7. Developing psychological support nursing protocols for addressing suicidal ideation in adolescents
8. The relationship between workload, teamwork, and occupational fatigue in nurses
9. Evaluating the nurses’ awareness of occupational hazards
10. Optimizing soundscape in waiting rooms to reduce patient anxiety

Health Promotion Nursing Capstone Project Topics

Considering the severe shortage of nursing and medical staff, the aging American population, and the spread of chronic conditions, health promotion has become the focus of the healthcare sector. And as a nurse, you are in a prime position to take action, educate, and improve the quality of life for your community beyond the hospital walls.

1. Assessing the effectiveness of health promotion activities among the older population in developing countries
2. Using podcasts as a health promotion education media among adult patients
3. Implementing visual aids for health promotion for non-English-speaking patients
4. Researching the effects of workplace ergonomics on employee quality of life
5. Measuring daily physical activity outside exercise to promote weight loss among people with diagnosed obesity
6. Implementing storytelling as a health promotion educational technique for children
7. Analyzing differences in addressing healthcare promotion among people of different political and religious backgrounds
8. Implementing in-hospital and post-discharge nutrition interventions for improving long-term healthcare outcomes
9. Analyzing historical trends to predict the next global health issues
10. Implementing an education program on diabetes risks for teenagers and young adults

Nursing Capstone Project Ideas for Mental Health

The pandemic exacerbated mental health issues and highlighted the need for preventative measures and professional care. Whether you intend to work in a mental health facility or wish to protect yourself from succumbing to depression or other psychological conditions, any of the topics below will make for a great capstone project.

1. Prioritization techniques for developing a nursing care plan for patients with mental health comorbidities
2. Developing nursing interventions addressing contributing factors for mental health issues
3. The changes in the role of a mental health nurse over the last 50 years
4. Comparing assessment tools for mental health literacy in large population samples
5. The effectiveness of community health workers’ treatment of mild mental issues
6. Selecting appropriate activities for patients admitted to psychiatric intensive care
7. Analyzing the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on the admittance of patients with mental health issues
8. Evaluating the prevalence of chronic conditions among patients with mental health issues
9. Identifying diagnostic and therapeutic deficiencies in patients with mental and medical health comorbidities
10. Introducing physical activity as a nursing intervention for patients with mental health issues

Capstone Project Topics on Nursing Burnout

It’s not the lack of nursing students that causes medical staff shortages. Instead, it’s the burnout that makes thousands of nurses give up their careers and shift to less stressful work environments. Check out the ideas below if occupational fatigue and burnout make you curious and eager to find a solution.

1. Evaluating and prioritizing contributing factors for professional burnout among emergency nurses
2. Assessing the impact of professional burnout among nurses on healthcare quality
3. Effective prevention tactics for burnout in psychiatric nurses
4. Analyzing compassion fatigue as a contributing factor to nursing burnout
5. Evaluating the burnout level among nursing students of different specializations
6. Researching the relationship between high emotional intellect and stress levels in nurses
7. Improving the precision of occupational stress measurement among nurses
8. Developing an organizational structure for reducing nursing burnout
9. The relationship between different nurse leadership styles and nurse burnout rates
10. Implementing personal accomplishment promotion for reducing nurse burnout

Women’s Health Capstone Project Ideas

Being a woman is not enough to qualify to work in a gynecological or obstetrical ward. Whether you’re interested in ovarian or breast cancer screening and prevention or want to learn more about fertility issues, check out ideas on our list to find an exciting topic for your capstone project.

1. Evaluating the effects of high-quality nursing on gynecological outcomes
2. Assessing the effect of episiotomy on postpartum comfort levels
3. Developing preventative gynecological protocols for inpatient nursing
4. Devising a family planning education plan for high school and college students
5. Scenario-based simulation training for gynecological nurses
6. Patient privacy protection protocols for obstetrics nursing staff
7. Assessing the awareness of early symptoms of ovarian cancer among the OB/GYN nursing staff
8. Reducing the pre-pregnancy fear of childbirth through nursing educational programs
9. Mitigating the risks of adverse reactions to antiseptic drugs in gynecological nursing
10. Improving gynecology consultation outcomes through interpersonal communication

Pediatric Nursing Capstone Project Topics

Working with young patients is the most rewarding but also the most heartbreaking career path for a nurse. If you’re willing to go down this road, consider the Nursing capstone topics we’ve come up with, and you’re bound to receive the professor’s praise.

1. Evaluating the level of physical activity involving children among the Latino population 
2. Developing safety protocols for pediatric pain management in the emergency department
3. Measurement tools for assessing the discharge planning capabilities of a pediatric nurse
4. Analyzing the nurses’ ability to address the needs of unaccompanied children during hospital stays
5. Analyzing the effects of alarm fatigue among pediatric nurses on quality of care
6. Using telehealth technology to improve pediatric healthcare and economic outcomes
7. Pain assessment and management in neonatal patients
8. Evaluating the effects of the nurses’ emotional responses to unaccompanied hospitalized children
9. Nurse-administered psychological interventions for children with mental health conditions in an acute setting
10. Evaluating the effectiveness of pediatric massage as a non-pharmacological pain intervention

Patient Falls Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

Patient falls are the most common reason for incident reports and are the biggest fear for many entry-level and experienced nurses. While many researchers have studied this issue, we offer some ideas to prevent patient falls and mitigate their negative consequences. 

1. Evaluating the relationship between time spent on patient education and the frequency of patient falls
2. Assessing the effect of therapeutic communication and patient engagement on fall prevention
3. Effective methods for monitoring patient falls in healthcare facilities
4. Evaluating the nurses’ perception of the nurses’ liability for patient falls
5. Researching the relationship between nurses’ job satisfaction and the number of patient falls
6. Effective tools for mitigating the negative consequences of patient falls
7. Analyzing the effect of pharmacotherapy on the frequency of patient falls
8. An overview of environmental factors contributing to patient falls
9. Researching the relationship between nurses’ education level and the frequency of patient falls
10. Implementing a fall risk screening scale for adult patients

Emergency Nursing Capstone Project Ideas

If you wish to dive head-first into emergency department dynamics, make your capstone project a test case to check your resolve and use our list of topics to help you find a problem that needs solving.

1. Evaluating and optimizing existing organizational solutions for long wait times in emergency rooms
2. Developing a test to measure a nurse’s perceived stress level in an emergency department
3. Researching nurses’ attitudes toward emergency room patients admitted in the state of alcohol intoxication
4. Establishing outpatient services for women admitted to triage with miscarriage
5. Reducing workplace aggression and violence in emergency departments
6. Using relaxing digital art and music in the emergency department to reduce patient anxiety
7. Analyzing the most common emergency types in pediatric population for improving Rapid Response Team efficiency
8. The effects of gaps in care on major burn treatment outcomes
9. Evaluating the efficiency of nursing care during emergency cases of pregnant women
10. Assessing the main isolation and triaging issues in the emergency department during the Covid-19 pandemic

Medical Surgery Capstone Project Ideas

Surgery is among the most challenging nursing fields, and building your capstone project around it is a great way to demonstrate your knowledge and skills to professors and future employers. Use one of the capstone project ideas below to tickle your inspiration.

1. The effects of oral feeding on hospital duration stay in patients after colorectal surgery
2. Effective ways of evaluating patients’ psychological state after a craniofacial surgery
3. Developing safety protocols for nurses managing bariatric patients in medical facilities
4. Evaluating the effects of preoperative communication with the nurse on patient’s anxiety levels
5. Implementing operating room measures to reduce the transmission of bloodborne infections
6. Developing a questionnaire to assess patient satisfaction in the postoperative ward
7. Accelerating post-surgery recovery for patients with diabetes
8. Assessing the relationship between the number of specialties and the nurse’s competencies
9. Addressing the prevalence of musculoskeletal pain in surgery nursing staff
10. The use of rapid rehabilitation nursing techniques after thoracic surgery

Nursing Informatics Capstone Project Ideas

Technology is slowly making its way across all aspects of healthcare. Nurses learn to deal with electronic health records, surveillance technology, wearables, and mobile devices. If you’re excited about the prospect of putting the latest MedTech to use, one of the BSN nursing capstone project examples below will be great for your work.

1. The use of digital communities for stimulating and maintaining physical activity levels
2. The use of digital signage as a psychoeducational tool in mental health waiting rooms
3. Measuring the increase in nursing care quality after a shift to computerized management systems
4. Digital interventions for improving nurses’ satisfaction with using electronic health records
5. Collecting data sets and developing an algorithm for efficient nursing staff scheduling
6. Improving patient education outcomes through the use of mobile devices
7. Using technology to better assess the needs of non-English-speaking patients
8. Measuring nurses’ dependency on patient surveillance technology
9. Devising a training informatics program for nursing staff
10. Establishing hospital-wide competencies and metrics for nursing informatics

What Do You Do After Finding the Capstone Project Topic?

For all the time and effort you put into choosing a good idea for your project, it’s only the first step on the long way to graduation. Completing a research proposal should be the next thing on your to-do list, as most schools won’t let you work on a project without prior approval from your advisor or the whole department. 

After that, you’ll have your hands full completing the project and documenting your research, methodology, and results. Proofreading, editing, and formatting should round up your writing process, but the capstone presentation is the actual final step of the process. 

If writing the capstone project seems insurmountable, check out our detailed guide. It should help you split the overwhelming project into manageable chunks and guide you through the biggest hurdles. Or you could use professional help to get your capstone project in order. Professional writers can take over the whole thing, while expert editors can take your writing to the next level. Contact our support team to learn more about the capstone project support options we offer.