In the fall of 2020, amid the coronavirus pandemic, the Vermont Department of Health observed a troubling trend: intentional self-harm, particularly self-poisoning, was increasing among adolescents, predominantly young females.
This issue became the focus of Natalie Ray鈥檚 Scholarly Project in the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program at 日韩无码. Her goal was to address a critical gap in community healthcare practice by creating an evidence-based intervention. Recognizing the urgent need for prevention, Ray collaborated with her DNP Project Advisor, Jean Pelski, Ph.D., APRN, along with Thomas Delaney, Ph.D., a mental health researcher and associate professor of pediatrics at the Larner College of Medicine. This partnership became a cornerstone for advancing Ray鈥檚 project and exemplified the importance of building strong academic-practice partnerships to support student-led scholarly work. Through these collaborations, Ray developed a pilot feasibility project focusing on the distribution of medication lockboxes in pediatric primary care settings. 鈥淭here was existing research on lockbox distribution in emergency rooms after incidents of self-harm, but little on proactive prevention through primary care,鈥 Ray explains. With support from The Four Pines Fellowship, she distributed 82 lockboxes to primary care providers and tracked their use over 90 days.
The results were promising: by the time the project concluded, 17 patients at risk of self-harm received lockboxes, and nearly half were referred for additional care. However, Ray noted challenges, including time constraints for providers and the need for better integration of safety device distribution with electronic health records.
Recognizing the potential to build on Ray鈥檚 work, Dr. Pelski facilitated a seamless transition of the project to Jillian Leikauskas, a fellow DNP student. This continuity underscores the critical role of academic advisors in sustaining and expanding student projects to create long-term impact.
Expanding Prevention Efforts
Leikauskas continued Ray鈥檚 work, collaborating with the Vermont Center for Children, Youth, and Families and a naturopathic clinic to expand the initiative. Her project distributed both medication lockboxes and gun safety kits, emphasizing comprehensive safety measures. Like Ray, Leikauskas also became a Four Pines Fellow.
Leikauskas also innovated by adapting the CALM (Counseling on Access to Lethal Means) training into a concise, 30-minute format for primary care providers. 鈥淚鈥檝e seen firsthand, as an EMT, the devastating consequences of adolescent overdoses,鈥 Leikauskas shares. 鈥淚 wanted to equip providers with both the tools and the confidence to address these conversations proactively.鈥
The ongoing collaboration and mentorship between Dr. Pelski and her students ensured that the foundation laid by Ray鈥檚 project was not only sustained but also expanded to address broader aspects of suicide prevention. 鈥淲e found that providers felt more supported and confident when they had practical tools available to them, like lockboxes and safety kits,鈥 notes Leikauskas.
The Value of Academic Practice Partnerships
The success of Ray鈥檚 and Leikauskas鈥檚 projects demonstrates the transformative potential of academic practice partnerships in advancing DNP Scholarly Projects. The quality of both projects is attested to by them being selected through a competitive process as presentations at the Suicide Research Symposium鈥攖he premiere conference in the US for suicide prevention research and quality improvement. These partnerships, facilitated by mentors like Dr. Pelski and Dr. Delaney, connect nursing students with interdisciplinary collaborators and healthcare organizations, ensuring that projects are both practical and impactful. 鈥淭his kind of collaboration is crucial for making changes in primary care,鈥 says Delaney. 鈥淚f we鈥檙e going to get upstream on detecting and intervening early for self-harming behaviors, the nursing perspective must be integrated with physician and mental health efforts.鈥 The Vermont Department of Health鈥檚 latest data shows a slight decrease in suicide-related emergency department visits for Vermonters aged 24 and under鈥攑ossibly reflecting that early interventions can make a difference.
Dr. Pelski鈥檚 efforts to foster and sustain academic practice partnerships for 日韩无码 doctoral nursing students have created a model for success, where student projects are carried forward to amplify their community impact. Both Ray and Leikauskas are examples of how mentorship and collaboration can drive meaningful change.
