Prepare PowerPoint Presentation of your Doctoral Project for your Oral Defense.
Develop a 25–30-minute PowerPoint presentation that highlights your doctoral project for your Oral Defense. For this assignment, you may need to learn how to prepare a PowerPoint presentation.
After reviewing the resources, you will be able to:
Put text and pictures on PowerPoint slides.
Navigate comfortably within the PowerPoint program.
Arrange your PowerPoint slides to best fit your content and the goals for your presentation.
Save and email your PowerPoint Print slides to Doctoral Project Chair, along with a request to schedule a practice session to go through your presentation together, in advance, with your Chair.
Be prepared to discuss the PowerPoint presentation for your Oral Defense.
You will not be permitted to use the note section on the slides.
The PowerPoint template is to be used as a model to develop or create your own individual style; however, use the content suggested and you may add a slide or two of your own choosing.
Slide 2: Introduction & Problem Statement (1.5 minutes)
Heading: Identifying the Practice Gap
Bullet 1: Problem: State the specific, current, and local practice gap that your project addresses (e.g., "High rate of uncontrolled A1c levels in diabetic patients at the community clinic," or "Inconsistent staff adherence to evidence-based protocol X").
Bullet 2: Impact: Briefly explain the consequences of this gap (e.g., increased hospitalizations, poor patient outcomes, financial burden).
Bullet 3: Local Context: Note the setting of your project (e.g., "This problem was identified through quality data review at [Name of Clinic/Hospital Unit].").
Talking Points: "My project addresses a critical issue: [Reiterate Problem]. Nationally, this leads to [State broad impact], but more specifically in our setting, we are seeing [State local impact]. My goal was to introduce an evidence-based solution to address this gap."
Slide 3: Project Aim, Objectives, & PICOT Question (1.5 minutes)
Heading: Project Aims and Guiding Question
Bullet 1: Project Aim: State the overarching purpose (e.g., "To implement a standardized, evidence-based protocol to improve patient outcomes/staff performance.").
Bullet 2: Objectives (Measurable!): List 2-3 specific, time-bound goals (e.g., "Increase staff adherence to the protocol from 50% to 80% within 12 weeks." "Decrease mean time to intervention by 15%").
Sample Answer
Doctoral Project Oral Defense Presentation Outline
Time per Slide Goal: 1-2 minutes
Slide 1: Title Slide 🎯 (1 minute)
Title: [Your Project Title Here - Clear and Concise]
Subtitle: A Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) Project
Your Name, Credentials (BSN, RN, etc.)
Date
Institution/Program
Preceptor & Committee Chair Names
Talking Points (To the Committee): "Good morning/afternoon, members of the committee. Thank you for being here today. My DNP project is titled [State Title]. I'm eager to present the findings and discuss the implications of this work."