Date of Award

12-2025

Degree Type

Dissertation/Thesis

Degree Name

Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP)

School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Committee Chair

Dr. Mary Jane Collins

Committee Chair School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Committee Member 2

Dr. Michong Rayborn

Committee Member 2 School

Leadership and Advanced Nursing Practice

Abstract

Pulmonary aspiration remains a leading cause of anesthesia-related mortality. The current nil per os (NPO) guidelines are proving unreliable in the presence of delayed gastric emptying due to comorbidities and the increasing use of glucagon-like peptide-1 (GLP-1) agonists. Gastric point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) use provides a non-invasive, evidence-based, and cost-effective approach to assess gastric content and volume directly. However, limited formal training exists for advanced practice registered nurses (APRNs), and this lack of training contributes to the lack of its utilization. This doctoral project evaluated the effectiveness of an educational intervention that incorporated a didactic lecture as well as a hands-on simulation to train APRN faculty and students at The University of Southern Mississippi in gastric POCUS. Using a quasi-experimental pre-/post-test design with Likert-scale surveys, ten participants completed a single-session educational intervention at USM. Results of this study demonstrated a significant improvement in knowledge, with mean test scores increasing from 44.4% to 76.6% (p < .001, Cohen's d = 2.0). Participants also reported a high level of satisfaction and confidence in the training, rating the intervention's clinical relevance and educational value highly (M = 4.4/5). Findings support the feasibility and value of structured, simulation-based education to enhance APRN competency in gastric POCUS, suggesting its potential for integration into nurse anesthesia curricula. By strengthening provider skills and confidence, this project contributes to advancing evidence-based practice, promoting patient safety, and addressing a critical educational gap in preoperative aspiration risk assessment.

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