Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
11-17-2025
First Advisor
Sandy King
Second Advisor
Jacquie Sands
Abstract
Nursing students experience high levels of academic stress, anxiety, and burnout, which can negatively impact learning, professional development, and overall health. Evidence indicates that Animal-Assisted Therapy (AAT) has the potential to impact stress levels, improve community connection, and enhance overall well-being among nursing students. Many academic institutions lack structured policies to guide AAT programs into educational settings. The purpose of this Doctor of Nursing Practice project was to develop a formal AAT policy for the College of Nursing with standardized procedures to implement an AAT program. Rogers’ Diffusion of Innovations theoretical framework was used to guide the development of the policy. The Plan-Do-Study-Act was used as the change theory. Using the College of Nursing's policy template and researching other current and successful AAT programs, a policy was developed. A quantitative, descriptive, cross-sectional design will be used to evaluate outcomes. The population is students at the College of Nursing, and the intervention is an AAT program. The use of the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework is used for implementation. Once adopted, the program can be implemented at the project site, and structured AAT events scheduled. Data is collected and assessed through a post-intervention impact survey using a five-item Likert scale. The key outcome of this project is the creation of policy. Its significance is substantial as there are no current polices that address AAT or any other intervention to support students' mental health and wellness at the project site.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License
Recommended Citation
Peyton, Brooke, "Policy Project: Creating an Animal Assisted Therapy Policy for a College of Nursing" (2025). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 263.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/263
