Degree Name
Nursing Practice, DNP
Publication Date
4-26-2026
First Advisor
Lisa Drake
Second Advisor
Brandi Castle
Abstract
Urgent care settings present significant challenges, including limited staffing and resources, unpredictable patient acuity, and training deficiencies. These factors contribute to a competency gap among medical assistants, limiting their ability to recognize and respond to medical emergencies. The purpose of this quality improvement project is to impact emergency medical preparedness through a formal educational intervention. Grounded in Lewin’s Change Model and the Kirkpatrick Model, the project aims to improve emergency medical competency, consistent with evidence supporting structured training approaches. Using American Heart Association guidelines, medical assistants participated in a six-week educational program implemented through the Plan-Do-Study-Act framework, with assessments administered before and after the intervention using the CPR and First Aid Anywhere Training Kit. Using a quantitative, quasi-experimental design, all medical assistants demonstrated improvements in test scores after the educational program. Paired t-test results showed a statistically significant improvement in knowledge scores, t(4) = -5.43, p = .006, Cohen’s d = 2.42. The Wilcoxon Signed-Rank test yielded similar statistically significant results for emergency preparedness knowledge scores: V = 0.00, z = -2.04, p = .041. These findings support the effectiveness of structured educational interventions in improving medical assistants’ competency in recognizing and responding to medical emergencies in urgent care settings. Incorporating this training into routine practice and expanding it to other populations and settings can ensure patients receive safe, high-quality care, thereby improving patient outcomes and satisfaction.
Rights Management
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 International License.
Recommended Citation
Pettyjohn, Sarah, "Quality Improvement Project: Emergency Preparedness in Urgent Care: Impacting Competency Among Medical Assistants" (2026). Doctor of Nursing Practice Projects. 321.
https://arch.astate.edu/dnp-projects/321
