Abstract
Problem: Skin cancer is the most common cancer in the United States (US). According to the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD, 2017), it is estimated that one in five Americans will develop a skin cancer in their lifetime. Cutaneous melanoma (CM) is the most serious of all skin cancers accounting for seventy-five percent of deaths associated with cancers of the skin (American Melanoma Foundation, 2016). Healthcare providers, including APNs, are in good position to provide patient education, early detection, and treat CM. Prevention education and early detection of CM is necessary to improve barriers that primary care providers face. Improving graduate level APN education in at risk lesions, detection, treatment and patient education is needed to help address this global burden and improve patient outcomes.|Methods: The purpose of this educational quality improvement project is to implement an educational program into the APN graduate level curriculum after a pilot study with graduate students. The educational modules utilized in the project were from the INFORMED (INternet Curriculum FOR Melanoma Early Detection) training program. A pretest/posttest methodology was utilized. Participants received training and a confidence survey was given at completion.|Results: Six students attended the informational presentation. and four students emailed with interest in participating in this DNP project. However, only two students completed the project. APN student's knowledge improved with the evaluation of risk factors, detection, recognition, and treatment of cutaneous melanoma using the ABCDEs and Ugly duck tools as measured by the difference between pretest and posttest scores. APN students also reported improved confidence in providing patient education regarding self-skin exams, sun protection/ skin care prevention, and risk factors of CM after receiving the educational training.|Conclusions: While there were a limited number of participants, this project identified a gap in knowledge and supports the need for additional dermatology education in DNP programs. Overall, the education provided increased student knowledge and confidence in patient education, full skin exams, and melanoma. This study supports the current literature, which reported APNs need for education to improve knowledge and confidence in their ability to detect early stage skin cancers and provide patient education for sun protection.|Key Words: nurse practitioner education; melanoma; treatment, diagnosis, follow up, guidelines, best practice, and patient education, curriculum design.