Megan McGrane earned her Doctor of Medical Science (DMSc) degree from the University of Pittsburgh in 2025. During her time in the fully online program, she completed her quality improvement capstone project, which is required within the DMSc curriculum. The capstone project encourages students to identify an issue that exists in their place of practice and utilize research skills to present and apply a potential solution.
McGrane currently works as the director of advanced practice providers (APP) education and engagement at Robert Wood Johnson (RWJ) Barnabas Health, located in New Jersey, in the Emergency and Hospitalist Medicine Service Line.
Read on to learn about the focus of McGrane’s capstone project, and how she applied it to her place of work.
Capstone Project
Why did you want to explore the topic/area that you selected?
In my current role, I’ve developed a strong interest in APP education—particularly initiatives that support advanced practice providers who are new to practice or early in their careers. I found myself especially drawn to working with newly graduated APPs within the emergency medicine division of our service line and it quickly became an area I wanted to explore more deeply.
The transition from learner to practitioner in emergency medicine is significant, with a steep learning curve in the early years. While the Emergency and Hospitalist Medicine service line at RWJBarnabas Health already provides strong support for new APPs as they begin their practice, I was interested in taking a closer look at how our programming is directly impacting our APPs.
What was your capstone project about?
For my capstone project, “Does Hands-On Procedural Skill Training Impact Novice Emergency Medicine Advanced Practice Provider Confidence and Competence?” I examined the impact of a four day in-person training event on the novice emergency medicine APPs joining our service line at RWJBarnabas Health. I wanted to see if the didactic and hands-on skills training influenced the novice APP’s overall perceived procedural confidence and competence.
How did your project impact your place of work/internship?
My capstone project has directly influenced how we structure our current educational programming for new-to-practice APPs. Based on the findings from my literature review, we identified the procedural skills most commonly performed by emergency medicine advanced practice providers and have since placed greater emphasis on early skill acquisition in these areas. In addition to the week-long, hands-on training course we offer, we’ve also started developing a more targeted transition-to-practice plan to better support APPs as they move from training into clinical practice
Do you think your project will make an impact beyond your place of work/internship? Has it already?
I hope that over time, the work we’re doing around emergency medicine APP transition-to-practice initiatives will extend its impact beyond our immediate team. This area of postgraduate education is something I’m deeply passionate about and I believe it holds significant potential for improving the early career experience of APPs. While only time and data will reveal potential lasting effects, my hope is that these initiatives will eventually influence best practices beyond just our local staff.
How did everything in the Doctor of Medical Science program prepare you to organize and execute your project?
The compounding nature of the Pitt DMSc course work prepared me to organize and execute my research project focusing on advanced practice provider education. The curriculum is so thoughtfully designed that each module builds on the last, which allowed me to focus on one step at a time, while gaining momentum throughout the duration of the program. The intentional structure created a strong foundation, and by the time I reached the execution phase of my project, I felt like the “heavy lifting” was behind me and I was ready to bring my work to life.
Choosing the Pitt DMSc Program
Why did you want to pursue this next step in your education?
The decision to pursue my doctoral degree at Pitt was driven by several factors. First, I was drawn to the program’s strong focus on health care improvement processes and quality initiatives—areas I wanted to grow in professionally and that align closely with my current role. I was excited about the opportunity to learn from the Pitt faculty within the School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences and the thoughtfully designed DMSc curriculum.
Second, earning my doctorate from the University of Pittsburgh held special personal significance. Returning to Pitt, where I began my academic journey with a bachelor’s degree and master’s degree, and now completing my doctoral degree from the same school feels like a meaningful full-circle moment.
I plan to continue expanding process improvement initiatives at RWJBarnabas Health. I aim to expand our current transition to practice program offered in emergency medicine and hopefully expand this to the hospitalist medicine and critical care arms of our service line. I would also hope that these initiatives can be quantified in a way to contribute to the current literature on APP education and transition to practice.
Would you recommend this program to a friend or colleague? Why?
I would absolutely recommend (and have already recommended!) the Pitt DMSc program to colleagues. One unexpected way this program impacted me was by changing how I view the work going on around me. I began to notice improvement projects happening throughout my organization and started recognizing the value of the ongoing quality initiatives that I might have previously overlooked. The program sharpened my perspective. It not only expanded my knowledge but also deepened my awareness of how meaningful change happens in health care.
If you could give one piece of advice to someone interested in pursuing this program, what would it be?
There will never be a “right time”—you just have to jump in. My colleagues who were also entering into this degree program were all working professionals balancing the course load with clinical responsibilities, teaching roles and the many demands of life outside of their work. Pursuing the DMSc degree from Pitt—but more importantly, pursuing the knowledge and skills the program offers—will enhance your ability to lead, to think critically and to contribute meaningfully to your profession.
Strong Family Support
Pursuing this degree was truly a family affair. My husband and I have two young boys who were just seven and four when I began the program in early 2024. As the saying goes, teamwork makes the dream work. And this would not have been possible without the team I have at home. I’ve completed coursework between soccer games, jiu jitsu classes and wrestling matches—often before the sun was up or into the hours after bedtime. I’ve read academic articles and edited papers anywhere from gym floors to the couch during movie time. My husband has been a constant and steady sounding board, and we have certainly called in reinforcements from grandparents when needed.
One core value we emphasize in our family is: “We can do hard things.” In working toward this degree—fulfilling both a personal and professional goal during a very full season of life—I hope I’ve modeled that value for my children and have led through example. More than anything, I hope my actions have shown them that pursuing your goals, even when it feels difficult, is always a worthy endeavor—especially when it pushes you to grow and become better.