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NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan

NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan

Chamberlain University NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan– Step-By-Step Guide

 

This guide will demonstrate how to complete the Chamberlain University   NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan  assignment based on general principles of academic writing. Here, we will show you the A, B, Cs of completing an academic paper, irrespective of the instructions. After guiding you through what to do, the guide will leave one or two sample essays at the end to highlight the various sections discussed below.

 

How to Research and Prepare for  NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan                                

 

Whether one passes or fails an academic assignment such as the Chamberlain University   NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan    depends on the preparation done beforehand. The first thing to do once you receive an assignment is to quickly skim through the requirements. Once that is done, start going through the instructions one by one to clearly understand what the instructor wants. The most important thing here is to understand the required format—whether it is APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.

 

After understanding the requirements of the paper, the next phase is to gather relevant materials. The first place to start the research process is the weekly resources. Go through the resources provided in the instructions to determine which ones fit the assignment. After reviewing the provided resources, use the university library to search for additional resources. After gathering sufficient and necessary resources, you are now ready to start drafting your paper.

 

How to Write the Introduction for  NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan                                

 

The introduction for the Chamberlain University   NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan    is where you tell the instructor what your paper will encompass. In three to four statements, highlight the important points that will form the basis of your paper. Here, you can include statistics to show the importance of the topic you will be discussing. At the end of the introduction, write a clear purpose statement outlining what exactly will be contained in the paper. This statement will start with “The purpose of this paper…” and then proceed to outline the various sections of the instructions.

 

How to Write the Body for  NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan                                

 

After the introduction, move into the main part of the  NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan       assignment, which is the body. Given that the paper you will be writing is not experimental, the way you organize the headings and subheadings of your paper is critically important. In some cases, you might have to use more subheadings to properly organize the assignment. The organization will depend on the rubric provided. Carefully examine the rubric, as it will contain all the detailed requirements of the assignment. Sometimes, the rubric will have information that the normal instructions lack.

 

Another important factor to consider at this point is how to do citations. In-text citations are fundamental as they support the arguments and points you make in the paper. At this point, the resources gathered at the beginning will come in handy. Integrating the ideas of the authors with your own will ensure that you produce a comprehensive paper. Also, follow the given citation format. In most cases, APA 7 is the preferred format for nursing assignments.

 

How to Write the Conclusion for  NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan                                

 

After completing the main sections, write the conclusion of your paper. The conclusion is a summary of the main points you made in your paper. However, you need to rewrite the points and not simply copy and paste them. By restating the points from each subheading, you will provide a nuanced overview of the assignment to the reader.

 

How to Format the References List for  NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan                                

 

The very last part of your paper involves listing the sources used in your paper. These sources should be listed in alphabetical order and double-spaced. Additionally, use a hanging indent for each source that appears in this list. Lastly, only the sources cited within the body of the paper should appear here.

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Sample Answer for NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan

A personal development plan (PDP) is essential for all advanced practice nurses (APN) (Halcomb et al., 2016). A PDP is a strategic plan that helps one establish goals, strategies, milestones, and timelines to achieve the set goals. It is a motivator and a roadmap to success and thus requires ongoing evaluation and assessment. Its preparation allows one to concretely visualize the possibilities of a bright future based on personal and social resources. Further, its use ensures that APNs positively impact the quality and flow of professional and personal advancements. The purpose of this paper is to indicate the APN scope of practice in the state of Florida, outline a personal assessment following the Benner’s self-assessment as well as a networking and marketing strategies followed.

APN Scope of Practice

To operate as a Nurse Practitioner in the state of Florida, one has to hold an active Florida RN license or an active multistate RN license from another jurisdiction (Kumar & Williams, 2018). Additionally, one must have a master’s degree or a post-master certificate in a nursing specialty area as well as a national advanced practice certification from an approved nursing specialty board. Generally, a nurse practitioner operates in three levels as dictated by various states. These levels include a full practice where one can evaluate patients, diagnose, order and interpret diagnostic tests as well as initiate and manage treatment (Halcomb et al., 2016). The second level entail a reduced practice where one can engage in at least one element of NP practice and a collaborative agreement with an outside health discipline. Lastly, there is a restricted practice where a nurse practitioner cannot operate even a single element of NP practice and has to be supervised, delegated or team –managed by an outside health discipline.

Florida falls under the restricted practice and thus a nurse practitioner has to be supervised by physicians. Under the supervision law, an arrangement between the NP and the physician has to be outlined (Kumar & Williams, 2018). The law also dictates that a physician should not oversee a nurse practitioner at more than four offices including the primary practice location. The supervising physician may not be present in person but the NP has to be available by phone for consultations. The patients also have to be notified of the instances when the physician is in and out of the clinic. The hours that the physician is present in the clinic have to be conspicuously posted in each office to alert the patient on the presence of the MD on the site. In terms of prescribing laws, Florida does not allow NP to prescribe controlled substance even when they are under supervision (Kumar & Williams, 2018). The limitation is set to prevent NPs from using prescriptions forms that have been pre-signed by a physician or operate using a Physician DEA number on a prescription. Lastly, the NPs are only allowed to sign for handicap parking permits but they cannot sign death certificates.

Personal Assessment

According to Berner’s theory, for nurses to acquire and develop skills, they have to pass through five levels of proficiency namely: novice, advanced beginner, competent, proficient and expert (Oshvandi et al., 2016). Personal analysis reveals that I am an advanced beginner since I can demonstrate marginally acceptable performance owing to the prior experience I have in actual situations. I am efficient and skillful in some parts of nursing although there is a need for occasional supportive cues. My knowledge of nursing is also developing. The analysis has created the need to undertake a personal assessment since it helps in exploring interests, discovering passion and establishing the suitable areas of practice.

From the assessment, my personal strengths entail good communication skills, patience, determination, and excellent listening skills. Effective communication and listening skills are essential in healthcare because they enhance patient assessment, diagnosis, and treatment (Pazar, Demiralp, & Erer, 2017). The skills also ensure that medical errors are reduced as well as unintentional harm to patients. They assist in offering individualized care and ensures that patients can disclose the true extent of their feelings and systems. The skills also satisfy the innate need of the patients and boost morals and job satisfaction among nurses.

In terms of weakness, the analysis reveals perfectionism and poor time management skills. Although perfectionism has a positive impact like ensuring patients are safe and offering the best clinical care, it is a weakness because I set unattainable expectations and I have to ensure that my nursing tasks are perfect, which consumes time. It also means taking time before completing shifts since one has to ensure that patient assignments are in great shape for the incoming nurse. The weakness in time management can be linked to perfectionism since I have the desire to complete all tasks. However, as an NP, there is a need to learn task delegation to ensure that care is optimized.

The analysis also led to the development of career goals with the short term goals being an inspiration to work in a long-term care facility to get knowledge and confidence to offer palliative care (Elliott, Begley, Sheaf & Higgins, 2016).  I also aspire to become a mentor to new NPs as a way of helping patients and giving back to the profession. The objective that will guide the practice is getting a clinical site that covers areas of interest.  The site will help in networking since one has to find a unique approach to handle the overwhelming numbers of NPs going into the workforce. The site will also ensure that the clinical hours offered add value to the future career since it will be exactly what employers expect once one secures a job.

Networking and Marketing Strategies

Marketing and networking ensure that one grows their professional connections and increases their chances of securing a job. One can either use operational networking within their area of practice as well as personal networking outside the place of employment such as professional organizations and social media. As a new NP, one can use events like convention center nursing meetings, continuing education seminars and conferences where one meets with peers and other professionals (Goolsby & DuBois, 2017). Once in the event, an NP should connect and establish rapport with new people, hand out business cards, LinkedIn page, and email as a way of keeping in touch. Further, they should also send thank you emails to new connections to create a lasting impression and turn acquaintance into future references. As a marketing tool, an NP should also create an elevator pitch that outlines skills, areas of interest and clinical strengths. Additionally, one can join a national organization like the National Association of Nurse Practitioners to gain access to insurance and free continuing education courses. There is also a need to participate regionally by joining organizations like Florida Nurse Practitioner Network (FNPN) and the Florida Association of Nurse Practitioners (FLANP) to get information like employment opportunities, connect and network with other NPS in the area, get opportunities to volunteer as a preceptor and access the preceptor list (Goolsby & DuBois, 2017). Lastly, an NP can use online networking via online groups of nurse practitioners.

Conclusion

A nurse practitioner has to come up with a personal development plan. As outlined above,in Florida State,  an NP, has to get an RN license, possess a master’s degree or post-master certificate as well as a national advanced practice certification. Additionally, one operates in restricted practice and cannot prescribe controlled substances or sign a death certificate. A personal analysis reveals that the author is an advanced beginner with strengths like excellent communication and listening skills. The author also is perfectionist and poor time manager. They plan to work in long term care and hours worked will concentrate in this filed to build the necessary skills and knowledge. Additionally, the author will network in local, national and regional organizations as well as use online platforms to ensure that they develop connections and increase chances of securing a job.

 

References

Elliott, N., Begley, C., Sheaf, G., & Higgins, A. (2016). Barriers and enablers to advanced practitioners’ ability to enact their leadership role: A scoping review. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 60, 24-45.

Goolsby, M. J., & DuBois, J. C. (2017). Professional organization membership: Advancing the nurse practitioner role. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(8), 434-440.

Halcomb, E., Stephens, M., Bryce, J., Foley, E., & Ashley, C. (2016). Nursing competency standards in primary health care: an integrative review. Journal of clinical nursing, 25(9-10), 1193-1205.

Kumar, C. D., & Williams, D. A. (2018). Florida One Step Closer. Journal of Emergency Nursing, 44(6), 645-646.

Oshvandi, K., Moghadam, A. S., Khatiban, M., Cheraghi, F., Borzu, R., & Moradi, Y. (2016). On the application of novice to expert theory in nursing; a systematic review. Journal of Chemical and Pharmaceutical Sciences, 9(4), 3014-3020.

Pazar, B., Demiralp, M., & Erer, İ. (2017). The communication skills and the empathic tendency levels of nursing students: A cross-sectional study. Contemporary Nurse, 53(3), 368-377.

Sample Answer 2 for NR 510 Week 6 APN Professional Development Plan

Advanced Practice Nurses (APN) are primary care providers who provide necessary healthcare and preventive care services to patients. APNs are licensed to diagnose and treat illnesses, advise patients about their health concerns, manage and treat chronic diseases, and write prescriptions for certain illnesses and diseases. An APN must have obtained a bachelor’s degree in nursing, the licensing required for all registered nurses (RNs), and a master’s degree with the required licensing to practice within his or her state. APNs are expected to continuously educate themselves on technological, methodological, and medical developments in the field. The purpose of this paper is to review the role of the APN, understand the specific regulations that guide advanced practice within a particular state, develop a professional development plan, and identify networking and marketing strategies that will help secure my first APN job position.

A big part of this paper is to instruct APN nursing students how to develop an APN professional development plan (PDP), which is a written plan of the goals and objectives a nursing professional has outlined for his or her career. The PDP is a written summary that helps to clarify one’s professional focus and clearly identify career and education goals (Gould, 2017). A professional development plan is a visual S.M.A.R.T goals outline that includes one’s interests and dislikes, values and skills, strengths and professional experience. It is an overall snapshot of how one’s education, work experience, goals, and personality align with a desired job role.  Some professional development plans may include short and long-term career goals, as well as a statement of purpose, any qualifications or skill one may be working on, and job requirements of any promising positions (Gould, 2017). The most important aspect of this assignment nursing students should consider is the role professional development plans have in helping APN nursing students see where they are in their careers and envision and actualize what they need to do to further their educational and professional goals.

APN Scope of Practice Guidelines in Georgia

The scope of practice guidelines for APNs vary according to each state. As of now, 21 states and the District of Columbia allow APNs “full practice” authority, which allows them to assess, diagnose, interpret diagnostic tests, and prescribe medications independent of oversight from a physician (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). The remaining 29 states have restricted APN practice guidelines (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). In order to be effective in their roles, APNs must memorize and follow the regulations and policies that guide APN practice in their states. In the state of Georgia, APNs must practice in agreement with a written code of behavior or set of rules that guide practice authority and prescriptive authority, as well as defines if the APN role is recognized as a primary care provider (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). This protocol agreement must be under a licensed physician who appoints authority to the APN to perform specific medical services. The APN practice authority and prescriptive authority in Georgia is codified under Ga. Rules & Regs. §410-11-.14 and states a physician-based affiliation is required to consult patients and to prescribe medications for patients (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). Ga. Rules & Regs. §410-11-.14 does not include a clear definition of the role of the nurse practitioner as the primary care provider; since the APN role is not recognized in policy, it is considered “restricted” practice environment in the scope of practice. Prescriptive authority allows for APN to prescribe up to Schedule V Controlled Substances as long as the APN is authorized by the supervising physician (NCSL & ASTHO, 2018). Other guidelines that regulate APN scope of practice in Georgia are APNs must complete a specified number of regulated relationship practice hours with a physician or fully licensed independent NP before being allowed to practice or prescribe medications independently.

Licensure and educational requirements include an RN license, a graduate degree, and a national certification. Both the undergraduate and graduate degrees must be issued by an approved nursing education program from an institution meeting criterion established by the Georgia Board of Nursing. After receiving a graduate degree, an APN must become certified in the specialty he or she wishes to practice. The Georgia Board of Nursing recognizes four APN specialties: Nurse practitioner (NP), Certified nurse-midwife (CNM), Certified registered nurse anesthetist (CRNA), Clinical nurse specialist in psychiatric/mental health (CNS/PMH). APN must register with an independent national certification agency that facilitates the licensing process, as each one establishes its own requirements regarding education, professional experience, and examination information and costs. After earning a nursing graduate degree, acquiring a national certification in one of the approved specialty areas, and receiving background and fingerprint clearance from the Georgia Crime Information Center and the Federal Bureau of Investigation, an APN in Georgia can file an application with the Georgia Board of Nursing located in Macon, Georgia for authorization as an advanced practice nurse.

Personal Assessment

According to Benner’s Role Self-Assessment Model, I would classify myself as a “proficient” nurse who is working on becoming an “expert” nurse. As a proficient nurse, I observe clinical situations as “wholes.” My nursing skills are a combination of education and experience. I have developed a “holistic” method of managing illness and disease, and I recognize clinical situations and how treatment plans should be applied or modified to better serve my patients. My MSN specialty track is FNP, and my future goals include securing a position as a nursing manager over an LTC facility, becoming an active member of the Georgia Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA) and The Georgia Association of Nurses in Long Term Care (GANLTC), and eventually advocating for organizations like the International Council of Nurses (ICN) that shape nursing and health policies on an international level. Achieving these goals will not be easy; it will take obtaining more health specialty certifications and possibly a Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) in Nursing Leadership & Innovations in Health Care. It will also take networking and volunteering in state, national, and global health organizations. Obtaining an award or two for outstanding nursing and community service is also another goal.

My strengths and weaknesses have often changed throughout my lifetime and over the course of my career as a nurse. I have made a continuous effort to hone my strengths and improve upon my weaknesses. One of my strengths is patience. I primarily work with older patients or patients living with chronic diseases who are struggling to let go of their independence. I have learned to listen to patients’ and help them adjust to their current health situations. I have learned to really talk to them about their life experiences, joys, and fears. On any given day, I am confronted with dementia care, urinary incontinence, pressure ulcers, or simple refusal of care. In order to be an effective and compassionate nurse, I had to develop a deeper understanding of the clinical conditions of the patients I serve and how these conditions affect them on every level. Other strengths I have developed are emotional and physical endurance, an attention to detail, flexibility, and problem solving. My weaknesses are being too direct and not asking for help when my workload becomes too heavy. Working on my weaknesses is a goal because as a future nursing leader, I must learn to delegate responsibilities and communicate well.

Networking and Marketing Strategies

Networking and marketing myself are essential to my professional development. The best way for me to network is to begin at my current educational institution. I can attend connect with fellow students and alumni who are involved in campus organizations. Once I have established a reputable presence on campus, I can join a professional nursing association or two that align with my nursing specialty and interests. These associations host formal and informal networking functions. I can attend webinars and join virtual chat and message boards that encourage discussion about nursing and health related topics. One national organization that I will join is The American Association of Nurse Practitioners, and a state organization I am interested in joining is The Georgia Association of Nurses in Long Term Care. Marketing myself includes attending conferences where I can pass out business cards that include my LinkedIn profile link and other links to sites that showcase my involvement in the community, nursing organizations, and campus events.

Securing a job as an APN may seem easy because of the “nursing shortage,” but competition is high among nurses to secure their dream job. Specialty nursing jobs are rarely found on saturated jobs boards like Indeed and Monster. Local and national professional organizations that advertise employment opportunities that may interest me are the Georgia Gerontological Advanced Practice Nurses Association (GAPNA), the Georgia Association of Nurses in Long Term Care (GANLTC), the United Advanced Practice Registered Nurses of Georgia, and the American Association of Nurse Practitioners. These organizations have established career centers for nursing professionals.  Each of these organizations have job boards, resume assistance, and articles on interview pointers. These organizations also have Student Resource Centers that post scholarships and grants for graduate students, ways to connect with other APN nursing students and professionals, and information on how to negotiate salary and obtain nursing certifications.

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APN Professional Development Plan

Guidelineswith Scoring Rubric

Purpose

The purpose of this assignment is to provide the student an opportunity to explore the role of the advanced practice nurse (APN) and develop an APNprofessional development plan.

Course Outcomes

Through this assignment, the student will demonstrate the ability to:

CO1:Analyze the historic development of advanced practice roles including the impact of advanced practice nursing on healthcare delivery from the perspective of selected current reports (i.e., LACE, IOM, etc.) (PO 3)

CO3: Explore how leadership styles influence healthcare delivery and organizations. (PO 4)

CO5: Reflect on personal and professional growth toward achieving competence as a family nurse practitioner. (PO 3)

REQUIREMENTS:

1. To complete this application, you will need to access to the following databases: CINAHL, MEDLINE, Cochrane Library, and the Joanna Briggs Institute. You may access these databases through the Chamberlain College of Nursing Online Library.

2. The APN Professional Development Plan paper is worth 200 points and will be graded on quality of information, use of citations, use of Standard English grammar, sentence structure, and overall organization based on the required components as summarized in the directions and grading criteria/rubric.

3. Create your manuscript using Microsoft Word 2007 (a part of Microsoft Office 2007), which is the required format for all Chamberlain College of Nursing documents. You can tell that the document is saved as a MS Word 2007 document because it will end in “.docx”

4. Follow the directions and grading criteria closely. Any questions about this paper may be posted under the Q & A Forum.

5. The length of the paper is to be no less than 6 and no greater than 8 pages excluding title page and reference pages. Content exceeding 8 pages will not be graded.

6. APA (2010) format is required with both a title page and reference page. Use the required components of the review as Level 1 headers (upper and lower case, centered):

a. Introduction to the APN professional development plan- Discuss the goals and purpose of an APN professional development plan

b. APN Scope of Practice

c. Personal Assessment

d. Networking and Marketing Strategies

e. Conclusion

PREPARING THE PAPER

The following are best practices for preparing this paper:

1. Review Chapter 30- Role Transition: Strategies for Success in the Marketplace in

DeNisco and Barker (2015).

2. Nurse practitioners need to take into account the state rules and regulations that guide advanced practice. Research and review the Nurse Practice Act and APN scope of practice guidelines in your particular state.Identify information regarding educational requirements, licensure and regulatory requirements, as well as practice environment details. Review information regarding full, limited, or restricted practice limitations as well as prescriptive authority.

3. Review Guidelines for APN Role Transition Using Benner’s Self-Assessment Tool inCourse Resources. Identify and discuss your position on Benner’s Novice to Expert ladder. Prior to engaging in pursuit for employment, APNs should complete a comprehensive, honest, affirmative personal assessment to identify their strengths and weaknesses as well as their goals and objectives. Research assessment tools, conduct a personal assessment, and reflect upon your strengths, weaknesses, goals, and objectives.

4. To complete the transition from students to expert nurse practitioners working in the healthcare field, graduating APN students will need to secure their first position. Research local and national professional organizations that advertise employment opportunities for APNs. Identify networking and marketing strategies and provide a rationale for your selections. Be specific.

5. Write your Curriculum Vitae (CV). Refer to the template on pages 772-773 in DeNisco and Barker (2015). Your CV should not exceed 2 pages in length.

6. When concluding the paper, summarize important aspects of the APN professional development plan.

Criteria for Content

  • Scholarliness: In this category, the student will conduct a search of the current databases and locate valid, relevant, and reliable information for the required topic. Each reference must be scholarly.
  • Application of Course Knowledge: In this category, the student demonstrates the ability to analyze and apply principles, knowledge, and information learned in the course lesson and outside readings. This information is then applied to a real-life professional situation as an example.
  • Interactive Dialogue: In this category, the minimum requirements are to provide an initial posting to the graded threaded discussion topic by Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT of each week. In addition, one peer response and one instructor response are required. These postings must be completed by Sunday, 11:59 pm MT of each week. The initial posting, peer response, and instructor response must be on 3 separate days.
  • Grammar, Syntax, APA: Proper grammar, APA, and syntax is required for all posts. Students should follow the APA Manual 6th Edition. Additional APA information is available in Course Resources.
  • Participation Requirement: One initial posting, one peer response and one instructor response (for a total of 3 posts for the week) are required on 3 separate days.
  • Participation Deadline: The student must provide a substantive response to the graded threaded discussion topic. This must be posted by Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT of each week. Peer and instructor responses must be posted by Sunday, 11:59 pm MT.
  • For week 8 only: the required postings are amended due to the shorter week. Two posts are required. One initial post and either a peer response or an instructor response. Initial post must be a minimum of 200 words and the peer or instructor response must be a minimum of 100 words. Both posts are required to be on two separate days. All posts must be made by Wednesday, 11:59 pm MT.

Criteria for Format and Special Instructions

  1. Instructor reserves the right to submit any threaded discussion posting to TurnItIn in order to verify the originality.
  2. When journals are used as the outside source of information, it is preferred that the journal be peer reviewed. The Chamberlain online librarian is very helpful in assisting you to find an article related to your topic. If you have questions concerning scholarly sources, please refer to the handout entitled “What is a scholarly source” located under “Course Resources” tab.
  3. Web sites vary in quality and scholarship. It is the responsibility of the student to determine the scholarly nature of the web site. If the instructor determines that the site failed to demonstrate scholarship, points maybe deducted. Students are cautioned to use care regarding .com sites. Some .com sites are excellent such as American Heart Association, but others are built by individuals and scholarliness is lacking. It is recommended that you check with your instructor before using a .com website as a reference.
  4. Only one small quote (15 words or less) within the entire initial posting is acceptable. It is expected that the student will paraphrase the information when presenting information from a scholarly source. The scholarly source(s) for the paraphrased information must be cited using APA format. Do not include a number of small quotes even if they are just a few words as your instructor considers a quote to be a quote no matter its limited size.

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APA Writing Checklist

Use this document as a checklist for each paper you will write throughout your GCU graduate

program. Follow specific instructions indicated in the assignment and use this checklist to help ensure correct grammar and APA formatting. Refer to the APA resources available in the GCU Library and Student Success Center.

☐ APA paper template (located in the Student Success Center/Writing Center) is utilized for the correct format of the paper. APA style is applied, and format is correct throughout.

☐  The title page is present. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors.

☐ The introduction is present. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors.

☐ Topic is well defined.

☐ Strong thesis statement is included in the introduction of the paper.

☐ The thesis statement is consistently threaded throughout the paper and included in the conclusion.

☐ Paragraph development: Each paragraph has an introductory statement, two or three sentences as the body of the paragraph, and a transition sentence to facilitate the flow of information. The sections of the main body are organized to reflect the main points of the author. APA format is applied correctly. There are no errors.

☐ All sources are cited. APA style and format are correctly applied and are free from error.

☐ Sources are completely and correctly documented on a References page, as appropriate to assignment and APA style, and format is free of error.

Scholarly Resources: Scholarly resources are written with a focus on a specific subject discipline and usually written by an expert in the same subject field. Scholarly resources are written for an academic audience.

Examples of Scholarly Resources include: Academic journals, books written by experts in a field, and formally published encyclopedias and dictionaries.

Peer-Reviewed Journals: Peer-reviewed journals are evaluated prior to publication by experts in the journal’s subject discipline. This process ensures that the articles published within the journal are academically rigorous and meet the required expectations of an article in that subject discipline.

Empirical Journal Article: This type of scholarly resource is a subset of scholarly articles that reports the original finding of an observational or experimental research study. Common aspects found within an empirical article include: literature review, methodology, results, and discussion.

Adapted from “Evaluating Resources: Defining Scholarly Resources,” located in Research Guides in the GCU Library.

☐ The writer is clearly in command of standard, written, academic English. Utilize writing resources such as Grammarly, LopesWrite report, and ThinkingStorm to check your writing.

 

Late Assignment Policy

Students are expected to submit assignments by the time they are due. Assignments submitted after the due date and time will receive a deduction of 10% of the total points possible for that assignment for each day the assignment is late. Assignments will be accepted, with penalty as described, up to a maximum of three days late, after which point a zero will be recorded for the assignment.

In the event of an emergency that prevents timely submission of an assignment, students may petition their instructor for a waiver of the late submission grade reduction. The instructor will review the student’s rationale for the request and make a determination based on the merits of the student’s appeal. Consideration of the student’s total course performance to date will be a contributing factor in the determination. Students should continue to attend class, actively participate, and complete other assignments while the appeal is pending.

This Policy applies to assignments that contribute to the numerical calculation of the course letter grade.

Evaluation Methods

The maximum score in this class is 1,000 points. The categories, which contribute to your final grade, are weighted as follows.

Graded Item Points Weighting
Discussion (50 points, Weeks 1–7; 25 points, Week 8) 375 37.5%
Shared Governance Model Paper (Week 3) 200 20%
Management of Power Paper (Week 5) 200 20%
Executive Summary (Week 7) 225 22.5%
Total 1,000 100%

No extra credit assignments are permitted for any reason.

All of your course requirements are graded using points. At the end of the course, the points are converted to a letter grade using the scale in the table below. Percentages of 0.5% or higher are not raised to the next whole number. A final grade of 76% (letter grade C) is required to pass the course.

Letter Grade Points Percentage
A   940–1,000 94% to 100%
A-  920–939 92% to 93%
B+ 890–919 89% to 91%
B   860–889 86% to 88%
B-  840–859 84% to 85%
C+ 810–839 81% to 83%
C   760–809 76% to 80%
F   759 and below 75% and below

NOTE:To receive credit for a week’s discussion, students may begin posting no earlier than the Sunday immediately before each week opens. Unless otherwise specified, access to most weeks begins on Sunday at 12:01 a.m. MT, and that week’s assignments are due by the next Sunday by 11:59 p.m. MT. Week 8 opens at 12:01 a.m. MT Sunday and closes at 11:59 p.m. MT Wednesday. Any assignments and all discussion requirements must be completed by 11:59 p.m. MT Wednesday of the eighth week.

Students agree that, by taking this course, all required papers may be subject to submission for textual similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Terms and Conditions of Use posted on the Turnitin.com site.

Participation for MSN

Threaded Discussion Guiding Principles

The ideas and beliefs underpinning the threaded discussions (TDs) guide students through engaging dialogues as they achieve the desired learning outcomes/competencies associated with their course in a manner that empowers them to organize, integrate, apply and critically appraise their knowledge to their selected field of practice. The use of TDs provides students with opportunities to contribute level-appropriate knowledge and experience to the topic in a safe, caring, and fluid environment that models professional and social interaction. The TD’s ebb and flow is based upon the composition of student and faculty interaction in the quest for relevant scholarship. Participation in the TDs generates opportunities for students to actively engage in the written ideas of others by carefully reading, researching, reflecting, and responding to the contributions of their peers and course faculty. TDs foster the development of members into a community of learners as they share ideas and inquiries, consider perspectives that may be different from their own, and integrate knowledge from other disciplines.

Participation Guidelines

Each weekly threaded discussion is worth up to 25 points. Students must post a minimum of two times in each graded thread. The two posts in each individual thread must be on separate days. The student must provide an answer to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week. If the student does not provide an answer to each graded thread topic (not a response to a student peer) before the Wednesday deadline, 5 points are deducted for each discussion thread in which late entry occurs (up to a 10-point deduction for that week). Subsequent posts, including essential responses to peers, must occur by the Sunday deadline, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week.

Direct Quotes

Good writing calls for the limited use of direct quotes. Direct quotes in Threaded Discussions are to be limited to one short quotation (not to exceed 15 words). The quote must add substantively to the discussion. Points will be deducted under the Grammar, Syntax, APA category.

Grading Rubric Guidelines

Performance Category 10 9 8 4 0

Scholarliness

Demonstrates achievement of scholarly inquiry for professional and academic decisions.

  • Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry clearly stating how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions
  • Evaluates literature resources to develop a comprehensive analysis or synthesis.
  • Uses valid, relevant, and reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion
  • Provides relevant evidence of scholarly inquiry but does not clearly state how the evidence informed or changed professional or academic decisions.
  • Evaluates information from source(s) to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis.
  • Uses some valid, relevant, reliable outside sources to contribute to the threaded discussion.
  • Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions.
  • Information is taken from source(s) with some interpretation/evaluation, but not enough to develop a coherent analysis or synthesis.
  • Little valid, relevant, or reliable outside sources are used to contribute to the threaded discussion.
  • Demonstrates little or no understanding of the topic.
  • Discusses using scholarly inquiry but does not state how scholarly inquiry informed or changed professional or academic decisions.
  • Information is taken from source(s) without any interpretation/evaluation.
  • The posting uses information that is not valid, relevant, or reliable
  • No evidence of the use of scholarly inquiry to inform or change professional or academic decisions.
  • Information is not valid, relevant, or reliable
Performance Category  10 9 8 4 0

Application of Course Knowledge –

Demonstrate the ability to analyze, synthesize, and/or apply principles and concepts learned in the course lesson and outside readings and relate them to real-life professional situations

  • Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources;
  • Applies concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life.
  • Posts make direct reference to concepts discussed in the lesson or drawn from relevant outside sources.
  • Applies concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life
  • Interactions with classmates are relevant to the discussion topic but do not make direct reference to lesson content
  • Posts are generally on topic but do not build knowledge by incorporating concepts and principles from the lesson.
  • Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life
  • Does not demonstrate a solid understanding of the principles and concepts presented in the lesson
  • Posts do not adequately address the question posed either by the discussion prompt or the instructor’s launch post.
  • Posts are superficial and do not reflect an understanding of the lesson content
  • Does not attempt to apply lesson concepts to personal experience in their professional setting and or relevant application to real life
  • Posts are not related to the topics provided by the discussion prompt or by the instructor; attempts by the instructor to redirect the student are ignored
  • No discussion of lesson concepts to personal experience in the professional setting and or relevant application to real life
Performance Category  5 4 3 2 0

Interactive Dialogue

Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days.

(5 points possible per graded thread)

  • Exceeds minimum post requirements
  • Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts three or more times in each graded thread, over three separate days.
  • Replies to a post posed by faculty and to a peer
  • Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week.
  • Replies to each graded thread topic posted by the course instructor, by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT, of each week, and posts a minimum of two times in each graded thread, on separate days
  • Replies to a question posed by a peer

Summarizes what was learned from the lesson, readings, and other student posts for the week.

  • Meets expectations of 2 posts on 2 different days.
  • The main post is not made by the Wednesday deadline
  • Does not reply to a question posed by a peer or faculty
  • Has only one post for the week
  • Discussion posts contain few, if any, new ideas or applications; often are a rehashing or summary of other students’ comments
  • Does not post to the thread
  • No connections are made to the topic
Minus 1 Point Minus 2 Point Minus 3 Point Minus 4 Point Minus 5 Point
Grammar, Syntax, APA

Note: if there are only a few errors in these criteria, please note this for the student in as an area for improvement. If the student does not make the needed corrections in upcoming weeks, then points should be deducted.

Points deducted for improper grammar, syntax and APA style of writing.

The source of information is the APA Manual 6th Edition

  • 2-3 errors in APA format.
  • Written responses have 2-3 grammatical, spelling, and punctuation errors.
  • Writing style is generally clear, focused, and facilitates communication.
  • 4-5 errors in APA format.
  • Writing responses have 4-5 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
  • Writing style is somewhat focused.
  • 6-7 errors in APA format.
  • Writing responses have 6-7 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
  • Writing style is slightly focused making discussion difficult to understand.
  • 8-10 errors in APA format.
  • Writing responses have 8-10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
  • Writing style is not focused, making discussion difficult to understand.
  • Post contains greater than 10 errors in APA format.
  • Written responses have more than 10 grammatical, spelling and punctuation errors.
  • Writing style does not facilitate communication.
  • The student continues to make repeated mistakes in any of the above areas after written correction by the instructor
0 points lost -5 points lost

Total Participation Requirements

per discussion thread

The student answers the threaded discussion question or topic on one day and posts a second response on another day. The student does not meet the minimum requirement of two postings on two different days

Early Participation Requirement

per discussion thread

The student must provide a substantive answer to the graded discussion question(s) or topic(s), posted by the course instructor (not a response to a peer), by Wednesday, 11:59 p.m. MT of each week. The student does not meet the requirement of a substantive response to the stated question or topic by Wednesday at 11:59 pm MT.