As communities become more diverse and nursing care moves into them, nurses are being called to develop and recommend population-based interventions and programs that are culturally appropriate.

NUR 350 Final Project Guidelines and Rubric

Overview The final project for this course is the creation of a community assessment.

As communities become more diverse and nursing care moves into them, nurses are being called to develop and recommend population-based interventions and programs that are culturally appropriate. The AACN Essentials Baccalaureate Education for Professional Nursing Practice specifically says: “Preparing professional nurses to engage in health promotion, community education, and outcomes analysis is an essential component of the basic preparation of the professional nurse.”

In this course, you will learn about the best practices in community and population health, and have the opportunity for practical application of this knowledge through community assessment and intervention planning. For your final project, you will explore existing resources, data sets, and systems on the local and regional level. Through this process, you will develop a culturally appropriate and comprehensive plan (considering religion, culture, alternative medicine, etc.) for a specific health disparity found within a community. You will develop your strategies based on the principles of community health nursing discussed throughout the course.

The project is divided into three milestones, which will be submitted at various points throughout the course to scaffold learning and ensure quality final submissions. These milestones will be submitted in Modules Three, Four, and Six. The final product will be submitted in Module Seven.

In this assignment, you will demonstrate your mastery of the following course outcomes:

• Plan targeted, population-based interventions for diverse and vulnerable populations across the lifespan by applying principles of community health • Analyze the interrelationships among theory, practice, and research for their implications on community and population health • Assess the impact of local, regional, and national conditions on the delivery of nursing services to vulnerable populations • Analyze the effects of healthcare policy on improvement of healthcare outcomes for diverse populations across the lifespan • Identify social determinants of health through a comprehensive assessment of resources at the local, regional, and national levels

Prompt

Choose a city or town within the United States to assess at the community level. You should include an analysis of the historical development of the community, the current demographic and socioeconomic climates, and the community infrastructure. Include a comparison of existing resources within the community at the local, regional, and national level. After a thorough analysis of this data, formulate and prioritize a list of health-related problems that you see within the community. Finally, develop a comprehensive community health strategy using one of the problems from that list, including a target population and specific health disparity from the research in your assessment.

 

 

 

Specifically, the following critical elements must be addressed:

I. Community Characteristics

A. What are the characteristics of the community? i. What is unique about this community? Does this influence the delivery of nursing services within the community? Why or why not? ii. How has this community developed historically? How has this influenced the delivery of nursing services within the community?

iii. How would you define this community geographically? How does this influence the delivery of nursing services? B. What key groups exist within this community? Would any of these groups be considered a vulnerable population? Why or why not? How is

delivering nursing services to these groups affected by local, regional, and national conditions? C. Using census data, define the community in terms of demographics, with a focus on the socioeconomic climate. What are your specific concerns

related to health status within the community?

II. Community Assessment

A. What resources exist within the systems of this community? Consider health and social services, educational services, safety, religion, and politics, among others.

i. Be sure to identify resources at the local level. What influences these resources? Why are they considered social determinants of health? ii. Include resources at the regional level. How are the influences on these resources different than the influences on resources at the local

level? Justify your reasoning. iii. How are healthcare resources in both the local and regional areas around this community influenced by healthcare policy? Provide support

for your answer. iv. Are the healthcare resources in this community different according to the varying demographics? Why or why not? Be sure to support your

answer using research or data. B. Analyze the community based on data collected from reliable resources. For example, you might utilize data from the Centers for Disease Control

and Prevention, the Community Health Status Indicators website, or even recent census data. i. What are the strengths and weaknesses of the community that would be integral in the formulation of a community health strategy?

Support your answer with data and research. ii. What barriers have been identified that may impact successful implementation of that strategy? Support your answer with data and

research. iii. What areas of opportunity exist for improving the health of the community? Support your answer with data and research.

III. Community Health Strategy

A. Formulate the problem list from the community assessment that you have performed. i. What are the top three problems that the community faces regarding health status? Provide data to support your answer.

 

 

 

ii. Identify one problem from the list to develop. Be sure to identify the population at risk and the specific health disparity to be addressed. B. Develop a plan that includes at least three interventions that are culturally appropriate based on the role of the nurse and the principles of clinical

health nursing. i. What interventions will be included in this plan? What steps would be taken to ensure that they are culturally appropriate? Be sure to base

your interventions on existing evidence and document this evidence within your health plan. ii. Which of these interventions are primary, secondary, and tertiary? Support your justification with evidence or research.

iii. Which teaching and learning strategies will you utilize? How will you meet the needs of a variety of different learners? Consider age and cultural differences.

iv. Who are the key stakeholders that should be included in the planning and implementation of the strategy? Why? v. What strategies will you integrate to ensure buy-in and participation from the community?

C. How is your community health strategy aligned with local, regional, and national healthcare policies or programs? For example, if nutrition is the prominent issue, you might discuss how the plan aligns with UNICEF’s hunger initiative or Healthy People 2020.

 

Milestone One: Draft of Community Characteristics Milestones

In Module Three, you will provide a summary of the community characteristics portion of your community assessment. You will discuss community characteristics, describe demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, identify key groups within the community, and identify health concerns for members of the community. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone One Rubric.

Milestone Two: Draft of Community Assessment In Module Four, you will provide a summary of the assessment portion of your community assessment. You will discuss resources within the community, identify strengths and weaknesses of the community, analyze opportunities for improving community health, and identify barriers to successful implementation of a community health strategy. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Two Rubric.

Milestone Three: Draft of Community Health Strategy In Module Six, you will provide a summary of the community health strategy portion of your community assessment. You will discuss community-based problems, describe potential interventions to include in the health strategy, and discuss a teaching and learning strategy that you would utilize. This milestone will be graded with the Milestone Three Rubric.

Final Submission: Community Assessment In Module Seven, you will submit your final project. It should be a complete, polished artifact containing all of the critical elements of the final product. It should reflect the incorporation of feedback gained throughout the course. This submission will be graded with the Final Project Rubric.

 

 

 

Deliverables Milestone Deliverable Module Due Grading

One Draft of Community Characteristics 3 Graded separately; Milestone One Rubric Two Draft of Community Assessment 4 Graded separately; Milestone Two Rubric

Three Draft of Health Strategy 6 Graded separately; Milestone Three Rubric

Final Submission: Community Assessment 7 Graded separately; Final Project Rubric

 

Final Project Rubric Guidelines for Submission: Your final project should be 8–10 pages in length; however, the quality of this submission is much more important than the length. All resources must be appropriately cited in APA format.

Critical Elements Exemplary (100%) Proficient (85%) Needs Improvement (55%) Not Evident (0%) Value Characteristics Meets “Proficient” criteria and

description demonstrates a nuanced insight into the influences on the delivery of nursing services within the chosen community

Comprehensively describes characteristics of the community, including why these characteristics influence or do not influence the delivery of nursing services within the community

Describes characteristics of the community but description is not comprehensive

Does not describe characteristics of the community

6.3

Characteristics: Groups

Meets “Proficient” criteria and description reflects a nuanced understanding of vulnerable populations

Comprehensively describes key groups that exist within this community, including why these groups would or would not be considered vulnerable populations and how delivery of nursing services is affected by various conditions

Describes key groups that exist within this community but description is not comprehensive

Does not describe key groups that exist within this community

6.3

Characteristics: Definition

Meets “Proficient” criteria and provides a comprehensive overview of demographic data

Defines the community in terms of demographics and specific health status concerns, focusing on the socioeconomic climate and utilizing census data

Defines the community in terms of demographics or specific health status concerns, but lacks focus on the socioeconomic climate or uses data that is not census data

Does not define the community in terms of demographics and specific health status concerns or does not utilize census data

6.3

 

 

 

Assessment: Local Meets “Proficient” criteria and makes connections between resources and specific social determinants of health

Comprehensively describes resources at the local level that exist within the systems of this community, including what influences these resources and why these resources are considered social determinants of health

Describes resources at the local level that exist within the systems of this community but description is not comprehensive

Does not describe resources at the local level that exist within the systems of this community

6.3

Assessment: Regional Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the differences in resources at the regional and local levels

Comprehensively describes resources at the regional level, differentiating how the influences on these regional resources are different than the influences on the local level, including justification

Describes resources at the regional level but description is not comprehensive or differentiation lacks justification

Does not describe resources at the regional level

6.3

Assessment: Local and Regional

Meets “Proficient” criteria and support includes specific examples

Analyzes how the healthcare resources in the local and regional areas around the community are influenced by healthcare policy and provides support for analysis

Analyzes how the healthcare resources in the local or regional areas around the community are influenced by healthcare policy but analysis lacks support

Does not analyze how the healthcare resources in the local or regional areas around the community are influenced by healthcare policy

6.3

Assessment: Resources

Meets “Proficient” criteria and analysis demonstrates nuanced connections between healthcare resources and the demographics of the chosen community

Comprehensively analyzes whether or not healthcare resources in this community differ according to the varying demographics, supporting answer utilizing research or data

Analyzes whether or not healthcare resources in the community differ according to the varying demographics but analysis is not comprehensive or does not support answer utilizing research or data

Does not analyze whether or not healthcare resources in the community differ according to the varying demographics

6.3

Assessment: Strengths and Weaknesses

Meets “Proficient” criteria and clearly links analysis to the data collected

Comprehensively analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the community that would be integral in the formulation of a community health strategy, including support for analysis from reliable data resources

Analyzes the strengths and weaknesses of the community that would be integral in the formulation of a community health strategy, but analysis is not comprehensive or data included as support is not from a reliable resource

Does not analyze the strengths and weaknesses of the community that would be integral in the formulation of a community health strategy or does not include support for analysis

6.3

 

 

 

Assessment: Barriers Meets “Proficient” criteria and identifies both internal and external barriers to implementation

Comprehensively analyzes barriers that may impact successful implementation of community health strategy, including support for analysis from reliable data resources

Analyzes barriers that may impact successful implementation of community health strategy, but analysis is not comprehensive or data included as support is not from a reliable resource

Does not analyze barriers that may impact successful implementation of hypothetical community health strategy or does not include support for analysis

6.3

Assessment: Opportunity

Meets “Proficient” criteria and analysis of opportunities demonstrates keen insight into the needs of the community

Comprehensively analyzes areas of opportunity that exist for improving the health of the community, including support for analysis from reliable data resources

Analyzes areas of opportunity that exist for improving the health of the community, but analysis is not comprehensive or data included as support is not from a reliable resource

Does not analyze areas of opportunity that exist for improving the health of the community or does not include support for analysis

6.3

Strategy: Problems Meets “Proficient” criteria and support provided for problems chosen reflect keen insight into community health needs

Describes and justifies the top three problems that the community faces regarding health status, utilizing data in justification

Describes and justifies the top three problems that the community faces regarding health status but does not utilize data in justification

Does not describe or justify the top three problems that the community faces regarding health status

6.3

Strategy: Identify Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates a nuanced understanding of the target population

Comprehensively describes one problem from the list to develop, including the at-risk population and specific health disparity to be addressed

Describes one problem from the list to be developed but description is not comprehensive

Does not describe one problem from the list to be developed

3.23

Strategy: Interventions

Meets “Proficient” criteria and includes complementary or alternative health practices

Develops three comprehensive and culturally appropriate interventions based on existing evidence, which is included as support

Develops three interventions but interventions are not comprehensive or are not culturally appropriate, or does not include evidence to support interventions

Does not develop three interventions

3.23

Strategy: Which Intervention

Meets “Proficient” criteria and support for evaluation is drawn from peer-reviewed literature

Logically justifies which of the intervention strategies are primary, secondary, and tertiary, supporting defense with evidence or research

Justifies which of the intervention strategies are primary, secondary, and tertiary, but justification is illogical or is not supported with evidence or research

Does not justify which of the intervention strategies are primary, secondary, and tertiary

3.24

Strategy: Teaching Meets “Proficient” criteria and addresses differences in the age or culture of various learners

Describes which teaching and learning strategies will be utilized, including how the needs of various learners will be met

Describes which teaching and learning strategies will be utilized, but does not include how the needs of various learners will be met

Does not describe which teaching and learning strategies will be utilized

3.23

 

 

 

Strategy: Stakeholders

Meets “Proficient” criteria and identifies stakeholders from within and beyond the community

Identifies who the key stakeholders are that should be included in the implementation of the strategy and why

Identifies who the key stakeholders are that should be included in the implementation of the strategy, but does not justify why

Does not identify who the key stakeholders are that should be included in the implementation of the strategy

3.24

Strategy: Strategies Meets “Proficient” criteria and demonstrates keen understanding of the groups within the community who may potentially be affected

Thoroughly describes strategies to be integrated that will ensure buy-in and participation of the community

Describes strategies to be integrated that will ensure buy- in and participation of the community, but description lacks detail

Does not describe strategies to be integrated that will ensure buy-in and participation of the community

3.23

Strategy: Community Health Strategy

Meets “Proficient” criteria and connects specific strategies at the local, regional, and national levels to the community health strategy

Logically analyzes how the community health strategy is aligned with local, regional, and national policies or programs

Analyzes how the community health strategy is aligned with local, regional, and national policies or programs, but analysis is illogical

Does not analyze how the community health strategy is aligned with local, regional, and national policies or programs

6.3

Articulation of Response

Submission is free of errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, and organization and is presented in a professional and easy-to-read format

Submission has no major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization

Submission has major errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that negatively impact readability and articulation of main ideas

Submission has critical errors related to citations, grammar, spelling, syntax, or organization that prevent understanding of ideas

5

Total 100%