Assignment Objectives:
1. Explore and analyze health indicators in the community.
2. Identify a problematic area of interest to advanced nursing practice.
3. Evaluate and analyze three health policy options/alternatives for improvement supported by evidence (using a selected policy analysis tool)
4. Prioritize and recommend one health policy to address the healthcare issue.
Purpose:
To investigate & integrate knowledge of advanced nursing practice, scholarly inquiry, & leadership by examining a policy at the level of clinical practice, health care systems, or public/social health policy. The student must obtain prior approval of the policy problem/issue by the course instructor before the paper can be started. Failure to obtain this approval will result in the student receiving a zero for the assignment and considering this is worth 30% of the course grade, likely a failure in the course. It is recommended that students seek approval from the course instructor no later than the end of Week 3. Each student must email the instructor a brief synopsis of the chosen healthcare issue, how it relates to nursing and which policy analysis tool will be used for prior approval.
Introduction:
This part of the assignment should introduce the topics the student will be discussing in the paper and provide a bit of context about the approach. This is specific to the student content to be presented and not general to the assignment itself.
Step 1: Identify the Policy Problem/Issue & Provide Context
The first thing the student needs identify is a healthcare issue that, in your opinion, is a problem that calls for a policy solution, so the first step is to determine the policy issue of interest.
Step 2: Provide the Landscape
Identify the key stakeholders/ and or key factors of previous efforts to address the policy issue These are the individuals and groups likely to affect or be affected by new policies taken in response to the policy issue under discussion. Identify key factors such as political, social, economic, practical, legal or quality-of-care factors.
Conclusion
The conclusion summarizes the findings and recommendations of the entire analysis. This focuses on the student's paper outlining key points that have been learned and assessed throughout the paper in a comprehensive and succinct manner.