Health Policy and Ethics – NURS 501
CG • Section 8WK • 11/08/2019 to 04/16/2020 • Modified 02/09/2022
Course Description
This course examines policy decisions and related issues that shape the organization, financing, and implementation of health care services and delivery systems. Ethical, social, and political issues that affect the provision of health care, nursing services, communities, and society are critically analyzed. Dynamics related to the roles and influences of health care providers and consumers, government, and law are discussed. Advanced nursing practice and its impact on policy decision making and health care is emphasized.
For information regarding prerequisites for this course, please refer to the Academic Course Catalog.
Rationale
This course prepares the student for leadership roles and active involvement in the political process relevant to the development, implementation, and evaluation of health policies that are economically and ethically sound and designed to promote health and access to health care for individuals, families, communities, and society.
Course Assignment
Textbook readings and lecture presentations
Course Requirements Checklist
After reading the Course Syllabus and Student Expectations, the student will complete the related checklist found in the Course Overview.
Discussions are collaborative learning experiences. Therefore, the student is required to submit a thread in response to the provided prompt. The thread must be at least 500 words and be supported by 2 peer-reviewed journal articles in addition to the course textbook and the Bible. In addition to the thread, the student is required to reply to 2 classmates’ threads. Each reply must be at least 250 words. The student must support each thread and reply with at least 1 citation. For each thread and reply, word count does not include the greeting, salutation, or references. Current APA format must be used for citations.
The student will write about an event that has occurred in his/her professional practice in which an error was made, an ethical dilemma arose, or a breakdown in team work, collaboration, and communication among the healthcare team negatively impacted a patient’s care or health outcome. The assignment must be 2–4 pages (not including the title and reference pages), include 2–3 peer-reviewed journal articles published within the last 5 years, and be in current APA format.
The student will submit a 12–15-page paper in current APA format addressing a state or federal health bill/policy that has been introduced but not passed or already exists in need of revision or elimination. The student must support his or her paper with 10–15 citations. The paper must include a title page, an abstract, and a reference page. The page count does not include the title page, abstract, or reference page.
The student will prepare a presentation as if briefing policy decision makers about the health bill/policy used in the Position Paper assignment. The student’s position must be delivered via a method that incorporates both audio and visual components. Examples include (but are not limited to) PowerPoint with voiceover, use of a screen casting application or a YouTube Video. The presentation must be limited to 10 slides (not including the title slide and references slide), and must not exceed 15 minutes. A minimum of 5 scholarly citations published within the last 5 years in current APA format are required. The Presentation should be submitted to the Grade Book as well as discussion assignment
The student will post their position presentation within the Discussion and will be required to review the work of his/her peers and give substantive feedback. Each reply must be at least 100 words.
The student will write a 1–2-page formal, business-style letter expressing his or her views on the issue studied in previous weeks. Students should take into consideration feedback received from faculty and classmates. In addition, the student must include a title page and a reference page in current APA format. The assignment must be written in current APA format and include the link to the bill on the reference page along with any sources used.
