Healthcare Policy Week 7
The course outcomes attached to this assignment are about communities and culturally appropriate care. That tells you which kind of ethical question the post is asking for.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 25, 2026
The course outcomes tell you what kind of ethics is wanted
The course outcomes printed above the task are not decoration and they narrow the assignment usefully. They name care for aggregates and communities, culturally appropriate practice and professional standards, which means the ethical question you raise should be a population-level one rather than a personal reaction to a headline. Distributive justice is the frame that fits: a policy on prescription drug pricing, coverage eligibility or hospital transparency allocates a finite good, and the ethical content lies in who gains, who bears the cost, and whether the people affected had any voice in the decision. A post that says the story made you uncomfortable has answered a different question from the one the outcomes point at. Reading the outcomes first is the cheapest way to make sure the post answers the assignment that was actually set, and they are printed directly above the task for that reason.
Choose the article with the analysis in mind. A story that reports a policy change with named populations and figures gives you something to reason about; an opinion column gives you somebody else's conclusion. Then structure the ethical section around a specific tension rather than a list of principles: autonomy against beneficence where a policy restricts a choice for a population's benefit, or justice against utility where the efficient allocation and the equitable one diverge. Say which professional standard bears on it, since the outcomes ask you to apply professional standards, and the nursing code speaks directly to advocacy and to the nurse's obligation beyond the individual patient. Finish with what you would actually do, because at community health level advocacy is an action, and naming a concrete step keeps the post from ending in sentiment. An action also gives the marker something to assess against the professional standard you cited.
Likely learning objectives
- Read attached course outcomes as a constraint on the answer.
- Frame a policy ethics question at population level.
- Choose reporting with figures rather than an opinion column.
- Connect the analysis to a named professional standard and a concrete action.
Assignment instructions
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
Assignment Healthcare Policy Week 7 Healthcare Policy Week 7 Textbook: Nies, M. A., & McEwen, M. (2019). Community/Public health nursing: Promoting the health of populations (7th ed.). St. Louis, MO: Saunders/Elsevier. Chapter 10: Policy, Politics, Legislation, and Community Health Nursing, pp. 172–174, 177–189 Chapter 13: Cultural Diversity and Community Health Nursing, pp. 225–228, 231-248 This week’s graded topics relate to the following Course Outcomes (COs). CO4: Evaluate the delivery of care for individuals, families, aggregates, and communities based on theories and principles of nursing and related disciplines. (PO1) CO7: Apply professional nursing standards and ethical principles to provide spiritually and culturally appropriate care. (PO6) CO8: Demonstrate effective communication strategies and teamwork in managing the healthcare of individuals, families, aggregates, and communities. (PO3) Locate a news article or story related to a current event in healthcare policy. Some examples may be, but are not limited to healthcare reform, the Affordable Care Act, prescription drugs, healthcare costs, insurance coverage, healthcare fraud, transparency, or underinsured populations. Assignment Healthcare Policy Week 7 Provide a brief overview of the article, and include the URL link. As a healthcare professional, has this raised any ethical questions or concerns for you? How can a community health nurse (CHN) be involved as a change agent for related healthcare policies? Please use textbook as well as 1-2 scholary articles for research and citations. Use proper APA format for citations and references
Course-wide instructions that accompany this question
Important information for writing discussion questions and participation Hi Class, Please read through the following information on writing a Discussion question response and participation posts. Contact me if you have any questions. Important information on Writing a Discussion Question Your response needs to be a minimum of 150 words (not including your list of references) There needs to be at least TWO references with ONE being a peer reviewed professional journal article. Include in-text citations in your response Do not include quotes—instead summarize and paraphrase the information Follow APA-7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Participation –replies to your classmates or instructor A minimum of 6 responses per week, on at least 3 days of the week. Each response needs at least ONE reference with citations—best if it is a peer reviewed journal article Each response needs to be at least 75 words in length (does not include your list of references) Responses need to be substantive by bringing information to the discussion or further enhance the discussion. Responses of “I agree” or “great post” does not count for the word count. Follow APA 7th edition Points will be deducted if the above is not followed Remember to use and follow APA-7th edition for all weekly assignments, discussion questions, and participation points. Here are some helpful links Student paper example Citing Sources The Writing Center is a great resource Welcome to class Hello class and welcome to the class and I will be your instructor for this course. This is a -week course and requires a lot of time commitment, organization, and a high level of dedication. Please use the class syllabus to guide you through all the assignments required for the course. I have also attached the classroom policies to this announcement to know your expectations for this course. Please review this document carefully and ask me any questions if you do. You could email me at any time or send me a message via the “message” icon in halo if you need to contact me. I check my email regularly, so you should get a response within 24 hours. If you have not heard from me within 24 hours and need to contact me urgently, please send a follow up text to. I strongly encourage that you do not wait until the very last minute to complete your assignments. Your assignments in weeks 4 and 5 require early planning as you would need to present a teaching plan and interview a community health provider. I advise you look at the requirements for these assignments at the beginning of the course and plan accordingly. I have posted the YouTube link that explains all the class assignments in detail. It is required that you watch this 32-minute video as the assignments from week 3 through 5 require that you follow the instructions to the letter to succeed. Failure to complete these assignments according to instructions might lead to a zero. After watching the video, please schedule a one-on-one with me to discuss your topic for your project by the second week of class. Use this link to schedule a 15-minute session. Please, call me at the time of your appointment on my number. Please note that I will NOT call you. Please, be advised I do NOT accept any assignments by email. If you are having technical issues with uploading an assignment, contact the technical department and inform me of the issue. If you have any issues that would prevent you from getting your assignments to me by the deadline, please inform me to request a possible extension. Note that working fulltime or overtime is no excuse for late assignments. There is a 5%-point deduction for every day your assignment is late. This only applies to approved extensions. Late assignments will not be accepted. If you think you would be needing accommodations due to any reasons, please contact the appropriate department to request accommodations. Plagiarism is highly prohibited. Please ensure you are citing your sources correctly using APA 7th edition. All assignments including discussion posts should be formatted in APA with the appropriate spacing, font, margin, and indents. Any papers not well formatted would be returned back to you, hence, I advise you review APA formatting style. I have attached a sample paper in APA format and will also post sample discussion responses in subsequent announcements. Your initial discussion post should be a minimum of 200 words and response posts should be a minimum of 150 words. Be advised that I grade based on quality and not necessarily the number of words you post. A minimum of TWO references should be used for your initial post. For your response post, you do not need references as personal experiences would count as response posts. If you however cite anything from the literature for your response post, it is required that you cite your reference. You should include a minimum of THREE references for papers in this course. Please note that references should be no more than 5 years old except recommended as a resource for the class. Furthermore, for each discussion board question, you need ONE initial substantive response and TWO substantive responses to either your classmates or your instructor for a total of THREE responses. There are TWO discussion questions each week, hence, you need a total minimum of SIX discussion posts for each week. I usually post a discussion question each week. You could also respond to these as it would count towards your required SIX discussion posts for the week. I understand this is a lot of information to cover in 5 weeks, however, the Bible says in Philippians 4:13 that we can do all things through Christ that strengthens us. Even in times like this, we are encouraged by God’s word that we have that ability in us to succeed with His strength. I pray that each and every one of you receives strength for this course and life generally as we navigate through this pandemic that is shaking our world today. Relax and enjoy the course!
What Week 7 requires
- 01A news article or story about a current event in healthcare policy.
- 02A brief overview of the article, including the URL link.
- 03An answer to whether it has raised ethical questions or concerns for you as a healthcare professional.
- 04Engagement consistent with the course outcomes on community care, cultural appropriateness and professional standards.
Article, overview, and the ethical analysis
The article
Identify the story, its date, its source and the policy at issue.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A reported policy change rather than commentary.
Overview
Summarise what changed, for whom and on what timeline.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Compression that keeps the affected population visible.
Who gains and who bears the cost
Set out the distribution the policy creates.
What the assessor is likely looking for
Distribution stated concretely.
The ethical tension
Name the two principles in conflict and where they diverge.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A specific tension rather than a principle list.
Professional standards
Apply the nursing code's advocacy obligations to the case.
What the assessor is likely looking for
A standard quoted and applied.
What you would do
Name a concrete advocacy action available to you.
What the assessor is likely looking for
An action, not a sentiment.
Where the policy and ethics sources sit
Recommended databases
- American Nurses Association
- KFF
- NCBI Bookshelf
- PubMed Central
Search sequence
- 1.Find current policy reporting with population figures rather than commentary.
- 2.Read the nursing code's advocacy provisions before writing the standards section.
- 3.Look up KFF analysis of the policy for the distributional detail.
- 4.Check an ethics source for the principle you intend to apply.
Reference shortlist
These are authoritative starting points, not a ready-made bibliography. A qualified reviewer must confirm that each source fits the assignment and supports the claim beside which it is cited.
2025 Code of Ethics for Nurses
American Nurses Association · 2025
The nursing code of ethics, for the advocacy obligations the outcomes require.
Legislative and Political Advocacy for Nurses
American Nurses Association · 2024
Legislative and political advocacy for nurses, for the concrete action step.
KFF policy analysis, for the distributional figures behind a news story.
Nursing Ethical Considerations
StatPearls, NCBI Bookshelf · 2023
Nursing ethical considerations, for naming the principles precisely.
Access to Healthcare and Disparities in Access
2021 National Healthcare Quality and Disparities Report, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, NCBI Bookshelf · 2021
Access and disparities in access, for the population-level framing.
Before you post
Common mistakes
- Answering the ethics question as a personal emotional reaction.
- Choosing an opinion column instead of reporting.
- Listing ethical principles without applying them to the story.
- Ignoring the community and cultural framing the outcomes require.
- Omitting the URL the brief asks for.
Submission checklist
- Does the article report a policy change with identifiable affected populations?
- Is the URL included?
- Is the ethical question framed at population level?
- Is a professional standard named and applied?
- Does the post end with an action rather than a feeling?
Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read Brinevia's academic-integrity policy.
Written by
Maren Caldwell
MSN, RN, CNE
Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation
Maren is a registered nurse with over 15 years of clinical and educational experience in medical-surgical nursing. She writes on NCLEX preparation, patient care fundamentals, pharmacology and evidence-based practice.

Reviewed by
Dr. Tessa Redmond
DNP, RN, CNE
Evidence-based practice and clinical education
Tessa is a doctorally-prepared nurse educator. She reviews Brinevia content for clinical accuracy and alignment with current evidence-based guidelines.