Reflective reportProfessional development

NRS 430 Week 1 Discussion 2 What do you look forward to as you begin this educational experience and your personal search for purpose?

A first-week reflection that still demands two references and one peer-reviewed article. The way through is to notice that the story you are asked for — a past fear you overcame — is a named construct in the literature.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 4, 2026

Written by

Elias Merritt

BSN, RN, CEN

Emergency nursing, critical care and patient assessment

Reviewed by

Dr. Tessa Redmond

DNP, RN, CNE

Evidence-based practice and clinical education

On this page

Interpret the task
Assignment instructions
Deliverables
Proposed outline
Research plan
Reference shortlist
Final review

How to cite scholarship in a post about yourself

This looks like an icebreaker and it is graded like a scholarly post, which is the whole problem. The prompt asks what you look forward to, what you most fear, how you would overcome it, and for one specific past educational experience in which you faced a fear and succeeded.

Every part of that is about you. Meanwhile the course rules require a minimum of 150 words, at least two references with one a peer-reviewed journal article, in-text citations, no quotations, and APA 7th edition, with points deducted otherwise.

Students resolve that tension badly in one of two ways: they write a warm personal post with no citations and lose marks mechanically, or they bolt a generic citation about 'nursing education' onto a paragraph it has nothing to do with.

There is a clean way through, and it comes from noticing what you are actually being asked for. A past experience in which you confronted a fear and succeeded through effort is not just an anecdote — it is a mastery experience, the term Bandura uses for the most powerful of the four sources of self-efficacy.

The other three are vicarious experience (seeing people like you succeed), verbal persuasion (credible people telling you that you can), and your physiological and emotional states (reading your own racing heart as either threat or readiness).

That framework is doing real work for you here, not decorating the post: it gives you a citable structure for the fear question, a reason your past experience is relevant rather than merely nice, and a vocabulary for the 'how can you overcome it' question that goes beyond determination.

So answer the fear question through the framework. If your fear is clinical skills, the evidence says the route is graded mastery — supervised practice with feedback and progressive independence — not reassurance. If it is that you are older or less prepared than your cohort, the relevant source is vicarious experience, and the action is finding people like you who did it. Naming the source and the matching strategy turns 'I will work hard and stay positive' into an answer with a mechanism.

One honest caveat is worth including and will strengthen the post rather than weaken it. The strategies aligned to those four sources have been tested experimentally, and used individually none of them significantly improved performance; only the combined package did, with medium-to-large effects on self-efficacy and anxiety. So a plan that rests on one tactic is weaker than a plan that combines them, and saying so shows you read the evidence rather than the summary.

On the specific past experience: the prompt says one and says specific. A single experience told concretely — what the fear was, what you actually did, what changed — beats three sketched ones. Say what you did, not that you 'pushed through', because the mechanism is the part that transfers to nursing school.

And keep the fear real. A polished non-fear like 'I fear I care too much' costs you the whole point of the exercise, since the post is meant to set up a strategy you will actually use.

Finally, note the format detail that quietly loses marks: no quotes. Everything must be paraphrased and cited. On a reflective post the temptation to drop in a nice quotation about courage is high, and it is explicitly penalised here.

Likely learning objectives

Connect personal reflection to an established theoretical construct, so that a required peer-reviewed citation is integral to the argument rather than bolted on.
Identify which source of self-efficacy a particular fear implicates, and select the strategy matched to that source rather than a general resolution to work hard.
Narrate one specific past experience with enough mechanism that the transferable part is visible, since the prompt asks for one specific experience rather than several.
Likely assessed on whether all four parts of the prompt are answered, given that the fear, the strategy and the past experience are separately named.
Tends to be rewarded when the limits of the evidence are acknowledged, since strategies of this kind have been shown to work in combination rather than individually.

Assignment instructions

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

What do you look forward to as you begin this educational experience and your personal search for purpose? What is your greatest fear? How can you overcome it? Write about one specific educational experience from your past in which you addressed a fear and overcame it and how you succeeded in this process.

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. NRS 430 Week 1 Discussion 2 What do you look forward to as you begin this educational experience and your personal search for purpose 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! Name: Discussion Rubric Grid View List View Excellent 90–100 Good 80–89 Fair 70–79 Poor 0–69 Main Posting: Response to the Discussion question is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. 40 (40%) – 44 (44%) Thoroughly responds to the Discussion question(s). Is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources. No less than 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three current credible sources. 35 (35%) – 39 (39%) Responds to most of the Discussion question(s). Is somewhat reflective with critical analysis and synthesis representative of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. 50% of the post has exceptional depth and breadth. Supported by at least three credible references. 31 (31%) – 34 (34%) Responds to some of the Discussion question(s). One to two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed. Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Cited with fewer than two credible references. 0 (0%) – 30 (30%) Does not respond to the Discussion question(s). Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria. Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis. Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module. Contains only one or no credible references. Main Posting: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Written clearly and concisely. Contains no grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Written concisely. May contain one to two grammatical or spelling errors. Adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Written somewhat concisely. May contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Contains some APA formatting errors. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Not written clearly or concisely. Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors. Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style. Main Posting: Timely and full participation 9 (9%) – 10 (10%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts main Discussion by due date. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Posts main Discussion by due date. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post main Discussion by due date. First Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. First Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. First Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Second Response: Post to colleague’s main post that is reflective and justified with credible sources. 9 (9%) – 9 (9%) Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings. Responds to questions posed by faculty. The use of scholarly sources to support ideas demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives. 8 (8%) – 8 (8%) Response has some depth and may exhibit critical thinking or application to practice setting. 7 (7%) – 7 (7%) Response is on topic and may have some depth. 0 (0%) – 6 (6%) Response may not be on topic and lacks depth. Second Response: Writing 6 (6%) – 6 (6%) Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed. Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources. Response is effectively written in standard, edited English. 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Communication is mostly professional and respectful to colleagues. Response to faculty questions are mostly answered, if posed. Provides opinions and ideas that are supported by few credible sources. Response is written in standard, edited English. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Response posed in the Discussion may lack effective professional communication. Response to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed. Few or no credible sources are cited. 0 (0%) – 3 (3%) Responses posted in the Discussion lack effective communication. Response to faculty questions are missing. No credible sources are cited. Second Response: Timely and full participation 5 (5%) – 5 (5%) Meets requirements for timely, full, and active participation. Posts by due date. 4 (4%) – 4 (4%) Meets requirements for full participation. Posts by due date. 3 (3%) – 3 (3%) Posts by due date. 0 (0%) – 2 (2%) Does not meet requirements for full participation. Does not post by due date. Total Points: 100 Name: Discussion Rubric

What NRS 430 Week 1 DQ 2 requires, including the format rules

01What you look forward to as you begin this educational experience and your personal search for purpose.
02Your greatest fear, and how you can overcome it.
03One specific educational experience from your past in which you addressed a fear and overcame it, including how you succeeded in that process.
04Minimum 150 words, not counting the reference list (course instructions).
05At least two references, at least one of which is a peer-reviewed professional journal article, with in-text citations (course instructions).
06No quotations — summarise and paraphrase only. APA 7th edition. Points are deducted if these are not followed (course instructions).
07Separately: a minimum of six participation responses per week across at least three days, each at least 75 words with at least one reference (course instructions).

Structuring the purpose, fear and mastery story

What you look forward to, tied to purpose

Answer the first question concretely — a specific aspect of the programme or of nursing practice, and what draws you to it. Connect it to the search for purpose the prompt names rather than treating them as two separate questions.