Discussion postAdvanced practice nursing

DQ 1 : What information did you use to decide to pursue an APRN?

An introduction with three questions inside it and a peer-reviewed evidence requirement attached. The word 'information' is the one to notice: it asks what you read, not what you felt.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 18, 2026

Written by

Maren Caldwell

MSN, RN, CNE

Medical-surgical nursing, pharmacology and NCLEX preparation

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

An introduction that has to carry three real questions

The prompt says information, and that word is the difference between a strong post and a warm one. A story about a nurse practitioner who impressed you on a shift is a start; the question is what you then went and found out. Workforce projections, scope-of-practice rules in your state, the difference between a nurse practitioner, a clinical nurse specialist, a nurse anaesthetist and a nurse midwife, what the consensus model actually regulates, salary and role data, the certification pathway for the population focus you have chosen — those are information. Naming two or three specific sources you consulted answers the question as asked, and it also quietly demonstrates the research behaviour the programme is about to demand of you for two years. The prompt asks what you read, and answering with what you felt is the commonest way to lose marks here. Say which of those you actually consulted, and what it told you that you did not already believe.

The third question is about progression and it rewards concreteness. You have a current role with particular skills in it, and the honest version of this answer names what transfers and what does not. Assessment skills, prioritisation and comfort with families transfer well from bedside nursing; diagnostic reasoning, prescribing and carrying the responsibility for the plan rather than executing it are genuinely new, and saying so is not a weakness in a first post. Say where you see yourself on graduation — the setting, the population, the state — since the prompt asks and since vagueness there is what makes forty introductions identical. Then meet the evidence requirement, which is easy to miss under an introduction heading: cite something real about the APRN role, in APA, and the post satisfies a rubric the friendly ones do not. Naming what does not transfer is what makes the rest of the audit believable to a reader.

Likely learning objectives

Distinguish information from impression as the basis of a career decision.
Identify the specific sources that describe the APRN role accurately.
Assess which current competencies transfer to advanced practice and which do not.
Meet an evidence requirement inside an introductory post.

Assignment instructions

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Herzing NU 626 Unit 1 DQ 1 Discussion Prompt Based upon the importance of the advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) being integral in the care of patients for wellness and in episodes of illness, there are multiple opportunities for nurse practitioners to care for a variety of patients in different roles. For this discussion board, introduce yourself to the group in your post and share where you see yourself upon graduating from the Herzing University Master of Science in Nursing – Family Nurse Practitioner Program. What information did you use to decide to pursue an APRN? Is there specific information that helped you understand the role of an APRN? How do you see yourself progressing in the role you have now into the APRN that you desire to become? In responses to other students, discuss how the information provided helped you to better understand the role of the APRN, as well as what are some of your goals that you desire to pursue as an APRN. Responses need to address all components of the question, demonstrate critical thinking and analysis, and include peer reviewed journal evidence to support the student’s position. Please be sure to validate your opinions and ideas with citations and references in APA format. Please review the rubric to ensure that your response meets the criteria.

Course-wide instructions that accompany this question

ADDITIONAL INSTRUCTIONS FOR THE CLASS Discussion Questions (DQ) Initial responses to the DQ should address all components of the questions asked, include a minimum of one scholarly source, and be at least 250 words. Successful responses are substantive (i.e., add something new to the discussion, engage others in the discussion, well-developed idea) and include at least one scholarly source. Herzing NU 626 Unit 1 DQ 1 One or two sentence responses, simple statements of agreement or “good post,” and responses that are off-topic will not count as substantive. Substantive responses should be at least 150 words. I encourage you to incorporate the readings from the week (as applicable) into your responses. Weekly Participation Your initial responses to the mandatory DQ do not count toward participation and are graded separately. In addition to the DQ responses, you must post at least one reply to peers (or me) on three separate days, for a total of three replies. Participation posts do not require a scholarly source/citation (unless you cite someone else’s work). Part of your weekly participation includes viewing the weekly announcement and attesting to watching it in the comments. These announcements are made to ensure you understand everything that is due during the week. APA Format and Writing Quality Familiarize yourself with APA format and practice using it correctly. It is used for most writing assignments for your degree. Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for APA paper templates, citation examples, tips, etc. Points will be deducted for poor use of APA format or absence of APA format (if required). Cite all sources of information! When in doubt, cite the source. Paraphrasing also requires a citation. I highly recommend using the APA Publication Manual, 6th edition. Use of Direct Quotes I discourage overutilization of direct quotes in DQs and assignments at the Masters’ level and deduct points accordingly. As Masters’ level students, it is important that you be able to critically analyze and interpret information from journal articles and other resources. Simply restating someone else’s words does not demonstrate an understanding of the content or critical analysis of the content. It is best to paraphrase content and cite your source. LopesWrite Policy For assignments that need to be submitted to LopesWrite, please be sure you have received your report and Similarity Index (SI) percentage BEFORE you do a “final submit” to me. Once you have received your report, please review it. This report will show you grammatical, punctuation, and spelling errors that can easily be fixed. Take the extra few minutes to review instead of getting counted off for these mistakes. Review your similarities. Did you forget to cite something? Did you not paraphrase well enough? Is your paper made up of someone else’s thoughts more than your own? Visit the Writing Center in the Student Success Center, under the Resources tab in LoudCloud for tips on improving your paper and SI score. Late Policy The university’s policy on late assignments is 10% penalty PER DAY LATE. This also applies to late DQ replies. Please communicate with me if you anticipate having to submit an assignment late. I am happy to be flexible, with advance notice. We may be able to work out an extension based on extenuating circumstances. If you do not communicate with me before submitting an assignment late, the GCU late policy will be in effect. I do not accept assignments that are two or more weeks late unless we have worked out an extension. As per policy, no assignments are accepted after the last day of class. Any assignment submitted after midnight on the last day of class will not be accepted for grading. Communication Communication is so very important. There are multiple ways to communicate with me: Questions to Instructor Forum: This is a great place to ask course content or assignment questions. If you have a question, there is a good chance one of your peers does as well. This is a public forum for the class. Individual Forum: This is a private forum to ask me questions or send me messages. This will be checked at least once every 24 hours.

Turn the brief into deliverables

01A brief introduction and a stated destination — setting, population, state.
02Two or three specific information sources you actually used.
03What each source told you about the role.
04An honest account of what transfers from your current role and what does not.
05Peer-reviewed citations in APA format.