Begin reviewing and replying to peer postings/responses early in the week to enhance peer discussion. See the rubric for participation points. Participate in the discussion by asking a question, providing a statement of clarification, providing viewpoints with a rationale, challenging aspects of the discussion, or indicating relationships between two or more lines of reasoning in the discussion. Always use constructive language, even in criticism, to work toward the goal of positive progress.

Peer 1

Topic 1:  Causes of Death

The CDC’s website makes data available for different causes of death, and some studies break it down by ethnicities.   According to to data from the National Vital Statistics System, in 1999 there was a gap in life expectancy between white and black ethnicities, with white people living an average of 5.9 years longer than their African-american counterparts (cdc.gov, 2020).  

It appears that the last time data was published for this statistic was in 2013, and at tht time, the gap had decreased to 3.6 years between the two groups.  

            The decrease is attributed to a decrease in death rates in the black population from “heart disease, cancer and HIV disease (cdc.gov, 2020).”  This tells me that there is hope, but still a lot of work needs to be done.  Putting this in years, the average white person can expect to live 79.1 years, and the average black person may expect to live 75.5 years (cdc.gov, 2020).  Those years in the gap are probably important to most actual people.  Many of the issues explored by the Healthy People 2030 Project regarding Social Determinants of Health have some influence on life expectancy.  For example, for my aggregate in this class project, 2/3 are African American. (I am referring to the 3 people we may use to gather data.)  Proportionately, I have not done a database search by ethnicity on the free clinic’s patients, because the software is cheap and does not allow this, but I suspect that one ethnicity is represented more than another, based on the day to day patient loads I’ve seen.  

            The nursing workforce may have some impact on these trends in many ways.  Political activism and providing volunteer services to the community within one’s scope of practice are two ways, off the top of my head, that we may help to change this discrepancy.

References

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, (2020).  Leading Causes of Death Contributing to Decrease in Life Expectancy Gap Between Black and White Populations: United States, 1999-2013.  Retrieved from https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/products/databriefs/db218.htm

U. S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, (2020).  Healthy People 2030:  Social Determinants of Health.  Retrieved from https://health.gov/healthypeople/objectives-and-data/social-determinants-health

Peer 2

Topic 2: Responsibilities of a Nurse

Bachelor prepared nurses are important to the delivery of care and the coordination of care. They possess a broad knowledge base for healthcare delivery. In contrast, the Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) degree prepares at the specialty level. The MSN prepared nurse has education in a specialty field. A Nurse Practitioner (NP) is prepared at this level. The advanced practice nurse or NP is a licensed professional that is prepared at the master’s or doctorial level for advanced nursing practice and leadership roles in a community (Stanhope & Lancaster, 2020). These nurses use their critical thinking skills along with the nursing process to achieved specific health outcomes. They are autonomous and frequently work independently in clinics. There are many NPs in my community. They work in primary care clinics with patients of all ages. They are utilized as physician extenders at the local community hospital. Along with the strategic location of community health care clinics in my community, the NPs provide increased access to healthcare. In the state of Georgia, an NP can work independently, diagnose and write prescriptions. They can also order labs and diagnostic studies. To becomes an NP in the state of Georgia, one must hold an unrestricted Registered Nurse license, be a graduate of an accredited MSN program, and pass the National NP Certification exam (American Association of Nurse Practitioners [AANP], 2020). NPs are valuable to healthcare delivery because they treat the sick and they work to promote wellness. In my experience, nurses are prepared to be excellent educators. When I have had to visit an NP, I generally receive very in-depth teaching unlike when I see a physician.  

References: 

American Association of Nurse Practitioners. (2020). The path to becoming a Nurse Practitioner (NP). Retrieved November 16, 2020, from https://www.aanp.org/news-feed/explore-the-variety-of-career-paths-for-nurse-practitioners 

Stanhope, M., & Lancaster, J. (2020). Public health nursing: Population-centered health care in the community (10 th ed.). Elsevier. https://doi.org/https://digitalbookshelf.southuniversity.edu/#/books/9

Prepare a 5-6 page paper, and online presentation, describing and analyzing an application that is clinically relevant to their current practice using APA format. Students should describe the features of the application, the use of the application, the institutional policy and procedures surrounding the application and the improvements and challenges the application presents to clinical nursing practice.

Select an electronic application used in nursing or clinical your practice(long term care facility). In lieu of a formal presentation you will prepare a 10-12 slide Power Point presentation that you will post in the discussion describing the application following the guidelines attached.

Please provide a couple of references including the text required for the class. Sewell, J. (2016). Informatics & Nursing: Opportunities & Challenges (5th ed.) Lippincott, Williams & Wilkins: Philadelphia. 

The content of this critique should include:

Describe the problem and purpose of the study (like a Summary). Is the problem of the study discussed in the introduction? Was the significance of the study established in the introduction? What is the significance of the study? Describe the research methods, including the process of data collection, sampling, and data analysis, for the research study. Identify the specific aims/objectives. Who were the subjects and or the participants? What sampling approach was undertaken and why?How sample size was used for the variables(s). What instrument(s) was used?. How reliability and validity were established. Summarize the major findings and conclusions of the study.Critic the strength and weaknesses of the research methods. The expectation is that you include your textbook as a resource.How this study is relevant to evidence-based practice in nursing. 

MUST BE APA STYLE!!! 

Qualitative data has been described as voluminous and sometimes overwhelming to the researcher. Discuss two strategies that would help a researcher manage and organize the data.

The three types of qualitative research are phenomenological, grounded theory, and ethnographic research. Compare the differences and similarities between two of the three types of qualitative studies and give an example of each.

 What strategies would you recommend encouraging culturally competent care of African Americans? 

 Your initial post should be at least 500 words, formatted and cited in current APA style with support from at least 2 academic sources 

 

Your assignment will be graded according to the grading rubric.

Discussion RubricCriteriaRatingsPoints

Identification of Main Issues, Problems, and Concepts

5 points
Distinguished

Identify and demonstrate a sophisticated understanding of the issues, problems, and concepts.

4 points
Excellent

Identifies and demonstrate an accomplished understanding of most of issues, problems, and concepts.

2 points
Fair

Identifies and demonstrate an acceptable understanding of most of issues, problems, and concepts.

1 points
Poor

Identifies and demonstrate an unacceptable understanding of most of issues, problems, and concepts.

5 points

Use of Citations, Writing Mechanics and APA Formatting Guidelines

3 points
Distinguished

Effectively uses the literature and other resources to inform their work. Exceptional use of citations and extended referencing. High level of APA precision and free of grammar and spelling errors.

2 points
Excellent

Effectively uses the literature and other resources to inform their work. Moderate use of citations and extended referencing. Moderate level of APA precision and free of grammar and spelling errors.

1 point
Fair

Ineffectively uses the literature and other resources to inform their work. Moderate use of citations and extended referencing. APA style and writing mechanics need more precision and attention to detail.

0 point
Poor

Ineffectively uses the literature and other resources to inform their work. An unacceptable use of citations and extended referencing. APA style and writing mechanics need serious attention.

3 points