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Assignment questions
NursingDiscussion postHealth care governance

DNP 840 Topic 5 DQ 2: nurses on health care boards

Answering why nurses belong on boards is the easy clause. What the nurse actually does once seated — a governance role, not a clinical one — is the one that separates the answers.

Editorial process

Last reviewed · August 15, 2026

01

Meaningful to whom — the board, or the profession

Start from what a board is for, because the second clause depends on it and most posts skip it. A governing board sets strategy, appoints and holds the chief executive to account, approves budgets and major commitments, and carries legal responsibility for quality and safety. It does not manage. So a nurse joining a board is taking a governance role and assumes fiduciary duties to the organisation as a whole — not a seat representing nursing. That is a genuine tension worth naming: a trustee who votes as a nursing delegate has misunderstood the office, while a trustee whose clinical knowledge never changes a decision adds nothing that another accountant would not. Boards also vary in how much they actually govern: some deliberate, some ratify what the executive brings, and a seat on the second kind is a credential rather than an influence. Find out which kind you are being offered before accepting.

The meaningfulness case is strongest when made specifically. Boards carry accountability for quality and safety and are often the least equipped part of the organisation to interrogate it — a quality report reaching a board is heavily processed, and a member who knows what a pressure-injury rate is actually measuring, or why a staffing dashboard looks reassuring, can ask the question nobody else in the room knows to ask. That is the role: informed challenge on the board's own agenda, not advocacy for a profession. The evidence on board composition and performance is worth citing honestly here, since it points at governance quality and engagement with quality data more than at any single member's background. And note that boards extend beyond hospitals — community organisations, insurers, foundations and regulatory bodies all govern health, and several are considerably more reachable. Say what preparation the role needs: financial literacy and fiduciary duty are learnable, and are what make the seat usable.

Likely learning objectives

Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.

  • 01
    Distinguish governance from management.
  • 02
    Explain the fiduciary duty a trustee assumes.
  • 03
    Identify the specific contribution clinical knowledge makes to governance.
  • 04
    Report board-composition evidence accurately.
Assignment instructionsQuoted verbatim

Read the full question

Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.

Why is it meaningful to have doctorally prepared advanced practice nurses as members of health care boards? What is the role of the nurse on these boards?
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. DNP 840 Topic 5 DQ 2 Why is it meaningful to have doctorally prepared advanced practice nurses as members of health care boards 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! 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

02

Turn the brief into deliverables

  1. 01
    An account of what a governing board does.
  2. 02
    The fiduciary tension between trusteeship and representation.
  3. 03
    The specific contribution a clinically informed member makes.
  4. 04
    Evidence on board composition and organisational performance.
03

What a board does, then what a nurse adds to it

01

What a governing board does

Set out strategy, accountability and fiduciary responsibility.

02

Trustee, not delegate

Explain the duty owed to the organisation rather than the profession.

03

What clinical knowledge adds

Identify the questions a clinically informed member can ask.

04

Where the seats are

Map board opportunities beyond hospital trusteeship.

04

Evidence on board composition and performance

Recommended databases

  • PubMed Central
  • Nurses on Boards Coalition
  • Health Affairs
  • Your organisation's governance documents

Search sequence

  1. 1.
    Read a governing board's terms of reference to see what it actually decides.
  2. 2.
    Find research on board composition and hospital performance.
  3. 3.
    Look at how quality data is presented to boards before it reaches them.
  4. 4.
    Identify health-related boards in your area that recruit publicly.
05

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.

Nothing here is cleared for citation until you have read it.

  1. 01

    Does governance matter? Board configuration and performance in not-for-profit hospitals

    The Milbank Quarterly · 2006

    Finds board configuration associated with hospital performance, which is the composition evidence this post should cite carefully.

  2. 02

    Evaluating hospitals' provision of community benefit: an argument for an outcome-based approach to nonprofit hospital tax exemption

    American Journal of Public Health · 2013

    On how boards are held to account for community benefit, which is governance responsibility in a concrete form.

  3. 03

    Policy Advocacy and Nursing Organizations: A Scoping Review

    Policy, Politics & Nursing Practice · 2021

    On nursing's organised engagement with governance and policy bodies.

  4. 04

    Types of Health Care Quality Measures

    Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) · 2024

    Explains what a quality measure does and does not capture, which is exactly the interrogation a clinically informed trustee can bring.

06

Review before submission

Common mistakes

  • Treating the seat as a representative role for nursing.
  • Describing board work as management.
  • Arguing meaningfulness without saying what the nurse does in the room.
  • Overstating what the composition evidence shows.

Submission checklist

  • Have you defined what a board actually does?
  • Is the fiduciary duty addressed?
  • Does your answer say what the nurse does, not just why they belong?
  • Is the evidence reported with its limits?

Use this guide to plan and review your own work. Follow your institution's rules and read our academic-integrity policy.

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Aaron Bishop

MA, Education

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Aaron leads the EssayCrackers editorial desk. He works on how assignment briefs are read — what a rubric is actually asking for, and where students most often answer a different question than the one set.

Reviewed by

Dr. Nathan Cole

PhD, Rhetoric & Composition

Argumentation and thesis development

Nathan teaches first-year composition and directs a university writing center. He reviews EssayCrackers guides for argumentative soundness and citation accuracy.

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