NU625 research and EBP for the excellent APN
Explain how you will use research and evidence-based practice to set yourself apart as an APN, propose an evidence-based policy and how you would implement it through organizational structures, then compare two AHRQ impact case studies.
Editorial process
Last reviewed · August 13, 2026
Four tasks, one of them research
This prompt bundles four separate tasks and the marks are spread across all of them, so budget accordingly. The first asks how research and evidence-based practice will set you apart as an excellent APN, and the useful answer is behavioural rather than aspirational: what you will actually do differently — appraise before adopting, measure outcomes of your own practice changes, translate findings for colleagues, maintain the habit of turning a clinical uncertainty into a searchable question. The second asks for an evidence-based policy you would like to implement and how, which needs a specific policy rather than a topic, and the evidence that supports it. The third is the one most posts thin out on: working through organisational structures to obtain feedback from staff and the organisation. That means naming the structures — shared governance councils, unit practice committees, the policy and procedure committee, medical staff endorsement — and the sequence in which you would go through them.
The fourth task sends you to the AHRQ website to pick a quality care initiative and then to read case studies in AHRQ's Impact on Health Care and compare two. This is research you have to do rather than describe: pick two genuinely different cases, and compare and contrast how the AHRQ research or evidence behind each improved client outcomes. A useful comparison axis is the mechanism — a tool, a training programme, a measurement system or a payment change — because that shows why the evidence mattered. The prompt estimates three hours, which is a signal that all four parts are expected to carry substance, and citations in APA format are required throughout. The peer responses are prescribed too: at least two, using at least two of the listed prompts, which include taking an opposing view and presenting new references — so a reply that simply agrees will not meet the stated standard.
Likely learning objectives
Inferred from the brief — check these against your own rubric.
- 01Describe evidence-based practice as a set of habits rather than an attitude.
- 02Propose a specific policy supported by identifiable evidence.
- 03Map an implementation route through real organizational governance structures.
- 04Compare quality initiatives by the mechanism through which they improved outcomes.
- 05Use a national agency's own case material as evidence.
Read the full question
Review every instruction before using the planning guidance that follows.
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. NU625-7 Unit 3 DQ 2 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
- 01How you will demonstrate and use research and EBP to set yourself apart as an APN.
- 02An example of an evidence-based policy you would implement, and how.
- 03Details of working through organizational structures to obtain staff and organizational feedback.
- 04A quality care initiative selected from the AHRQ website.
- 05A comparison and contrast of two AHRQ impact case studies and how the evidence improved outcomes.
- 06APA citations and references, plus substantive responses to at least two peers.
Distinction, policy, structures, case comparison
What an excellent APN actually does
Appraisal, measurement, translation and question habits, stated as practices.
A proposed evidence-based policy
One specific policy, with the evidence that supports it.
Implementation through organizational structures
Shared governance, practice and policy committees, and endorsement, in sequence.
An AHRQ quality care initiative
One initiative selected from the site with what it targets.
Two case studies compared
How the evidence behind each improved outcomes, and where the mechanisms differ.
The AHRQ site the prompt sends you to
Recommended databases
- AHRQ
- PubMed
- CINAHL
- AACN
- Your organization's governance documents
Search sequence
- 1.Browse the AHRQ site and pick a quality care initiative relevant to your setting.
- 2.Read several AHRQ impact case studies and select two with different mechanisms.
- 3.Find the evidence base behind the policy you intend to propose.
- 4.List your own organization's governance structures and the order a policy passes through them.
- 5.Decide the axis on which you will compare the two case studies before writing.
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.
- 01
Quality Improvement
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality · 2025
The AHRQ quality initiatives the prompt sends you to browse and select from.
- 02
Patient Safety and Quality Improvement
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality · 2025
Impact material and measurement definitions behind the case studies.
- 03
AACN Essentials
American Association of Colleges of Nursing · 2021
The scholarship and quality competencies that define what an excellent APN is expected to do.
- 04
PubMed
National Library of Medicine · 2025
The database for locating the evidence behind your proposed policy.
Review before submission
Common mistakes
- Answering the first task with commitment language rather than specific practices.
- Proposing a topic instead of a policy, so there is nothing to implement.
- Describing feedback as asking colleagues rather than routing through governance structures.
- Summarising two case studies without comparing or contrasting them.
- Choosing two case studies so similar that the contrast has nothing to work with.
- Skipping the AHRQ reading and describing quality improvement generally.
Submission checklist
- The differentiation answer names concrete practices, not intentions.
- A specific policy is proposed with the evidence behind it.
- Named organizational structures appear in the implementation route, in sequence.
- A quality care initiative is selected from the AHRQ site.
- Two AHRQ case studies are compared and contrasted, not just summarised.
- APA citations throughout and two substantive peer responses.
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Written by
Aaron Bishop
MA, Education
assignment interpretation and research-methods coaching across disciplines
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.