NURS 220 is Liberty's advanced nursing communication course (formerly NURS 350). It teaches professional writing as much as conversation: an APA paper on plagiarism built from interactive exercises to a 200-point final, a concise writing assignment, a group and a personal PowerPoint, a self-plan of care paper and four forums.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as NURS 220 Advanced Nursing Communication, 3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as NURS220.
What NURS 220 covers
The catalog description: It is essential that professional nurses have communication skills that are effective in promoting optimal interaction with others in a variety of situations. This course focuses on developing expert communications skills when communicating with other health care providers and patients and when communicating professional information through writing and speaking. (Formerly NURS 350)
The course develops the communication skills professional nurses need with patients and other providers, and in professional writing and speaking. The texts are the APA Publication Manual and Patterson et al., Crucial Conversations.
Some graded items are not writing assignments in the usual sense: four interactive APA exercises (title page, abstract, outline and reference page, 25 points each), eight Worldview Checkpoints in which you respond to an assigned video in at least 250 words (5 points each), a background check and an APA quiz. The Worldview Checkpoints are short personal responses; replies and citations are encouraged but not required. This site gives full guides to the written assignments below.
Textbook named in the published guide: APA, Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association. Patterson et al., Crucial Conversations (2012). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
NURS 220 assignments, week by week
Every graded written assignment in the published guide has its own how-to guide below. Quizzes, exams, checklists and class introductions are left out because there is nothing to write.
| Week | Assignment | Points | Length |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2 | Concise Writing Assignment | 50 | 250 to 300 words, tightly enforced |
| 3 | Discussion Board Forum 1 | 75 | Thread at least 250 words (citation not counted) |
| 3 | APA Paper Draft | 15 | 1,000 to 1,500 words (title page, abstract and reference page not counted) |
| 4 | APA Paper Final | 200 | 1,000 to 1,500 words (title page, abstract and reference page not counted) |
| 5 | Discussion Board Forum 2 | 75 | Thread at least 250 words (citation not counted) |
| 5 | Personal PowerPoint Presentation | 50 | 2 to 3 slides, plus a title slide and a reference slide |
| 6 | Discussion Board Forum 3 | 75 | Thread at least 250 words (citation not counted) |
| 6 | APA Review and Corrections | 25 | 250 to 500 words |
| 7 | Group PowerPoint Presentation | 100 | 10 to 15 slides |
| 7 | Self-Plan of Care Paper | 40 | 400 to 500 words (title page, abstract and reference page not counted) |
| 8 | Discussion Board Forum 4 | 75 | Thread at least 250 words (citation not counted) |
Week 2: Concise Writing Assignment
A strictly limited 250 to 300-word APA essay on the impact of spiritual care matched to a patient's religious and cultural preferences. How to write NURS 220 Week 2 Concise Writing Assignment.
Week 3: Discussion Board Forum 1
A 250-word formal thread with a peer-reviewed source and two 150-word replies with one each. How to write NURS 220 Week 3 Discussion Board Forum 1.
Week 3: APA Paper Draft
A 1,000 to 1,500-word draft on plagiarism with APA level headings and 5 recent peer-reviewed sources, checked through SafeAssign. How to write NURS 220 Week 3 APA Paper Draft.
Week 4: APA Paper Final
The largest NURS 220 item: the final 1,000 to 1,500-word plagiarism paper, corrected from the SafeAssign report. How to write NURS 220 Week 4 APA Paper Final.
Week 5: Discussion Board Forum 2
The second forum: a 250-word formal thread and two 150-word replies, each with a peer-reviewed source. How to write NURS 220 Week 5 Discussion Board Forum 2.
Week 5: Personal PowerPoint Presentation
A 2 to 3-slide professional PowerPoint that assesses an emotional reaction scenario and uses visual communication. How to write NURS 220 Week 5 Personal PowerPoint Presentation.
Week 6: Discussion Board Forum 3
The third forum: a 250-word formal thread and two 150-word replies, each with a peer-reviewed source. How to write NURS 220 Week 6 Discussion Board Forum 3.
Week 6: APA Review and Corrections
A 250 to 500-word action plan to review, repair and retain the corrections from your graded APA paper. How to write NURS 220 Week 6 APA Review and Corrections.
Week 7: Group PowerPoint Presentation
The group's final 10 to 15-slide PowerPoint based on the course textbook, with 4 recent peer-reviewed sources, built through covenant, individual parts and a draft. How to write NURS 220 Week 7 Group PowerPoint Presentation.
Week 7: Self-Plan of Care Paper
A 400 to 500-word APA paper on your value in God's eyes and specific ways you will care for yourself. How to write NURS 220 Week 7 Self-Plan of Care Paper.
Week 8: Discussion Board Forum 4
The final forum: a 250-word formal thread and two 150-word replies, each with a peer-reviewed source. How to write NURS 220 Week 8 Discussion Board Forum 4.
How NURS 220 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points. The APA paper carries the most: the final is 200, with the draft 15 and the review and corrections 25, plus the four interactive exercises at 25 each. The four forums are 75 each (300). The group PowerPoint is 130 across its parts (covenant 10, individual submission 15, draft 5, final 100); the personal PowerPoint and concise writing assignment are 50 each, the self-plan of care paper 40, the worldview checkpoints 40 in total, the APA quiz 50 and the checklist 10.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| APA Paper Final | 200 |
| APA Paper Draft | 15 |
| APA Review and Corrections | 25 |
| APA Interactive Exercises (4) | 100 |
| Discussion Board Forums (4) | 300 |
| Group PowerPoint Presentation (all parts) | 130 |
| Personal PowerPoint Presentation | 50 |
| Concise Writing Assignment | 50 |
| Self-Plan of Care Paper | 40 |
| Worldview Checkpoints (8) | 40 |
| APA Quiz | 50 |
| Course Requirements Checklist | 10 |
The published scale puts an A at 900 to 1010 points.
Week timing in the published guide: Each course module/week (except Module/Week 1) begins on Tuesday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Monday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday.
How to approach NURS 220
Save the templates from the interactive APA exercises in Weeks 1 and 2: the guide says you can download the title page, abstract, outline and reference page templates you build, and they become the frame for your plagiarism paper in Weeks 3 and 4.
Watch the word limits closely. The concise writing assignment is 250 to 300 words and the guide says that limit is tightly enforced; the self-plan of care paper is 400 to 500 words.
Questions students ask
What is the NURS 220 APA paper about?
Plagiarism. The draft (Week 3) and final (Week 4) are 1,000 to 1,500 words with APA level headings, a title page, abstract and reference page, and at least five peer-reviewed sources from the last five years, checked through SafeAssign.
What are NURS 220 Worldview Checkpoints?
Eight weekly responses of at least 250 words to an assigned video, expressing your personal perspective or worldview; replies and citations are encouraged but not required. Each is worth 5 points.
Working through NURS 220 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.