NURS 325 is the concepts course that opens Liberty's RN to BSN. It is built on one book, Benner's From Novice to Expert, read a chapter a week, with five discussion forums, a chart of Benner's seven domains and a nursing mentor paper with its outline.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as NURS 325 Nursing Concepts, 1-3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as NURS325.
What NURS 325 covers
The catalog description: This course is designed to assist the registered nurse student through the transition between basic nursing preparation and a more advanced level of nursing practice. Focus is on concepts and issues related to the professional nurse, the nature and scope of professional nursing and selected theoretical models for nursing practice.
The course helps registered nurses make the transition from basic preparation to a more advanced level of practice, focusing on the nature and scope of professional nursing and selected theoretical models. Benner's book carries it: the early chapters set out the novice-to-expert model, and chapters 4 to 10 describe the seven domains of nursing practice that the Week 6 chart asks you to explain.
Short APA quizzes (title page, reference page, outline, abstract and body of a paper) run through the course at 10 points each, building the format skills the mentor paper uses at the end.
Textbook named in the published guide: Benner, From Novice to Expert (2001). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
NURS 325 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 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Discussion Board Forum 1 | 90 | Thread at least 300 words |
| 2 | Discussion Board Forum 2 | 90 | Thread at least 300 words |
| 3 | Discussion Board Forum 3 | 90 | Thread at least 300 words |
| 4 | Nursing Mentor Outline | 100 | A full outline of the paper |
| 5 | Discussion Board Forum 4 | 90 | Thread at least 300 words |
| 6 | Benner's Seven Domains Chart | 150 | All seven domains (no length set in the guide) |
| 7 | Discussion Board Forum 5 | 90 | Thread at least 300 words |
| 8 | Nursing Mentor Paper | 250 | 750 to 1,000 words |
Week 1: Discussion Board Forum 1
A 300-word thread and two 200-word replies, each citing a recent scholarly source and Benner. How to write NURS 325 Week 1 Discussion Board Forum 1.
Week 2: Discussion Board Forum 2
The second forum, on Benner's helping role: a 300-word thread and two 200-word replies with recent sources. How to write NURS 325 Week 2 Discussion Board Forum 2.
Week 3: Discussion Board Forum 3
The third forum, on the teaching-coaching function: a 300-word thread and two 200-word replies. How to write NURS 325 Week 3 Discussion Board Forum 3.
Week 4: Nursing Mentor Outline
An APA outline for the nursing mentor paper with at least 2 recent research articles and 4 Scripture references. How to write NURS 325 Week 4 Nursing Mentor Outline.
Week 5: Discussion Board Forum 4
The fourth forum, on managing rapidly changing situations: a 300-word thread and two 200-word replies. How to write NURS 325 Week 5 Discussion Board Forum 4.
Week 6: Benner's Seven Domains Chart
A chart describing each of Benner's seven domains and how it relates to practice, with at least one reference per domain. How to write NURS 325 Week 6 Benner's Seven Domains Chart.
Week 7: Discussion Board Forum 5
The last forum, on monitoring the quality of care: a 300-word thread and two 200-word replies. How to write NURS 325 Week 7 Discussion Board Forum 5.
Week 8: Nursing Mentor Paper
The largest NURS 325 item: a 750 to 1,000-word paper on mentoring characteristics and your plan to become a mentor or mentee. How to write NURS 325 Week 8 Nursing Mentor Paper.
How NURS 325 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points. The five forums are 90 each (450), the nursing mentor paper 250, Benner's seven domains chart 150 and the mentor outline 100. Five APA quizzes (10 each) and the checklist (10) complete the total.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| Discussion Board Forums (5) | 450 |
| Nursing Mentor Paper | 250 |
| Benner's Seven Domains Chart | 150 |
| Nursing Mentor Outline | 100 |
| APA Quizzes (5) | 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 325
Read Benner with your own practice in mind: for each chapter, note one situation from your work that fits the domain it describes. Those notes become forum examples, chart entries and mentor paper material.
Every forum post (thread and replies) needs both a scholarly source from the last five years and a citation from Benner, so keep a short list of recent articles on nursing expertise, mentoring and professional development from Week 1.
Questions students ask
What are Benner's seven domains of nursing practice?
The helping role; the teaching-coaching function; the diagnostic and patient-monitoring function; effective management of rapidly changing situations; administering and monitoring therapeutic interventions and regimens; monitoring and ensuring the quality of health care practices; and organizational and work-role competencies.
What does the NURS 325 mentor paper need?
750 to 1,000 words in current APA examining nursing mentoring characteristics and a plan to become a mentor or mentee, with at least 3 research articles from the last five years and at least 4 Scripture references.
Working through NURS 325 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.