NURS 501 is the MSN health policy and ethics course at Liberty University Online. Its written work runs from a one-page legislative letter in Week 1 to a 225-point health policy paper in Week 6 and a recorded policy briefing in Week 7. Each graded written assignment has its own guide below.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as NURS 501 Health Policy and Ethics, 3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as NURS501.
What NURS 501 covers
The catalog description: This course examines policy decisions and related issues that shape the organization, financing, and implementation of health care services and delivery systems. Ethical, social, and political issues that affect the provision of health care, nursing services, communities, and society are critically analyzed. Dynamics related to the roles and influences of health care providers and consumers, government, and law are discussed. Advanced nursing practice and its impact on policy decision making and health care is emphasized.
The course treats policy as something nurses do, not something done to them. The assignments move from a letter to a lawmaker about a current federal bill, through a reflection on an error or ethical breakdown in your own practice, to two discussions built on legal case briefs, and finally a full policy analysis of a state or federal bill presented twice: once as a 12 to 15-page paper and once as a briefing to decision makers.
The textbook is Mason et al., Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care, a large reader the guide assigns in clusters of chapters each week. The policy issue you pick early can carry the letter, the paper and the presentation, which saves research time.
Textbook named in the published guide: Mason et al., Policy & Politics in Nursing and Health Care (2016). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
NURS 501 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 | Legislative Letter | 100 | 1 to 2-page letter, plus a title page and a reference page |
| 2 | Reflection Assignment | 100 | 2 to 4 pages, not counting the title and reference pages |
| 4 | Case Studies Discussion 1 | 100 | Thread at least 500 words |
| 5 | Case Studies Discussion 2 | 100 | Thread at least 500 words |
| 6 | Health Policy Issue Paper | 225 | 12 to 15 pages, not counting the title page, abstract or reference page |
| 7 | Health Policy Issue Position | 175 | 10 slides, not counting the title and reference slides; no more than 15 minutes |
| 8 | Health Policy Issue Position Feedback | 25 | Substantive feedback on peers' presentations (no word count set in the guide) |
| 8 | Discussion Board Forum | 100 | Thread at least 500 words |
Week 1: Legislative Letter
A 1 to 2-page formal business letter to a lawmaker about a current federal bill relevant to nursing, patient care or health care, with a title page and reference page. How to write NURS 501 Week 1 Legislative Letter.
Week 2: Reflection Assignment
A 2 to 4-page reflection on an error, ethical dilemma or teamwork breakdown in your own practice that affected a patient, with 1 to 2 recent peer-reviewed articles. How to write NURS 501 Week 2 Reflection Assignment.
Week 4: Case Studies Discussion 1
A 500-word thread on legal case briefs, supported by 2 peer-reviewed articles plus the textbook and the Bible, and two 250-word replies. How to write NURS 501 Week 4 Case Studies Discussion 1.
Week 5: Case Studies Discussion 2
The second case studies discussion: another set of legal case briefs, with the same 500-word thread and two 250-word replies. How to write NURS 501 Week 5 Case Studies Discussion 2.
Week 6: Health Policy Issue Paper
The largest assignment in NURS 501: a 12 to 15-page analysis of a state or federal health bill or policy, with an abstract and 10 to 15 citations. How to write NURS 501 Week 6 Health Policy Issue Paper.
Week 7: Health Policy Issue Position
A recorded policy briefing of 10 content slides, no more than 15 minutes, with audio and visuals and at least 5 recent scholarly citations. How to write NURS 501 Week 7 Health Policy Issue Position.
Week 8: Health Policy Issue Position Feedback
Post your position presentation to the group forum and give substantive feedback on classmates' presentations. How to write NURS 501 Week 8 Health Policy Issue Position Feedback.
Week 8: Discussion Board Forum
The closing 100-point forum: a 500-word thread and two 250-word replies, each with at least one APA citation. How to write NURS 501 Week 8 Discussion Board Forum.
How NURS 501 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points, and most of them ride on writing. The Health Policy Issue paper (225) and position presentation (175) together are 400 points, almost 40% of the course. The legislative letter, reflection assignment, each of the two case studies discussions and the closing discussion forum are 100 points apiece; the position feedback is 25. A quiz (75) and the course requirements checklist (10) are the only items with nothing to write.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| Legislative Letter | 100 |
| Reflection Assignment | 100 |
| Case Studies Discussions (2) | 200 |
| Health Policy Issue Paper | 225 |
| Health Policy Issue Position | 175 |
| Position Feedback | 25 |
| Discussion Board Forum | 100 |
| Quiz | 75 |
| Course Requirements Checklist | 10 |
The published scale puts an A at 940 to 1010 points.
Week timing in the published guide: Each course module/week begins on Monday morning at 12:00 a.m. (ET) and ends on Sunday night at 11:59 p.m. (ET). The final module/week ends at 11:59 p.m. (ET) on Friday.
How to approach NURS 501
Choose one bill in Week 1 and keep it. The letter needs a current federal bill relevant to nursing or health care; the paper and the presentation need a state or federal bill or policy that has been introduced but not passed, or one that exists and needs revision or elimination. A pending federal bill can satisfy all three, so you research once and write three times.
Track the bill on congress.gov from the start: its number, sponsors, committee and status are facts the grader can check, and status can change during an eight-week course. Keep a running list of sources; the paper alone needs 10 to 15 citations.
Questions students ask
Can I use the same bill for the NURS 501 letter and the policy paper?
The guide does not forbid it, and the requirements overlap: the letter needs a current federal bill relevant to nursing or health care, and the paper needs a state or federal bill or policy that is pending or needs revision. Check with your instructor if you are unsure.
How long is the NURS 501 Health Policy Issue paper?
12 to 15 pages in current APA, not counting the title page, abstract or reference page, with 10 to 15 citations.
Working through NURS 501 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.