NURS 524 is Liberty's MSN course on systems management and leadership. Its written work is three reflective exercises, a strategic planning literature review, papers on political power and on teams, two forums, and a two-part Christian Nurse Leader Paper on servant leadership.
Liberty's catalog lists the course as NURS 524 Systems Management and Leadership for Nurse Leaders, 3 credit hours; Canvas and the course guide file print it as NURS524.
What NURS 524 covers
The catalog description: This course is designed for students who desire to develop skills in the areas of leadership and management who plan to utilize their selected area of advanced practice and knowledge as nurse leaders within healthcare organizations. Students will investigate content areas that will build knowledge and expertise in working with systems theories, high performing work teams, information systems, change theories and theories of organizational behavior. Leadership styles and innovations styles will be explored.
The course builds the knowledge a nurse leader needs inside a health system: systems theory, high-performing teams, information systems, change theory, organizational behavior, and leadership and innovation styles. The texts are Kelly and Tazbir, Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management; Porter-O'Grady and Malloch, Leadership in Nursing Practice; and O'Brien, Servant Leadership in Nursing, which carries the last two weeks.
The Christian Nurse Leader Paper ties the course together: a 10 to 15-page research paper on servant leadership, with an annotated bibliography due in Week 4 and the paper in Week 8. Starting the reading on servant leadership early helps, because O'Brien is not assigned until Week 7.
Textbook named in the published guide: Kelly & Tazbir, Essentials of Nursing Leadership and Management (2014). O'Brien, Servant Leadership in Nursing (2011). Porter-O'Grady & Malloch, Leadership in Nursing Practice (2016). Check the current edition in your Canvas section.
NURS 524 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 | Reflective Exercise 1 | 75 | As set in the exercise's own instructions |
| 2 | Discussion Board Forum 1 | 50 | Thread at least 500 words |
| 3 | Strategic Planning Literature Review | 125 | 3 to 5 pages |
| 4 | Political Power in Nursing | 75 | 2 to 3 pages |
| 4 | Annotated Bibliography | 75 | Annotations for the sources you will use (no count set beyond the paper's 5 to 7 scholarly sources) |
| 5 | The Influence of Teams on Patient Outcomes | 100 | 3 to 5 pages |
| 6 | Reflective Exercise 2 | 125 | As set in the exercise's own instructions |
| 7 | Discussion Board Forum 2 | 50 | Thread at least 500 words |
| 7 | Reflective Exercise 3 | 100 | As set in the exercise's own instructions |
| 8 | Christian Nurse Leader Paper | 225 | 10 to 15 pages |
Week 1: Reflective Exercise 1
The first of three reflective exercises, in current APA with a title page and reference page. How to write NURS 524 Week 1 Reflective Exercise 1.
Week 2: Discussion Board Forum 1
A 500-word thread showing course knowledge and two 250-word replies with APA citations. How to write NURS 524 Week 2 Discussion Board Forum 1.
Week 3: Strategic Planning Literature Review
A 3 to 5-page literature review on the impact of strategic planning on patient outcomes, with 3 to 5 scholarly sources plus the textbooks. How to write NURS 524 Week 3 Strategic Planning Literature Review.
Week 4: Political Power in Nursing
A 2 to 3-page paper on the concept of power and the influence nursing has and could have in health care. How to write NURS 524 Week 4 Political Power in Nursing.
Week 4: Annotated Bibliography
Part 1 of the Christian Nurse Leader Paper: an annotated bibliography on servant leadership. How to write NURS 524 Week 4 Annotated Bibliography.
Week 5: The Influence of Teams on Patient Outcomes
A 3 to 5-page paper on your personal experience of teamwork that improved patient outcomes. How to write NURS 524 Week 5 The Influence of Teams on Patient Outcomes.
Week 6: Reflective Exercise 2
The second reflective exercise, the largest of the three, in current APA with a title page and reference page. How to write NURS 524 Week 6 Reflective Exercise 2.
Week 7: Discussion Board Forum 2
The second forum, with O'Brien's servant leadership chapters: a 500-word thread and two cited 250-word replies. How to write NURS 524 Week 7 Discussion Board Forum 2.
Week 7: Reflective Exercise 3
The third reflective exercise, in the servant leadership weeks, with an APA title and reference page. How to write NURS 524 Week 7 Reflective Exercise 3.
Week 8: Christian Nurse Leader Paper
The largest item in NURS 524: a 10 to 15-page research paper on servant leadership with 5 to 7 scholarly sources plus the textbooks and the Bible. How to write NURS 524 Week 8 Christian Nurse Leader Paper.
How NURS 524 is graded
The published guide totals 1,010 points and nearly all of it is writing. The Christian Nurse Leader Paper is 225 and its annotated bibliography 75. The strategic planning literature review and Reflective Exercise 2 are 125 each; Reflective Exercise 3 and the teams paper 100 each; Reflective Exercise 1 and the political power paper 75 each; the two forums 50 each; the checklist 10.
| Graded item | Points |
|---|---|
| Christian Nurse Leader Paper | 225 |
| Annotated Bibliography | 75 |
| Strategic Planning Literature Review | 125 |
| Reflective Exercise 1 | 75 |
| Reflective Exercise 2 | 125 |
| Reflective Exercise 3 | 100 |
| Political Power in Nursing | 75 |
| The Influence of Teams on Patient Outcomes | 100 |
| Discussion Board Forums (2) | 100 |
| 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 524
Plan the servant leadership paper from Week 1. The annotated bibliography in Week 4 needs the sources for a 10 to 15-page paper (5 to 7 scholarly sources plus the textbooks and the Bible), and the paper is due in the final week, which ends on a Friday.
The three shorter papers each need 3 to 5 scholarly sources in addition to the textbooks; a running library of recent leadership and outcomes research will serve all of them.
Questions students ask
How long is the NURS 524 Christian Nurse Leader Paper?
10 to 15 pages in current APA, research-oriented, on servant leadership, with at least 5 to 7 scholarly sources in addition to the course textbooks and the Bible. It is completed in two parts: an annotated bibliography (Week 4) and the paper (Week 8).
What are the NURS 524 reflective exercises?
Three papers in current APA with a title page and reference page, each following its own instructions for length and sources, worth 75, 125 and 100 points.
Working through NURS 524 now?
Tell us the week and the assignment. A tutor who knows the course replies with a plan for the draft.