Nursing Role in Healthcare Delivery Models and Public Health
This reflection paper examines how an RN-BSN program reshaped one nursing student's understanding of healthcare delivery models and public health programs. The paper discusses support for acute care, transitional care, and collaborative payer models, in which nurses function as care coordinators. It also explores two community-based public health interventions — the Immune LA Kids Coalition and Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC) — and reviews how coursework addressed evidence-based practice outcomes related to nursing research, physical activity and health promotion, inter-professional collaboration, and the integration of scientific evidence into clinical judgment.
- Introduction: Evolving Perceptions of Healthcare Delivery: Student's prior assumptions about healthcare, transformed by coursework
- Healthcare Delivery Models and the Nurse's Role: Acute, transitional, and collaborative payer models supported
- Community-Based Public Health Programs: Immune LA Kids Coalition and HEAC compared
- Evidence-Based Practice Outcomes in Nursing Education: Outcomes 2, 5, 6, and 7 addressed through coursework
- Conclusion: Collaborative research reinforces nursing judgment and process
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What makes this paper effective
- The paper uses direct self-quotation from prior coursework to substantiate each evidence-based practice outcome, grounding reflection in concrete academic evidence rather than unsupported assertion.
- It clearly contrasts the student's prior assumptions with post-course understanding, giving the reflection a defined before-and-after arc that demonstrates genuine learning.
- Comparing two public health programs (Immune LA Kids Coalition and HEAC) using similarities and differences adds analytical depth to what could otherwise be a descriptive summary.
Key academic technique demonstrated
The paper demonstrates outcome-mapped reflection — each body paragraph is explicitly tied to a numbered program outcome (Outcomes #2, #5, #6, and #7), showing how individual assignments collectively built professional competency. This technique is especially useful in professional program portfolios and capstone reflections, as it aligns personal growth with institutional learning objectives.
Structure breakdown
The paper opens with a brief personal narrative establishing prior misconceptions, then moves to a discussion of supported healthcare delivery models. A dedicated section covers two public health programs with comparative analysis. The bulk of the paper works through four evidence-based practice outcomes sequentially, each anchored by a direct quotation from prior student work. The paper closes implicitly with the discussion of collaborative research activities. References follow APA conventions.
Introduction: Evolving Perceptions of Healthcare Delivery
Since commencing this RN-BSN program, my perception of healthcare delivery models and the role of nurses in public health programs has evolved considerably. Prior to undertaking the course, I was unaware that different healthcare delivery models exist; I believed that healthcare delivery was essentially about providing care services to patients. I also believed that public health programs were simply policies enacted by the government to promote health. However, the course has changed my perception by helping me understand that there are distinct healthcare delivery models, each assigning different roles to members of the clinical team.
Healthcare Delivery Models and the Nurse's Role
Through the lessons learned in this course, the healthcare delivery models I support are the acute care model, the transitional care model, and the collaborative payer model. I support these models because they represent innovative approaches through which nurses become care coordinators rather than care providers (Beattie, 2016). This shift in role is significant: it expands the scope of nursing practice beyond direct bedside care and positions nurses as central organizers of patient-centered care across settings and provider teams.
Community-Based Public Health Programs
The course has also helped me understand that public health programs are diverse and pursue different objectives in relation to health promotion and disease prevention. The public health programs I am most familiar with are the Immune LA Kids Coalition and Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC). These programs are similar in that they are both community-based public health interventions and were founded as part of the CDC's initiative to fund communities in reducing the burden of chronic diseases among children (Trust for America's Health, n.d.).
However, they differ in their specific focus. The Immune LA Kids Coalition concentrates on promoting the use of culturally appropriate immunizations. In contrast, Healthy Eating, Active Communities (HEAC) focuses on reducing disparities in diabetes and obesity by enhancing access to nutritious food and opportunities for physical fitness among school-age children.
Conclusion
For Outcome #7, my academic work entailed collaborating with classmates to conduct studies on different healthcare issues. These studies focused on collecting, documenting, and disseminating evidence related to specific health topics. These research activities enabled me to work collaboratively with peers and instructors to gather evidence from credible sources such as peer-reviewed scientific journals. This process deepened my understanding of nursing research practices and how clinical teams form sound decisions and judgments based on available evidence.
Beattie, L. (2016). New health care delivery models are redefining the role of nurses. Retrieved September 29, 2017, from https://www.americanmobile.com/nursezone/nursing-news/new-health-care-delivery-models-are-redefining-the-role-of-nurses/
[Student]. (2017e). The role of nursing research in demonstrating evidence-based practice. Paper submitted to [University].
[Student]. (2017f). The impact of physical activity in health promotion and disease prevention. Paper submitted to [University].
Trust for America's Health. (n.d.). Examples of successful community-based public health interventions (state-by-state). Retrieved September 29, 2017, from http://www.healthyamericans.org/assets/files/Examplesbystate1009.pdf
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