Building the Foundation for Nursing Leadership
As healthcare continues to evolve, nurses are expected to step into leadership roles that go beyond bedside care. Two key assessments from Capella University’s RN-to-BSN program— Nurs Fpx 4050 Assessment 3 and NURS FPX 4900 Assessment 1—are designed to develop the critical thinking, coordination, and problem-solving skills needed to lead effective care initiatives.
Whether you’re preparing to present a care coordination plan or beginning your capstone project, these assessments are essential milestones that emphasize collaboration, communication, and evidence-based nursing practice.
NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 3: Care Coordination Presentation to Colleagues
This assessment challenges students to create and present a care coordination plan tailored to a specific patient population with complex health needs. It’s an opportunity to demonstrate how nurses serve as central figures in organizing patient-centered care and collaborating with interdisciplinary teams.
Key components include:
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Patient-Centered Approach: Students must consider the patient’s preferences, social determinants of health, and overall care goals.
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Interdisciplinary Collaboration: The plan should demonstrate how nurses work with physicians, case managers, social workers, and community services to improve care continuity.
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Use of Evidence-Based Practice: Students support their coordination strategies with current research and clinical guidelines.
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Addressing Barriers: The presentation must include discussion on real-world challenges such as access to care, financial constraints, or gaps in communication.
By completing NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 3, students show how they can effectively bridge gaps in care, prevent hospital readmissions, and advocate for holistic, patient-focused outcomes.
NURS FPX 4900 Assessment 1: Identifying a Clinical Problem
As the first step of the Capstone Project, this assessment requires students to identify a significant clinical problem within their current or past healthcare setting. This issue will serve as the foundation for designing and evaluating a comprehensive intervention throughout the capstone course.
Assessment 1 involves:
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Defining the Clinical Problem: Students must clearly articulate a nursing-related issue that impacts patient safety, care quality, or healthcare efficiency. Common topics include medication errors, hospital-acquired infections, or communication breakdowns during handoffs.
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Describing the Impact: The chosen issue should be supported by clinical observations, data, or organizational feedback to show its relevance.
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Nursing Scope and Relevance: The problem must fall within the scope of nursing practice, and students are expected to explain how addressing it will contribute to improved patient outcomes and professional practice.
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Initial Evidence Exploration: A brief introduction to evidence or guidelines related to the issue helps show that the problem is not only relevant, but solvable through research and planning.
This assessment teaches students how to define a focused, actionable problem, setting the stage for evidence-based leadership in the capstone project.
Why These Assessments Matter Together
While NURS FPX 4050 Assessment 3 centers on organizing and presenting a care coordination plan, Nurs Fpx 4900 Assessment 1 shifts the focus to identifying an issue that demands long-term strategic intervention. Together, these assessments build a nurse’s ability to:
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Communicate effectively across teams and disciplines
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Identify gaps in patient care and organizational processes
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Use data and evidence to support decision-making
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Lead with a solution-focused mindset
Whether you’re coordinating care for a patient with chronic conditions or pinpointing a system-level challenge for your capstone, these assessments reinforce the core leadership and critical thinking skills essential to advancing nursing practice.
