| Course | NUR 682 Generalist Nursing Capstone |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 10 |
| Paper type | closing reflective journal for an MSN capstone |
| Length | About 460 words, 3 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Southern New Hampshire University |
| Program | MSN |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 682 Module 10
Module Ten Journal
The Nurse Who Waited for Orders
For eleven years I have been the nurse who notices. I notice when a patient is more confused than yesterday, when a dressing smells wrong, when a catheter has no business being there. What I did not do, until this capstone, was count. I assumed noticing was enough and that someone above me would act on it.
The first turning point was a Tuesday morning audit with our charge nurse. We walked the floor and checked every catheter against the CDC list. Nine of 26 had no reason written anywhere. I had known this in a vague way for years, but seeing the number on a clipboard changed something. A complaint became a problem with a denominator, and a problem with a denominator is something a quality council will listen to.
The second turning point was less comfortable. At the first meeting with hospitalists, one physician said that nurses removing catheters without an order was a liability he would not accept. Another said catheter infections were a minor issue compared with sepsis. I went home discouraged. Later I read Krein et al. (2013), whose interviews across hospitals in one state turned up exactly these reactions, along with physicians who simply did not know their patients had catheters. Recognizing the pattern helped me stop taking it personally. At the next meeting I brought our unit's numbers and asked the most skeptical physician to help write the criteria. He did, and he became our co-lead.
The third turning point was about who owns improvement. Batalden and Davidoff (2007) describe quality improvement as work that belongs to everyone in health care every day, not a side project for managers. I used to think my role ended at reporting a problem. Now I think a nurse with data, evidence and patience can lead a change that outlasts her involvement, and that doing so is part of the job rather than extra credit.
Writing these journals has mattered more than I expected. Mann et al. (2009) reviewed research on reflection among health professionals and found that it supports learning when it moves beyond description to examining assumptions, and that it grows in settings with mentoring and feedback. The weekly entries forced me to name assumptions I had carried for years, including the belief that authority is something other people have.
I am taking three commitments forward. I will measure before I propose. I will bring the people most likely to object into the work early. And I will keep reviewing our catheter data monthly after the course ends, because a change that depends on one student's attention is not yet a change. I started this program as the nurse who waited for orders. I finish it as a nurse who writes the protocol.
References
Batalden, P. B., & Davidoff, F. (2007). What is "quality improvement" and how can it transform healthcare? Quality and Safety in Health Care, 16(1), 2-3. https://doi.org/10.1136/qshc.2006.022046
Krein, S. L., Kowalski, C. P., Harrod, M., Forman, J., & Saint, S. (2013). Barriers to reducing urinary catheter use: A qualitative assessment of a statewide initiative. JAMA Internal Medicine, 173(10), 881-886. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.105
Mann, K., Gordon, J., & MacLeod, A. (2009). Reflection and reflective practice in health professions education: A systematic review. Advances in Health Sciences Education, 14(4), 595-621. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10459-007-9090-2
What the NUR 682 Module 10 instructions ask for
The closing NUR 682 Journal generally invites you to look back on how you grew across the MSN generalist program and the capstone: what changed in how you think and practice, which experiences drove that change and what you will carry forward. It is personal and written in the first person, but faculty commonly expect two or three scholarly sources in APA 7. Entries of about 400 to 600 words are typical. Choose a few specific turning points instead of summarizing every course, describe what you assumed before and what you understand now, connect each change to evidence and end with commitments someone could observe in your practice next year. Keep the voice your own.
How this NUR 682 Module 10 journal example is built
This journal comes from a medical floor nurse who led a nurse-led catheter removal capstone. Three turning points structure it: a morning audit that turned a vague concern into nine of 26 undocumented catheters, a hospitalist meeting whose objections matched the barriers in the Krein interviews and led to recruiting the skeptic as co-lead and a new view of improvement as daily work drawn from Batalden and Davidoff. The Mann review explains why examining assumptions in writing supports growth. The entry closes with three commitments, including monthly data review after the course, and a title callback about waiting for orders. Its tone is candid rather than celebratory, which suits the prompt.
Where the NUR 682 Module 10 rubric puts the points
Closing reflections in the NUR 682 capstone are typically graded on the depth of self-examination, links between experience and evidence, connection to program outcomes and the advanced nursing role, organization and APA 7. Entries that stand out describe specific moments, including discomfort or failure, show how the writer's assumptions changed and translate insight into concrete commitments. They use sources to explain experience rather than decorate it. Entries lose credit when they list courses completed, praise the program in general terms or make commitments too vague to observe, such as promising to be a better leader. A moment of honest difficulty often makes the strongest entry. Accurate citations still count.
NUR 682 Module 10 help: the mistakes that cost points
Final NUR 682 reflections often lose points for course-by-course summaries, missing evidence, a tone of general gratitude with no analysis and commitments without specifics. Another common gap is avoiding difficult moments, such as pushback from colleagues, which are usually where the most learning happened. Pick two or three turning points, name the assumption each one changed, cite a source that helps explain it and close with actions a manager could see. If your faculty want the reflection tied to specific program outcomes or Essentials domains, list them in your NUR 682 notes and the journal will address each one naturally. Short, honest entries read better than long polished ones.
Get NUR 682 Module 10 written to your instructions
Tell us about your NUR 682 capstone, the moments that changed your thinking and the reflection prompt. The journal you receive will be candid and specific, link each turning point to evidence and close with commitments a manager could observe, within 24 to 48 hours, free the first time. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Southern New Hampshire University document.
More NUR 682 papers and related MSN samples
- NUR 682 Module 1 Discussion: Choosing a Capstone Problem
- NUR 682 Module 2 Theoretical Framework Paper: Donabedian and the Catheter Life Cycle
- NUR 682 Module 3 Milestone One: The Capstone Problem Statement and PICOT Question
- NUR 682 Module 4 Evidence Appraisal Paper: Appraising Evidence for Nurse-Driven Catheter Removal
- NUR 682 Module 5 Milestone Two: A Literature Synthesis on Reducing Catheter Use
- NUR 682 Module 6 Stakeholder Paper: Winning Support for a Nurse-Driven Protocol
- NUR 682 Module 7 Milestone Three: Implementation and Evaluation Plan
- NUR 682 Module 8 Dissemination Paper: Sharing a Capstone Project
- NUR 682 Module 9 Final Project: The Capstone Paper on Nurse-Led Catheter Removal
- NUR 506 Module 7 Implementation Plan Paper
- NUR 653 Module 7 Milestone Three: Evaluating the Program Under a Shared Savings Contract
- NUR 634 Module 4 Simulation Design: A Heart Failure Scenario With Debriefing
- NUR 520 Module 5 Statistical Inference Paper: Confidence Intervals Around County Estimates
NUR 682 Module 10 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 682 Module 10 Journal sample?
The whole journal is available on this page: an MSN generalist reflects on leading a catheter removal capstone through three turning points and three commitments.
What should a final MSN capstone reflection include?
A few specific turning points, the assumptions they changed, evidence that helps explain each change and concrete commitments for practice.
How do I handle pushback in a capstone reflection?
Describe it honestly, explain what you learned from it and show how you responded, such as bringing a skeptic into the work.
Why does reflective writing matter in nursing education?
Research suggests reflection supports learning when it goes beyond description to examine assumptions, especially with mentoring and feedback.
Should a reflection journal cite sources?
Usually yes; two or three scholarly sources that explain your experience show that reflection is grounded in evidence.