Nursing
Module/Week 8: Community Assessment Project
Module Overview
During this week, you will focus on your community health assessment project.
Overall Topics
Community Health Assessment project
Module Learning Objectives
By the end of this week, students will be able to:
• Complete Community Health Assessment.
Learning Assignments
1. Focus on completing your community health assessment.
2. This is a PowerPoint submission.
Items Due
1. Community Health Assessment due on 10/15/23 at 11:59 pm
2. *Complete verification screenshot that you placed your Community Health Assessment
in your NURS 1100 portfolio due on 10/15/23 at 11:59 pm
Community Assessment Instructions and Grading Rubric
20 points
Community Assessment- Community health is a critical dimension in baccalaureate nursing.
This assignment allows you the opportunity to perform course objectives in “real life” by
assessing a community as client, arriving at a community diagnosis, proposing interventions, and
deciding how you would measure the outcomes. In this assignment, you will begin to evaluate
the health needs of a community. To meet the needs of the members of a community, public
health nurses must first identify barriers to health care and identify the priorities of the
community.
You will use the Nies & McEwen (2019) textbook Assessment Framework for a community
health assessment to explore a geographical community (Chapter 6). For help with writing the
questions to ask, see text Chapter 6, Box 6-2: Questions to Guide Community Observations
During a Windshield Survey. There are many different sources of data needed to complete a
comprehensive community assessment including the use of the NURS 400 LibGuide. Students
will explore these data sources to help the preparation of their community assessment. You will
explore these data sources to help with the preparation of your community assessment. The
Community Health Assessment PowerPoint (including all the grading criteria on the grading
rubric) is compiled, including multiple sources of data, following the completion of the
community assessment. Explain the value of collaborating with other professionals, the use of
data resources, and evidence-based practice to guide community health nursing. This is an
individual assignment. You may assess a city or county or neighborhood. Be aware that it is
sometimes difficult to find city or neighborhood health data, so it is fine to use county data in
this case. Please say in the assignment that you were not able to find city or neighborhood data,
so are using county data.
1. Start by selecting a community.
2. Next, complete a Walking or Windshield Survey of the community. View your chosen
community as your patient taking pictures (do not use stock photos from the internet)
and assessing what is healthy in the community and what is not or may lead to public
health concerns that could possibly be addressed in your nursing diagnosis. You must
include photos you took during your windshield/walking survey in your final
presentation.
3. Then, check the Week 8 module under course content and locate the NU400 resources in
the Mustang Library – NURS 400 LibGuide to do online searches for data about the
community. It might be helpful to check with your local Chambers of Commerce as a
great community resource!
4. You will need to include multiple/credible (at least 4 sources of data) sources of data in
your assessment.
5. The 4 sources of data must be:
• The walking or windshield tour
• Two sources of data must be included/used from the Mustang McFarland Library
NU400 Lib (Data) Guide: http://libguides.smsu.edu/nurs400
• The data guide set up for NU400 at the Mustang Library has a menu at the top that
includes databases for many of the items you need for the Community Assessment!
• An interview with a key informant (keep their identity confidential for this
assignment) that addresses public health in the community. Refer to your APA 7th
ed. Resources to properly cite personal communications. The course instructor
reserves the right to request key informant contact information for auditing and
plagiarism purposes.
• Keep in mind, a community key informant is a professional in the community but not
a nurse (interprofessional collaboration) (examples may include mayor, teacher,
physician, environmental scientist, public health professional, minister, city council
member, health educator, etc.) Interview the key informant using open-ended
questions that you develop from the examples in the textbook.
Questions to include in the key interview should include but not be limited to the
following:
a. How do you define health?
b. What helps you or your community be healthy?
c. What makes it difficult to be healthy in your community?
d. What are the health concerns for your community? Your culture?
e. What resources do you access to help you be healthy?
• Please incorporate photos from your Windshield/Walking Survey within your
PowerPoint to show the community! Avoid using pictures of children. Include photos in
your PowerPoint to showcase the community (paint a picture) but remember this is
not an advertisement for the community but rather an assessment of its health.
• Please include major headings in your PowerPoint for the required elements including
adhering to 7th ed. APA formatting
Formulating the Community Health Diagnosis:
1. For this assignment, you will identify a priority health need and write a community health
diagnosis. You will write a community health diagnosis using the following format from
the Nies and McEwen (2019) text on page 103 in Chapter 6 (Fig. 6.3): Community
Assessment.
2. Start by using the community assessment that you have just completed in this assignment.
Next, using the format, write a diagnosis that is used to address the measure of concern
and add this to your PowerPoint.
3. The format for community health diagnosis is, “Increased risk of
______________(disability or disease) among ____________________(community or
population) related to ______________________(etiological statement) as demonstrated
in/as evidenced by ___________________ (health indicators).”
**Please include major headings in your PowerPoint for the required rubric elements
Community Assessment
Rubric
Excellent Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
1. Describe and define your
chosen
community/community
vitality (e.g.,
location/geography, what
does your community look
like).
*must include vital
statistics such as births,
deaths, including
population density,
population at last census,
any unique fluctuations,
age, race, income, gender,
etc., from NURS 400
LibGuide
Clearly describes
community. The
observation is
thorough, and all
issues are
addressed.
Includes census
data is provided.
(15-20 points)
Minimally describes
community and
lacks details
regarding census
data.
(9-14 points)
Does not describe
the community
and/or provides
little to no census
data.
(0 –8 points)
2. Community Assessment
– Walking or Windshield
Survey (refer to Nies &
McEwen Box 6. 2
Questions to Guide
Community Observations
During a Windshield
Survey). Describes and
evaluates main findings
from windshield survey
and the descriptions as a
guide as you drive or walk
through the defined
community.
• Provide a clear
overview of the
community
• Helps to identify
needs, clarifying
problems, and
identifying
strengths and
Clearly describes
and evaluates a
thorough
Windshield
Survey of the
community.
(15-20 points)
Minimally
describes/evaluates
most aspects of the
community using a
Windshield Survey.
(9-14 points)
Does not adequately
describe the
community using a
Windshield Survey.
The information is
incomplete, with
many/all assessment
aspects missing.
(0 –8 points)
resources within
the/your identified
community.
• Included your own
pictures (not stock
photos) with
comments/
information from
Windshield survey
3. Vital Statistics/Data
Collection
Describe indicators of the
following social/economic
needs in your community
assessment:
• Describe people
(who is part of the
community)
• Population data
such as age, gender,
race/ethnicity,
marital
status/family
• Religion, education
levels, income,
employment,
unemployment,
closed businesses,
housing
Clearly describes
social/economic
characteristics of
the community
including vital
statistics listed in
bulleted points.
(8-10 points)
Minimally describes
social/economic
characteristics of the
community and
includes part of the
vital statistics listed
in bulleted points.
(5-7 points)
Does not describe
social/economic
characteristics
and/or does not
include vital
statistics listed in
bulleted points.
(0-4 points)
4. Describe community
environmental/physical
conditions and
characteristics related to
health (e.g., climate, air
quality, pollution, disaster
history, housing, sanitation,
etc.).
Clearly describes
environmental
conditions related
to community
assessment
findings.
(4-5points)
Minimally describes
environmental
conditions related to
community
assessment findings.
(2-3 points)
Does not describe
environmental
conditions related to
community
assessment findings.
(0 points)
5.Describe health resources
within your community
assessment (e.g., health
personnel/offices, doctors,
dentists, hospitals, health
department, treatment
centers, homeless shelters,
etc.) AND describe the
community attitude toward
health/health care.
Clearly describes
health resources
within
community.
(6-8 points)
Minimally describes
health resources
within community.
(3-5 points)
Does not describe
health resources
within community.
(0 points)
6.Describe social
functioning (e.g., the level
of social and emotional
support community
members receives from
friends and/or family, etc.)
Clearly describes
social functioning
within
community.
(4-5 points)
Minimally describes
social functioning
within community
(2-3 points)
Does not describe
social functioning
within community.
(0 points)
7. Key Informant
Interview: Include one key
informant interview that is
a non-nurse professional
(interprofessional
collaboration) from the
community– interviewed
with data included in the
assessment (can be a
selected community
member, which includes,
informal leaders, church
deacons, school nurses,
social workers, or other
community members that
represent or work with
your community of
interest) See your Nies &
McEwen textbook for help
with questions for your
interview. Note the
purpose of this interview is
to address public health
issues in the community.
See the assignment
description found in the
Accurately
includes one key
informant
interview
providing
sufficient data
from community
assessment.
(4-5 points)
Does not accurately
include key
informant interview
and contains
adequate data from
community
assessment.
(2-3 points)
No key informant
identified and/or
major aspects of the
key informant
interview/data are
missing or
inadequate.
(0 points)
syllabus for questions that
must be asked of the
informant.
8. Analyze community data
and describe the
community problem:
Problem Statement
• Description of
problem with
problem statement
• Rationale for
problem chosen
• What are the
strengths and
problems for this
community?
• What are the risk
factors?
• What factors
contribute to the
problems?
Clearly analyzes
and describes
community data
and problem(s)
within the
community.
(8-10 points)
Minimally
analyzes/describes
community data and
problem(s) within
the community.
(5-7 points)
Does not adequately
analyze or describe
community data and
problem(s) within
the community.
(0-4 points)
9. Describe two other
credible sources of health
data about the community
(from sources at the
NU400 Library Guides)
**Explain the value of
applying population data to
identify priority concerns
and health outcomes
** Explain the value of
EBP as integral to
determining the best
clinical practice in
community health nursing
At least two other
sources of health
data included
The value of
population data
and EBP clearly
explained
(3.25 to 2.25
points)
One source of health
data included from
the NURS 400
Library Guides
(1.25-2.0 points)
No source from the
NURS 400 Library
Guide was used
(0-1.0 points)
10. Formulate a
Community Health
Nursing Diagnosis
(justifying identified
Clearly identifies
and formulates
community health
diagnosis based
on assessment
Minimally
identifies/formulates
community health
diagnosis based on
assessment findings.
Does not identify
and/or formulate a
community health
diagnosis based on
assessment findings.
priority primary need—the
most important need).
The format for community
health diagnosis is (4-part
statement), “Increased risk
of
______________(disability
or disease) among
____________________(c
ommunity or population
focus) related to
______________________
(etiological statement) as
demonstrated in/as
evidenced by
_________________(healt
h indicators).”
findings. Linkages
between
assessment
findings and
identified risks
and health
indicators are
clear.
(5-7 points)
(4-6 points) (0-3 points)
11. Identify limitations or
barriers to data collection
that you experienced
At least three
limitations or
barriers were
clearly described
(3.25 to 2.25
points)
Partial limitations or
barriers to data
collection were
included
(1.25-2.0 points)
Limitations or
barriers to data
collection were not
included
(0-1.0 points)
12. Writing Mechanics
(e.g., grammar and
spelling) through
PowerPoint.
Compile information into
PowerPoint formatting per
7th ed APA manual.
**Please include major
headings in your
PowerPoint for the
required rubric elements.
Correctly uses
APA format
including section
headers, citations,
and reference
page. Spelling,
grammar,
sentence structure
is essentially error
free.
(2 points)
Frequent errors (4-5
errors) occur with
spelling, grammar,
sentence structure
throughout
PowerPoint.
(1 points)
Numerous errors
(>6 errors) occur
with APA
format/writing
mechanics
consistently
throughout
PowerPoint.
(0 points)
13. The project must
include at least four
different (credible)/current
evidence-based sources of
data that are presented
within the last 5-7 years,
Includes a
minimum of four
current references
within the last 5-
10 years.
(1.5 points)
Includes a minimum
of two current
references within the
last 5-10 years and
(.75 points)
Not all references
are appropriate and
not from scholarly
sources. Fewer than
four references
used.
applicable to your
community/ aggregate
population.
(0 points)
FINAL SCORE (100
points total): points are
weighted in the
gradebook
*Complete the Verification Screenshot of the Community Assessment Assignment placed in
the NURS1100 portfolio by the due date to receive grade credit.
