| Course | HS290 Associate's Capstone in Health Science |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 2 |
| Paper type | Skills self-assessment |
| Length | About 990 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | Associate of Applied Science in Health Science |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HS290 Unit 2
Eleven Requirements, Four Ratings, One Pattern: A Unit 2 Skills Self-Assessment Against a Patient Access Posting
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HS290: Associate's Capstone in Health Science
Unit 2 Skills Self-Assessment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The graduate, posting and evidence are composite, with figures shown as placeholders; the research on self-assessment cited is real.
The Rating Scale
People are poor judges of their own skill, and they are worst at it in areas they know least, because the knowledge needed to do a task well is the same knowledge needed to notice doing it badly (Dunning et al., 2004). To guard against that, each rating below describes a behavior rather than a level of confidence.
Level 4, can do unsupervised: I have done this task for real, more than once, without anyone checking my work.
Level 3, can do with a reference: I have done it, but I would need a guide, a checklist or a coworker nearby.
Level 2, have seen it done: I have watched it or practiced it on a mock case, but never on a live one.
Level 1, not yet: I have read about it or not encountered it at all.
A scale like this also matches how screeners read an entry-level application. Recruiters screening recent graduates look for evidence of specific experience and skills more than for general claims, and they tend to discount qualities an applicant simply asserts (Cole et al., 2007). Evidence beside each rating answers that habit in advance.
The Requirements, Rated
The posting is the imaging center access opening from Unit 1, at a [regional health system] site. Requirements appear in the order the posting lists them, with the posting's own label of required or preferred.
1. Medical terminology (required). Level 3. Evidence: terminology course final at [score] percent; I still check unfamiliar imaging terms against a reference.
2. Insurance eligibility verification (required). Level 2. Evidence: twelve mock registrations completed in the revenue cycle unit, each verified against a sample benefits response. No live verification.
3. Prior authorization for advanced imaging (required). Level 1. Evidence: none beyond reading. I can explain what authorization is but have never submitted one.
4. Point-of-service collections (required). Level 4. Evidence: four years collecting deposits and balances at a hotel desk, about [number] transactions a shift, with no drawer shortages in my last [number] audits.
5. Scheduling software (required). Level 3. Evidence: daily use of the hotel's property management system; one week of practice in a training version of a clinic scheduling system.
6. HIPAA privacy practice (required). Level 3. Evidence: privacy module certificate; a written case on disclosure to family members. I know the rules but have not applied them under pressure.
7. Typing at [number] words per minute (required). Level 4. Evidence: typing test certificate dated [month, year] at [number] words per minute with [number] percent accuracy.
8. De-escalating upset callers (required). Level 4. Evidence: handled billing complaints at the hotel desk most shifts; recognized by my manager for resolving an overbooking dispute.
9. Bilingual communication, Spanish (preferred). Level 2. Evidence: conversational Spanish; I have never explained a bill or a benefit in Spanish.
10. Basic knowledge of CPT and ICD-10 codes (preferred). Level 2. Evidence: coding exercises in two courses; I can find codes but not judge whether they support an order.
11. One year of health care customer service (preferred). Level 1. Evidence: none paid; [number] volunteer hours at a free clinic intake table.
Read down the ratings and two clusters appear: every requirement about people and payment sits at Level 3 or 4, and every requirement about payers and codes sits at Level 1 or 2.
What the Pattern Shows
The strong cluster comes from the hotel job. Collections, calming an angry caller, typing and running a scheduling system are the same skills under a different name, and I have years of daily practice in them. Privacy and terminology are at Level 3 because the program taught them well but I have used them only in course work.
The weak cluster is everything that happens between the clinic and the insurer: eligibility, authorization and coding. These are the duties the posting lists first, which suggests they matter most to the employer. That is uncomfortable, but it is also useful, because these skills are teachable and some employers expect to teach them. Spanish is a separate case; it would take months to reach the level the work needs, and the posting lists it only as preferred.
Which Gaps Training Would Close
Not every gap is equal. Prior authorization and payer portals are specific to each employer's payers and systems, so a new representative would be trained on them regardless of background. Eligibility verification is partly general and partly specific. Health care customer service experience is a gap only time can close, though volunteer hours help. The gap an employer is least likely to forgive at hire is weak eligibility verification, because it is the first task of every registration.
Three Steps
Eligibility verification: complete two payer portal tutorials and redo the twelve mock registrations against real benefit response formats by [date].
Prior authorization: ask the imaging center's access lead for a half-day shadowing session by [date], and keep notes on the steps for one MRI and one CT request.
Health care customer experience: add [number] more hours at the free clinic, moving from the intake table to the phone line, by [date].
Is the Posting Realistic Now?
Yes, with honesty in the interview. Four of the six required skills that most shape a shift are at Level 3 or above, and the remaining gaps are ones the employer trains on. I will apply once the eligibility step is complete rather than wait for all three. Treating the remaining gaps as next steps rather than barriers is the kind of concern for the future and confidence that career adaptability research links to successful transitions between fields (Savickas & Porfeli, 2012).
References
Cole, M. S., Rubin, R. S., Feild, H. S., & Giles, W. F. (2007). Recruiters' perceptions and use of applicant résumé information: Screening the recent graduate. Applied Psychology, 56(2), 319-343. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2007.00288.x
Dunning, D., Heath, C., & Suls, J. M. (2004). Flawed self-assessment: Implications for health, education, and the workplace. Psychological Science in the Public Interest, 5(3), 69-106. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1529-1006.2004.00018.x
Savickas, M. L., & Porfeli, E. J. (2012). Career Adapt-Abilities Scale: Construction, reliability, and measurement equivalence across 13 countries. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 80(3), 661-673. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jvb.2012.01.011
HS290 Unit 2 instructions, in plain terms
The second unit of the capstone typically has you compare your current skills with the requirements of a specific job posting. Most versions want every requirement covered, including the unflattering ones, with a rating and evidence for each. Instructors look for a rating scale defined before it is used, since an undefined number tells a reader nothing. Evidence should be specific enough that someone could verify it: a named project, a score, a task with a frequency. A short narrative that reads the ratings as a whole, rather than restating them, usually earns credit, as does a plan that turns the largest gaps into dated steps. Citing research on self-assessment accuracy shows awareness that people misjudge their own skills, and a closing judgment on whether to apply now completes the task.
Inside the HS290 Unit 2 example
The paper opens by defining four levels in terms of what the writer has actually done, after noting research that people judge their own skill poorly. It links the scale to how recruiters screen applications. Eleven numbered requirements follow, in posting order, each with a level and evidence, such as twelve mock registrations for eligibility at Level 2 and four years of hotel collections at Level 4. The highlighted sentence identifies two clusters. A section explains where each cluster comes from, another separates gaps the employer would train from the one it would not forgive at hire, and three dated steps target eligibility, authorization and health care experience. The paper ends by deciding to apply after the first step.
Reading the HS290 Unit 2 grading rubric
Self-assessments in this capstone are graded on whether the scale is defined, how complete and honest the ratings are, the strength of evidence, the insight of the narrative and the quality of the plan. Honest ratings backed by evidence usually decide the grade, because the unit tests judgment, not confidence. A defined scale earns credit by making ratings comparable. Completeness means no requirement is skipped. The narrative should find patterns and explain them rather than repeat the table. Plans score well when each step has a date and a measurable outcome. A source on self-assessment and clean formatting finish the grade. Profiles with every rating at the top of the scale rarely score well, since they contradict the evidence.
Common HS290 Unit 2 mistakes, and how to avoid them
The most damaging error here is rating every requirement highly, which makes the whole document read as unreliable. Another is giving evidence that cannot be checked, such as saying a skill was used often without saying where. Some students skip requirements they cannot meet, which a reader notices at once. Others write a plan that addresses every gap equally instead of the two or three that matter most for hiring. Using a strengths inventory in place of a posting misses the assignment's purpose. If your posting is for a different role, perhaps a phlebotomist, a scheduler or a unit secretary, send it along with your experience, and our team can prepare a self-assessment rated and evidenced against that posting.
Get an HS290 Unit 2 example written to your instructions
Send a posting you would actually send an application to, a plain inventory of your work history and program projects, and the Unit 2 instructions and rubric. The free first self-assessment, back in 24-48h, rates you against that posting with evidence in every row and leaves scores only you know in brackets. The paper above is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Purdue University Global document.
More HS290 papers and Associate of Applied Science in Health Science samples
- HS290 Unit 1: Patient Access Role Discussion Post
- HS290 Unit 3: Career Pathway Plan
- HS290 Unit 4: Workplace Scenario Analysis
- HS290 Unit 5: Resume Draft
- HS290 Unit 6: Cover Letter
- HS290 Unit 7: Seminar Reflection
- HS290 Unit 8: Professionalism Case
- HS290 Unit 9: Portfolio Assembly
- HS290 Unit 10: Capstone Summary Paper
- HS230 Unit 2: Type 1 Diabetes Delivery System
- HS215 Unit 2: Insurance Plan Comparison
- HS200 Unit 2: Inflammation and Immunity Paper
- HS140 Unit 2: Calcium Channel Blocker Class Profile
HS290 Unit 2 questions, answered
How honest should the ratings be?
Honest enough that an employer reading them would agree after a month of watching you work. The self-assessment is marked on accuracy and evidence, not on how high the numbers are. A realistic profile with two or three clear gaps and a plan for each tends to score better than a table of top ratings nobody believes.
What if the posting asks for experience I do not have?
Rate it honestly as not yet, and then look for adjacent evidence. Hotel, retail and call center work all involve verifying information, handling payment and calming frustrated people, which map onto patient access duties. The narrative section is the place to make that case, while the table itself stays accurate about what has and has not been done in a health care setting.
Can I use a personality or strengths inventory instead?
Only if the instructions allow it, and HS290 versions of this task typically point to a posting rather than an inventory. An inventory describes preferences; the assignment asks whether specific job requirements can be met today. If your section includes both, the inventory results usually belong in a short paragraph after the requirements table, not in place of it.
Where can I find a free HS290 Unit 2 sample paper?
The full Unit 2 skills self-assessment appears on this page, rating a graduate against eleven patient access requirements with evidence for each.
Why define the rating scale first?
An undefined rating means different things to different readers. Describing each level as something you have actually done makes every rating checkable.