| Course | HS499 Bachelor's Capstone in Health Science |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Paper type | Professional portfolio piece |
| Length | About 740 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | BS in Health Science |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HS499 Unit 7
Listen, Test, Then Act: A Unit 7 Capstone Portfolio Piece Presenting a Ninety-Day Entry Plan to a Hiring Panel
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
HS499: Bachelor's Capstone in Health Science
Unit 7 Professional Portfolio Piece
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The employer, posting, Brookmere Care Center and every detail are composite; the sources cited are real.
Cover Note
To the hiring panel for the Staff Development and Safety Coordinator position at Harlow Senior Living, a three-building long-term care operator: your posting lists two duties I want to address directly, "reduce work-related injuries among direct care staff" and "design and deliver competency-based training across all shifts." The plan below shows how I would approach both in my first ninety days. The evidence for each step comes from my capstone at a composite nursing home, where I studied why residents care-planned for mechanical lifts were moved by hand at night. I have not worked at Harlow and would not assume its problems are the same; that is why the first month is for listening.
Days 1 to 30: Listen and Count
1. Meet each building's director of nursing, administrator and environmental services lead, and ask what they believe causes staff injuries. Finish point: notes from nine meetings by day 15.
2. Review two years of injury and illness logs for all three buildings, sorted by shift, task and unit. Finish point: one-page summary by day 20. Exhibit: the capstone problem statement, which built a scale table from one facility's log.
3. Walk each building on day, evening and night shifts, timing how long it takes to reach lifts and slings from the farthest resident room. Finish point: a timed-walk table by day 25. Exhibit: the capstone needs assessment, which found a six-minute retrieval time after 9 p.m.
4. Survey direct care staff on what prevents safe handling. Finish point: survey closed by day 30 with a response rate reported. Exhibit: the capstone survey of 94 nursing assistants.
No changes will be recommended in this period, because a recommendation made before the counting is done would rest on my old facility's problems rather than Harlow's.
Days 31 to 60: Test
5. Present findings to each building's quality committee, ranking gaps by a stated rule. Finish point: three presentations by day 40. Exhibit: the capstone's ranked gap table.
6. With one building's committee, design a small test of the highest-ranked gap, such as staging lifts on one hall in the evening. Finish point: a one-page test plan approved by day 45.
7. Run the test for two to four weeks with a measure of lift use and a balancing measure. Finish point: results summarized by day 60. Exhibit: the capstone's measurement plan, which combined lift counters with a sample of a transfer log.
Days 61 to 90: Act
8. Recommend to leadership whether to extend, adjust or stop the tested change. Finish point: a written recommendation by day 70.
9. Draft a competency check for safe resident handling that night staff can complete on their own shift. Finish point: competency tool piloted on all three shifts by day 85.
10. Set a quarterly injury and lift-use report for each building. Finish point: first report template approved by day 90.
Every commitment ends in something the panel could check on its date, from a page of notes to an approved report template.
Why This Order
The order reflects what the capstone taught me. At my study facility, the obvious answers, more training and more lifts, would have missed the real barrier, which was a locked room and missing slings at night. Programs that reduced injuries elsewhere combined equipment, policy and training (Collins et al., 2004), but they worked only when equipment was actually used where it was needed (Lee et al., 2013). I would expect Harlow's barriers to be local in the same way, and I would want to find them before proposing anything.
Commitments I Would Avoid
Buying equipment is off the table for the first ninety days, as are staffing changes and policy rewrites made before anything has been tested. Federal guidelines for nursing homes recommend assessing the workplace and involving staff before choosing controls (Occupational Safety and Health Administration [OSHA], 2009), and the plan follows that sequence.
About the Evidence
The exhibits come from a capstone at a composite facility and are offered as examples of method, not as claims about Harlow. Copies of the problem statement, needs assessment and measurement plan are attached.
References
Collins, J. W., Wolf, L., Bell, J., & Evanoff, B. (2004). An evaluation of a "best practices" musculoskeletal injury prevention program in nursing homes. Injury Prevention, 10(4), 206-211. https://doi.org/10.1136/ip.2004.005595
Lee, S.-J., Faucett, J., Gillen, M., & Krause, N. (2013). Musculoskeletal pain among critical-care nurses by availability and use of patient lifting equipment: An analysis of cross-sectional survey data. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 50(12), 1648-1657. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2013.03.010
Occupational Safety and Health Administration. (2009). Guidelines for nursing homes: Ergonomics for the prevention of musculoskeletal disorders (OSHA 3182-3R). U.S. Department of Labor.
Reading the HS 499 Unit 7 instructions
The seventh unit typically asks for a portfolio piece that shows a prospective employer what you can do, drawing on your capstone. Expect a short cover note tied to a real or composite posting and a main artifact such as an entry plan, project summary or training outline. Three pages is common. Quote duties from the posting and respond to them directly. Organize the artifact in a way hiring managers value, such as by time, and show judgment about sequence. Phrase commitments as observable acts with finish points rather than qualities. Link each commitment to evidence from your capstone. Be honest that your evidence comes from another setting, and avoid promising changes before you have learned the new workplace.
How the HS 499 Unit 7 example is put together
The cover note quotes two duties from the posting and states that the evidence comes from a capstone at a composite facility. Days 1 to 30 list four listening and counting commitments with finish dates and exhibits. Days 31 to 60 list three testing commitments, and days 61 to 90 list three acting commitments; the highlighted sentence notes that each can be checked on its date. A section explains the order using program evaluations and equipment-use research. A section lists commitments the writer would avoid, citing federal guidance on assessing before choosing controls. A note on the evidence closes the piece. Attachments listed at the end give the panel copies of the cited work.
HS499 Unit 7 rubric: what earns full points
Portfolio pieces are commonly graded on relevance to the target role, clarity and organization, use of capstone evidence, professionalism and judgment. Relevance and use of evidence often weigh most: graders reward pieces that answer the posting's stated duties and back each commitment with a capstone exhibit. Organization by time is valued in entry plans because it shows sequence. Professionalism includes a concise cover note and observable commitments. Judgment is shown by restraint, such as listening before recommending. Clean formatting and citations complete the grade. Pieces that read like a resume or a generic project summary tend to lose points. A cover note that admits the evidence comes from another setting reads as professional rather than weak.
HS499 Unit 7 help from the desk
A common weakness in portfolio pieces is a list of qualities, such as strong communicator, instead of observable commitments. Another is ignoring the duties in the posting. Some students promise sweeping changes in the first month, which hiring panels read as poor judgment. Capstone evidence is often mentioned without being linked to specific commitments. Real employers should not be named without care. When the role you are targeting is different, perhaps a quality analyst or an educator, share the posting and your capstone findings, and we will build an entry plan that answers its duties.
Get an HS499 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
An entry plan is one option; a work sample, a project brief or a tool for practice may suit the target job better. Share the posting or role in view, the capstone work worth showcasing and the rubric, and the piece will address that employer. First one free, turnaround 24-48h. 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 HS499 papers and BS in Health Science samples
- HS499 Unit 1: Capstone Scoping Paper
- HS499 Unit 2: Annotated Bibliography
- HS499 Unit 3: Problem Statement
- HS499 Unit 4: Literature Synthesis
- HS499 Unit 5: Discussion Board Post
- HS499 Unit 6: Needs Assessment
- HS499 Unit 8: Seminar Reflection
- HS499 Unit 9: Capstone Project Draft
- HS499 Unit 10: Capstone Presentation
- HS460 Unit 7: Budget Worksheet
- HS450 Unit 7: Seminar Reflection
HS499 Unit 7 questions, answered
Why an entry plan instead of a resume or a project summary?
Because the prompt wants a piece an employer would read, and an entry plan answers the question panels actually ask: what would you do first? It also lets capstone work appear as proof beneath specific commitments. If the section requires a different format, such as a work sample or a project brief, the custom version follows the prompt.
Can the plan name a real employer?
It can target a real posting if the student is actually applying, quoting duties accurately and without implying any relationship with the organization. Both the operator and the posting in the sample are composites. Either way, the capstone facility stays unidentifiable and the plan discloses that its evidence comes from coursework rather than employment.
How long should a portfolio piece be?
Short enough that a panel reads it in full, which usually means two to four pages. The sample runs three pages behind a brief cover, with the detail carried by the table rather than by paragraphs. Some sections specify a length or ask for a companion reflection; include those requirements with the request.
Where can I find a free HS499 Unit 7 sample paper?
You can read the complete Unit 7 portfolio piece here, a ninety-day entry plan whose every commitment points to capstone evidence.
Why use an entry plan as a capstone portfolio piece?
Because hiring managers read entry plans for judgment about what a new hire does first, and tying each step to capstone evidence shows ability rather than claiming it.