| Course | HS860 Doctoral Project I: Project Proposal |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 3 |
| Paper type | Discussion board post |
| Length | About 400 words, 2 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 discussion post |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | Doctor of Health Science (DHSc) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for HS860 Unit 3
The Assumption Hidden in "Referred": A Unit 3 Discussion Post Examining a Lymphedema Surveillance Proposal
HS860 · Unit 3 Discussion Board Post
Posted by [Student Name]
The project and classmates are composite; the study cited is real.
Initial Post
My project in five sentences. I manage the lymphedema clinic at a community cancer center that adopted a prospective surveillance pathway for women having axillary lymph node dissection. Only about one woman in five has an arm measured before surgery, and fewer than a third come to a first surveillance visit. Lymphedema follows axillary dissection often enough to matter, in about one woman in five across prospective studies (DiSipio et al., 2013), and early detection changes its course, since subclinical swelling caught against a preoperative baseline can be reversed with a short course of compression (Stout Gergich et al., 2008). My draft purpose is to describe where women leave the pathway, using records first and interviews second. I plan to count referrals entered at discharge as the step at which women enter surveillance.
The assumption I found is in that last sentence. I had treated a referral order as evidence that the woman was told about surveillance and understood why it mattered. But a referral can be entered by a nurse from a standing order set while the patient is still recovering from anesthesia, printed in a discharge packet and never discussed. If that happens often, women who "leave" after referral may never have known they were on a path. My records review would then misplace the failure, blaming the follow-up step for what actually happened at discharge.
An order in the record shows that someone clicked a box; it does not show that the patient heard what the box was for.
So I am adding an interview question about what women remember being told, and I will check whether the record shows any education note at discharge. Can you find another assumption my draft depends on?
Reply to Andre
Andre, your imaging proposal counts CT scans ordered after a "low-yield" decision rule as overuse. The assumption I see is that the rule was available to the ordering clinician when the order was placed. If the rule fires only after the order is signed, the scans you count may reflect the tool's timing, not clinicians' judgment. Could you check the alert's timing in the audit log?
References
DiSipio, T., Rye, S., Newman, B., & Hayes, S. (2013). Incidence of unilateral arm lymphoedema after breast cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis. The Lancet Oncology, 14(6), 500-515. https://doi.org/10.1016/S1470-2045(13)70076-7
Stout Gergich, N. L., Pfalzer, L. A., McGarvey, C., Springer, B., Gerber, L. H., & Soballe, P. (2008). Preoperative assessment enables the early diagnosis and successful treatment of lymphedema. Cancer, 112(12), 2809-2819. https://doi.org/10.1002/cncr.23494
The Purdue Global HS860 Unit 3 instructions
Unit 3 commonly asks candidates to post a brief summary of their project, identify an assumption in their own draft and invite classmates to find others, then reply to at least one peer. Posts often run 300 to 450 words. An assumption here means something the project depends on that the proposal never states or tests, such as a record capturing an event accurately or participants understanding a question the same way. Instructors look for an assumption that matters, meaning the project's conclusions would change if it were false. The post should say how the candidate will test or address it. Replies should identify a specific assumption in a classmate's project and suggest a way to check it, framed as a question rather than a judgment.
How the HS 860 Unit 3 example is put together
The initial post opens with a five-sentence summary: the candidate's clinic, the surveillance pathway, the low rates of baseline measurement and follow-up, the evidence for early detection and the draft purpose. The final summary sentence reveals the plan to treat referrals as entry into surveillance. The next paragraph explains why a referral order may not mean the patient heard anything, and how that would shift the apparent failure from discharge to follow-up. The highlighted sentence compresses the point. The candidate then adds an interview question and a record check and invites peers to find another assumption. The reply to Andre questions whether a CT decision rule fired before or after orders were signed.
Reading the HS860 Unit 3 grading rubric
Rubrics for posts in the doctoral project courses tend to weigh the self-critique first, then clarity of the project summary, use of evidence, the usefulness of replies and writing. Self-critique counts most here, and it earns full credit when the assumption identified would change the project's conclusions if false, and when the candidate states how to test it. Summaries are judged on brevity and precision. Evidence points reward at least one scholarly source that grounds the project. Replies score well when they find a real assumption in a classmate's work and offer a concrete way to check it. Posts that list minor wording problems instead of assumptions, or replies that only praise, generally earn partial credit.
HS860 Unit 3 help: mistakes that cost points
Many posts name an assumption that does not matter, such as a minor definition, rather than one the conclusions depend on. Another weakness is naming an assumption without saying how it will be tested. Some candidates critique a classmate more sharply than themselves, which misses the unit's purpose. Others write a long project summary and leave little room for analysis. Replies framed as verdicts rather than questions can feel unhelpful. If your project depends on a different data source, perhaps survey responses or billing codes, send your summary and draft purpose, and a post can be prepared that finds the assumption your design rests on.
Get an HS860 Unit 3 example written to your instructions
The board question for HS860's Unit 3 decides whether the post critiques a proposal, a question or a design. Paste the prompt, note the reply count and rubric, and sum up your own proposal in three or four sentences. One real assumption gets exposed, and classmates receive a precise question. Free as a first custom sample, 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 HS860 papers and DHSc samples
- HS860 Unit 1: Lymphedema Surveillance Concept Paper
- HS860 Unit 2: Lymphedema Problem Statement Draft
- HS860 Unit 4: Purpose and Question Alignment
- HS860 Unit 5: Preliminary Literature Map
- HS860 Unit 6: Site Access Memo
- HS860 Unit 7: Seminar Reflection
- HS860 Unit 8: Feasibility Appraisal
- HS860 Unit 9: Committee Response Memo
- HS860 Unit 10: Project Proposal Draft
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HS860 Unit 3 questions, answered
What is an unstated assumption in a research proposal?
A belief the project depends on that the proposal never states or supports, such as assuming a record captures an event or that participants interpret a question the same way. Unlike a limitation, which the writer acknowledges, an unstated assumption is invisible to its author. Finding one early lets a candidate test it, state it openly or redesign around it.
Why critique my own proposal in a public post?
Because the exercise is about seeing what a draft takes for granted, and demonstrating that on your own work shows the skill more convincingly than finding faults in others. It also tends to draw better responses, since peers see you are open to challenge. Instructors at this level usually value candor about a draft over a polished defense of it.
How should I reply to a classmate's proposal?
Identify one specific assumption, explain what depends on it, and suggest evidence that could test it. Frame it as a question rather than a judgment, and keep the reply short enough to read in a minute. Replies that merely agree or praise the topic add little; a single well-aimed question often helps a classmate more than several general comments.
Where can I find a free HS860 Unit 3 sample paper?
The complete Unit 3 discussion post is posted here, showing a candidate find the assumption hidden in counting lymphedema referrals as entry into surveillance.
Why does the referral assumption matter so much?
If referrals are entered without explanation, women who seem to drop out later never knew they were on a pathway, so the study would blame the wrong step.