| Course | NU702 Translating Evidence into Nursing Practice |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 7 |
| Paper type | EBP culture assessment |
| Length | About 920 words, 6 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU702 Unit 7
High Beliefs, Low Practice: A Unit 7 EBP Culture Assessment of Two Medical-Surgical Units Before an Insulin Teaching Change
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU702: Translating Evidence into Nursing Practice
Unit 7 EBP Culture Assessment
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The hospital, units, survey results and staff are composite and illustrative; the instruments and sources cited are real.
Why Assess Culture First
A practice change on a unit depends on the nurses who will carry it out. Melnyk and colleagues surveyed more than 2,300 nurses across 19 hospitals and found that, on average, they did not yet rate themselves competent in any of 24 evidence-based practice competencies; competency was strongly associated with EBP beliefs and with mentorship, and only weakly with organizational culture (Melnyk et al., 2018). Before asking 5 West and 6 West to adopt supervised self-injection and return demonstration, the project needed to know where staff stood.
Instruments
The EBP Beliefs Scale has 16 items rated from strongly disagree to strongly agree, giving totals from 16 to 80, with higher scores showing stronger beliefs in the value of evidence-based practice and in one's ability to use it. The EBP Implementation Scale has 18 items asking how often, in the past eight weeks, the nurse performed specific evidence-based activities, giving totals from 0 to 72. In their original psychometric testing, both scales had internal consistency above .90, and scores rose with education and workplace responsibility (Melnyk et al., 2008). Permission to use the scales was obtained, and the survey was anonymous.
Results
Fifty-eight of 74 nurses responded, 31 on 5 West and 27 on 6 West, a response rate of 78 percent.
On 5 West, the mean beliefs score was 58.4 and the mean implementation score 12.1. On 6 West, the means were 55.0 and 9.6. On both units, agreement was highest for the items about evidence-based practice producing the best care and about the importance of appraising evidence. It was lowest for the item about being able to practice this way within the time limits of a normal workload.
On the implementation scale, most nurses reported having used evidence to change their own practice once or twice in the last eight weeks, but almost none had shared evidence with a colleague, collected data on a patient problem or evaluated a care initiative.
Nurses with a BSN or higher scored higher on both scales than associate-degree nurses, and the three nurses with prior quality improvement project experience scored highest of all.
The units do not need convincing that evidence matters; they need help acting on it in a twelve-hour shift.
Interpretation
Beliefs are moderately strong on both units, while implementation is low. That pattern is common and is useful: nurses who value evidence but feel unable to act on it are more open to a change that is designed for them than nurses who doubt its value. The weakest belief item, about time, matches the barrier the project has already identified, the crowded discharge day, and supports the decision to move the return demonstration earlier in the stay.
The difference between the units, about three points on each scale, is modest and may reflect 6 West's higher share of newer nurses. It suggests piloting on 5 West first and using its nurses as peers for 6 West.
The ARCC Model and Mentors
In the ARCC model, the mentor is the engine: the model holds that EBP mentors strengthen nurses' beliefs, which in turn increase implementation and improve outcomes. In a test of the model across a health system, clinicians' beliefs and implementation rose and several patient outcomes improved after mentors were introduced (Melnyk et al., 2017).
The survey helps identify mentors. The three nurses with prior quality improvement experience, two on 5 West and one on 6 West, scored highest on both scales and will be invited to join the four existing champions as EBP mentors. Their role will be to coach peers through the first supervised self-injections, answer questions on each shift and share the unit's weekly data.
Building Readiness
The assessment leads to four actions before the pilot. First, share the survey results with each unit at a staff meeting, framed as strength in beliefs and a shared challenge in time. Second, train the mentors in coaching and in the return demonstration checklist. Third, give each nurse one protected fifteen-minute session to practice coaching a patient with a pen, which addresses the confidence items as well as skill. Fourth, have mentors share one short piece of evidence each month at huddles, starting with the teach-back review, to raise the implementation items about sharing evidence.
Remeasurement
Both scales will be repeated six months after the pilot begins. The project expects modest rises in implementation scores, particularly the items about sharing evidence and evaluating a care initiative, since nurses will have done both. A rise in beliefs is less likely, since they are already moderately high.
Limitations
The survey is self-reported, and nurses may rate themselves favorably. Seventy-eight percent responded, so the views of those who did not may differ. The scales measure individual beliefs and activities rather than the unit's structures, which the project will assess separately through observation.
Conclusion
Nurses on 5 West and 6 West believe in evidence-based practice but have few chances to carry it out within their workload. The assessment points to mentors who can lead by example, confirms that time is the main barrier and shapes a pilot that starts on the stronger unit and builds the skills nurses say they lack.
References
Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., Giggleman, M., & Choy, K. (2017). A test of the ARCC model improves implementation of evidence-based practice, healthcare culture, and patient outcomes. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 14(1), 5-9. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12188
Melnyk, B. M., Fineout-Overholt, E., & Mays, M. Z. (2008). The evidence-based practice beliefs and implementation scales: Psychometric properties of two new instruments. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 5(4), 208-216. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1741-6787.2008.00126.x
Melnyk, B. M., Gallagher-Ford, L., Zellefrow, C., Tucker, S., Thomas, B., Sinnott, L. T., & Tan, A. (2018). The first U.S. study on nurses' evidence-based practice competencies indicates major deficits that threaten healthcare quality, safety, and patient outcomes. Worldviews on Evidence-Based Nursing, 15(1), 16-25. https://doi.org/10.1111/wvn.12269
What the NU702 Unit 7 assignment asks for
Unit 7 commonly asks students to assess evidence-based practice readiness in their setting before introducing a change. Prompts often name the EBP Beliefs and Implementation Scales or the ARCC model, and expect a description of the instruments, the results, an interpretation, implications for the planned change and a plan to build readiness. Instructors look for interpretation rather than reporting: what the scores mean, which items stand out, how units differ and what that implies for piloting and mentorship. Permission, anonymity and response rate should be addressed. Remeasurement plans and limitations of self-report are usually expected. Sources normally include the instruments' developers, evidence about EBP competency in practicing nurses and evidence for mentorship-based models such as ARCC.
How this NU702 Unit 7 example is built
The assessment explains why culture comes first, using Melnyk and colleagues' finding that nurses rated themselves short of competence in all 24 EBP competencies. The instruments section describes both scales and their reliability. Results report response rates, mean scores by unit, the strongest and weakest items in paraphrase and differences by education, under a highlighted line that the units need help acting rather than convincing, with a margin note tying the time item to the expected barrier. Interpretation explains why high beliefs with low implementation favor a well-designed change and why 5 West should pilot first. The ARCC section reports the model's test and selects three high-scoring nurses as mentors. Four readiness actions follow, flagged by a second margin note. Remeasurement at six months and limitations of self-report complete the assessment.
NU702 Unit 7 rubric: what earns full points
EBP culture assessments are marked on correct description of instruments, accurate reporting and interpretation of results, use of evidence on EBP competency and mentorship, implications for the change, a readiness plan, remeasurement and limitations. Instrument credit requires scoring ranges, reliability and permission. Interpretation is weighted heavily: graders want to know what the scores mean for this unit and this change, including which items matter most. Evidence earns marks when it explains the pattern, for example the strong link between mentorship and competency. Implications should shape the pilot, such as which unit starts first and who mentors. The readiness plan should target specific low-scoring items with actions. A remeasurement schedule and honest limitations show rigor. A readable summary of scores, in a table or prose, and properly cited sources finish the marks.
NU702 Unit 7 help from the desk
Assessments lose the most marks when they report means and stop, without saying what the scores imply for the planned change. Another frequent weakness is describing the ARCC model without identifying any actual mentors. Some students quote instrument items at length rather than summarizing them, or omit permission and anonymity. Others draw strong conclusions from small differences between units without acknowledging uncertainty. A readiness plan that offers general education sessions, unrelated to the weakest items, misses the point of measuring. Begin by finding the two items with the lowest scores and asking what would have to change on your unit for nurses to answer them differently. Then decide who on the unit already shows the behaviors you want. Survey results and your assessment prompt are enough to start a custom interpretation for your unit.
Get an NU702 Unit 7 example written to your instructions
Send the setting, any survey results and the assessment instructions with the rubric. A custom assessment interprets the results, identifies mentors and barriers and plans how to build readiness. Delivery is within 24-48h, and a first assessment is free. 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.
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NU702 Unit 7 questions, answered
How is EBP culture measured?
Common tools include the EBP Beliefs Scale and EBP Implementation Scale, which have been tested for reliability and validity. An assessment should explain what the scores show.
What is the ARCC model?
The Advancing Research and Clinical practice through close Collaboration model, which emphasizes EBP mentors to strengthen beliefs and implementation.
What if the unit's scores are low?
Low scores point to where to start, often with mentors and small visible successes. The assessment should plan that work.
Where can I find a free NU702 Unit 7 sample paper?
The complete NU702 Unit 7 EBP culture assessment is on this page. It interprets EBP Beliefs and Implementation Scale scores from two composite medical-surgical units, identifies mentors and plans readiness actions before an insulin teaching change.
What did the NU702 Unit 7 survey show?
Nurses on both units held moderately strong beliefs in evidence-based practice but reported few evidence-based activities, and they agreed least that they could practice this way within their workload. The pattern pointed to time and mentorship as the barriers to address.