| Course | NU703 Professional Role Development of the DNP-Prepared Nurse |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 9 |
| Paper type | Practice problem statement |
| Length | About 650 words, 5 pages double-spaced |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Purdue University Global |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) |
| Updated | September 2026 |
Free sample paper for NU703 Unit 9
Forty-One Percent With No Plan: A Practice Problem Statement on Missing Follow-Up After Positive Depression Screens in a Three-Clinic Federally Qualified Health Center, With an Annotated Copy
[Student Name]
Purdue University Global
NU703: Professional Role Development of the DNP-Prepared Nurse
Unit 9 Practice Problem Statement
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The health center and figures are composite; numbers are bracketed placeholders for local data.
Part One: The Problem Statement
[Riverbend Community Health], a federally qualified health center, provides primary care at three clinics serving a largely uninsured and publicly insured population of about [14,000] adults. Adults are screened for depression with the PHQ-9 at primary care visits, and in the most recent [twelve] months [1,120] screens were positive. Of those, [41] percent had no documented follow-up plan within [30] days, measured against the specification of the national quality measure for depression screening and follow-up, which counts a plan documented on the date of a positive screen. The national recommendation to screen adults for depression applies where adequate systems exist to confirm the diagnosis, treat it and follow the patient afterward (Siu & US Preventive Services Task Force, 2016), so a positive screen without a plan leaves the screening incomplete. Most patients at the center live with at least one chronic condition such as diabetes or hypertension, and depression that occurs alongside chronic medical illness is associated with greater symptom burden, poorer self-care and worse medical outcomes (Katon, 2011). An integrated behavioral health clinician works on site at each clinic, yet the clinicians receive few warm handoffs from primary care visits. What prevents a positive depression screen at this center from becoming a documented plan and a connection to care that is already in the building?
The problem is not that patients are unscreened or that help is unavailable; it is that a positive screen too often ends in the chart rather than in a plan.
Part Two: The Annotated Copy
Sentence 1 names the setting in general terms: the type of organization, the number of clinics and the population served. Its function is to let the reader picture where the problem lives without identifying a real organization.
Sentence 2 names the population and the process: adults screened with a specific tool at a specific kind of visit, with the number of positive screens. Its function is to define exactly who the problem affects.
Sentence 3 states the gap as a number, measured against a national standard. Its function is to make the problem measurable and to show that the measure is not invented locally.
Sentence 4 explains why the gap matters by linking it to the national screening recommendation. Its function is to show that screening without follow-up is not merely incomplete paperwork but an incomplete clinical process.
Sentence 5 states a consequence for this population. Its function is to connect the gap to outcomes the reader cares about, using evidence rather than assertion.
Sentence 6 adds a local fact that sharpens the problem: help exists on site but is rarely used. Its function is to rule out the simplest explanation, a lack of resources, and to point the inquiry toward process.
Sentence 7 ends with a question to explore. Its function is to open the inquiry without answering it, which keeps the statement a problem statement rather than a proposal.
Part Three: What Was Left Out on Purpose
Three things are deliberately absent. There is no intervention, because proposing one before the causes are understood would commit the project to a solution too early; the question at the end asks what prevents the plan, not how to fix it. There is no PICOT question, because that comes after the problem is understood and a direction is chosen, in a later unit. And there are no outcome measures beyond the gap itself, because measures belong to the project design, which will depend on the intervention eventually chosen.
References
Katon, W. J. (2011). Epidemiology and treatment of depression in patients with chronic medical illness. Dialogues in Clinical Neuroscience, 13(1), 7-23. https://doi.org/10.31887/DCNS.2011.13.1/wkaton
Siu, A. L., & US Preventive Services Task Force. (2016). Screening for depression in adults: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA, 315(4), 380-387. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2015.18392
The Purdue Global NU703 Unit 9 instructions
The Unit 9 prompt asks you to write a concise statement of a practice problem that could become your DNP project. Most versions want a single paragraph covering where the problem occurs, who it affects, how large the gap is, why it matters and what to ask next, without proposing a solution. Some sections also ask you to annotate or explain its structure. A paragraph of 200 to 300 words, sometimes with an annotated copy, is the usual deliverable. Faculty reward a gap stated as a number against a recognized standard, consequences supported by evidence, a local detail that sharpens the problem, and restraint about interventions. The setting should be described in general terms, and any figures that stand in for local data should be marked clearly as placeholders.
Inside the NU703 Unit 9 example
The paragraph opens with the setting, three clinics serving a largely uninsured population, and the population screened at primary care visits. It states the gap against the national quality measure, links it to the national screening recommendation and to evidence that depression worsens outcomes in chronic illness, and notes the on-site behavioral health clinicians who rarely receive handoffs. A question to explore ends it. The highlighted sentence restates the problem as screens ending in the chart. Part two takes each of the seven sentences in turn and names its function, from defining the population to ruling out a lack of resources. Part three explains why an intervention, a PICOT question and outcome measures are deliberately absent at this stage.
Where the points sit in the NU703 Unit 9 rubric
Problem statements are usually judged on clarity, measurement, significance, restraint and writing. Clarity earns credit when the setting, population and gap can be identified in a single reading. Measurement rewards a gap stated as a number against a recognized standard rather than a general impression. Significance is judged on whether consequences are supported by evidence rather than asserted. Restraint is credited when the statement stops before proposing a solution, since an early intervention narrows the project before its causes are understood. Writing covers concision, formal tone and APA citation. An annotated copy, where required, is assessed on whether each sentence's purpose is named accurately, which shows the writer built the paragraph rather than simply drafted it.
Common NU703 Unit 9 mistakes, and how to avoid them
The most common weakness is proposing a solution in the problem statement, which turns it into a project proposal. Another is describing a gap without a number, or with a number that has no standard to compare against. Some statements explain why depression matters in general but never connect it to the setting. Others run to several paragraphs when one is asked for. Many writers name a real organization, which is unnecessary and can be unwise. And a statement that ends with a declaration rather than a question closes the inquiry too early. Name the gap, show why it matters here, add one local fact that points toward the cause, and stop with the question your project will explore.
Get an NU703 Unit 9 example written to your instructions
One issue from your practice setting is enough to begin, along with any data already visible to you and the Unit 9 instructions and rubric. Back comes a single paragraph stating the gap, a benchmark for the local figure and notes on each sentence's purpose, every setting number bracketed. A first request is on us, 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 NU703 papers and DNP samples
- NU703 Unit 1: Discussion Post, What the DNP Adds
- NU703 Unit 2: DNP and PhD Role Comparison
- NU703 Unit 3: Boyer Scholarship Model Application
- NU703 Unit 4: Competency Self-Assessment, Essentials
- NU703 Unit 5: Literature Synthesis, DNP Role Use
- NU703 Unit 6: Writing Seminar Reflection
- NU703 Unit 7: Leadership Philosophy Statement
- NU703 Unit 8: Professional Organization Analysis, ONS
- NU703 Unit 10: Doctoral Development Portfolio
NU703 Unit 9 questions, answered
Should the problem statement propose a solution?
Rarely, at this point in the program. The task in this unit is usually exploratory: name the issue, show that it exists and why it matters, and bound it. Interventions, PICOT questions and outcome measures typically belong to later project courses. A statement that proposes a fix early can lock in an answer before the problem is understood.
Where does the local data come from?
From your own setting, gathered in whatever way your organization permits, such as a quality report or a dashboard you already have access to. Label its source and date. If data are unavailable, say so and estimate cautiously with a stated basis. The sample brackets every local figure, because only the setting can supply real ones.
Can the problem change later in the program?
Often it does. The Unit 9 statement is exploration, and many students refine or replace the problem once they read the literature or talk with stakeholders. Faculty generally expect that. Keeping the paragraph focused and evidence-based makes it easier to revise, since the next version can build on its stated gap and scope.
Where can I find a free NU703 Unit 9 sample paper?
This page presents the complete NU703 Unit 9 practice problem statement, a 230-word paragraph with an annotated copy explaining each of its seven sentences and a section on what was left out, plus two references. Framing help for a gap you have measured yourself is available.
Why does NU703 Unit 9 leave out an intervention?
Proposing a solution before the causes are understood commits the project too early. The statement ends by asking what prevents a positive screen from becoming a plan, which keeps the inquiry open for the later units where interventions and a PICOT question are developed.