| Course | NR 667 FNP Capstone Practicum and Intensive |
|---|---|
| Week | 1 |
| Paper type | Self-assessment write-up |
| Length | About 1,100 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Chamberlain University |
| Program | MSN, Family Nurse Practitioner (FNP) |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NR 667 Week 1
Self-Assessment Write-Up: Family Practice Areas Listed by What I Watched, Did With a Preceptor at My Elbow and Would Do Alone Tomorrow
Student Name
College of Nursing, Chamberlain University
NR 667: FNP Capstone Practicum and Intensive
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Self-Assessment Write-Up: Family Practice Areas Listed by What I Watched, Did With a Preceptor at My Elbow and Would Do Alone Tomorrow
The Standard
The standard I am measuring against is the scope of a newly certified family nurse practitioner in primary care: managing common acute and chronic conditions across the lifespan, recognizing what needs referral or emergency care, and doing so without a preceptor in the room. My program's competencies describe the same scope in broader terms. This inventory turns them into presentations I have or have not managed.
Three levels are used and kept apart. Watched: I observed the preceptor manage it. With a preceptor at my elbow: I took the history, examined, proposed the plan and the preceptor confirmed or changed it before the patient left. Alone tomorrow: I have managed it with the preceptor only reviewing afterward, and I would manage it alone tomorrow.
My clinical log, which is my own record and is summarized here rather than reproduced, covers three practicum courses in a rural family practice and a suburban internal medicine clinic.
Inventory
| Area | Level | One encounter behind the claim |
|---|---|---|
| Well-child visits, ages 1 to 12 | Alone tomorrow | A 4-year-old's visit where I found a missed hepatitis A dose and scheduled catch-up without prompting |
| Infant visits under 6 months | With preceptor | A 2-month visit; I missed asking about sleep position, and the preceptor added it |
| Adolescent visits, including confidential history | With preceptor | A 15-year-old's sports physical where I took the confidential history but the preceptor led the contraception conversation |
| Acute upper respiratory illness, adults | Alone tomorrow | A sinusitis visit where I chose watchful waiting and explained why |
| Uncomplicated urinary tract infection, women | Alone tomorrow | A 26-year-old with cystitis treated without a culture, following the guideline |
| Hypertension, initiation and titration | Alone tomorrow | A new diagnosis confirmed with home readings before starting a thiazide |
| Type 2 diabetes, intensification | With preceptor | An A1C of 9.1% where I proposed adding a second agent and the preceptor changed my choice because of the patient's kidney function |
| New atrial fibrillation | With preceptor | A 71-year-old with palpitations, presented in week 3 |
| Depression screening and initiation of treatment | With preceptor | A PHQ-9 of 16 where I proposed an SSRI and the preceptor led the safety assessment |
| Prenatal care | Watched | Two first-trimester visits |
| Joint injection | Watched | One knee injection |
| Skin biopsy | With preceptor | Two punch biopsies |
| Opioid prescribing for acute pain | Watched | One post-procedure prescription |
How the Levels Were Assigned
Each level was assigned from one encounter I could name, not from a feeling of confidence. Where I could not name an encounter, the area went down a level. The preceptor read the table on 8 October and agreed with eleven rows, moved adolescent visits down from "alone tomorrow" to "with preceptor," because the confidential history I took had gaps, and left new atrial fibrillation at "with preceptor," since anticoagulation decisions follow a guideline I can apply but have applied only once with review (Joglar et al., 2024).
Two rows were the subject of discussion. I had placed uncomplicated urinary tract infection at "alone tomorrow" on the strength of several visits; the preceptor asked whether I had ever chosen an antibiotic by local resistance rather than habit, and I could point to the clinic's antibiogram and a note where I had (Gupta et al., 2011). The row stayed. I had placed hypertension at "alone tomorrow"; the preceptor agreed but asked that I add a resistant hypertension case before graduation, which I have not yet seen.
What the Inventory Shows
Five areas are at "alone tomorrow," eight are not. The areas I can claim are the common adult acute and chronic presentations that a family practice sees most often. The areas I cannot claim yet are the ones where a missed step is most costly: infants, adolescents' confidential care, diabetes with kidney disease, new arrhythmias, depression with safety concerns and controlled substances.
Gaps, Named by Presentation
A febrile infant under 60 days. I have never seen one; I know the textbook rule that these infants need urgent evaluation, but I have not applied it.
First-trimester bleeding. Watched once.
Suicidal ideation in an adolescent. Not yet encountered; the preceptor led the one adult safety assessment I saw.
Chest pain in a primary care visit, deciding between same-day workup and emergency transfer. Watched twice.
A new controlled substance prescription for chronic pain. Watched once, never proposed.
Naming gaps by presentation, rather than by system, makes them something a preceptor can schedule, or a future employer can plan around.
What the Remaining Weeks Can Close
Diabetes intensification and depression initiation can move to "alone tomorrow" in this practicum, since both are common at the rural clinic; I have asked the preceptor to let me lead five more of each, with the preceptor reviewing my plan after the patient leaves rather than before.
Atrial fibrillation will likely stay at "with preceptor," because new cases are infrequent.
The febrile infant, first-trimester bleeding and adolescent suicidal ideation cannot be closed by volume in eight weeks. I will close what I can by simulation in the intensive and by reading, and I will list them as gaps to manage by referral and consultation in my first position.
Where the Evidence for This Approach Comes From
Moving from experienced nurse to new provider is described in the literature as a transition marked by uncertainty and strain (Barnes, 2015), and turnover intention is higher when the transition is not supported (Faraz, 2017). An inventory that is honest about level helps a new employer plan that support.
How I Will Use This Inventory
As the basis for the practice readiness map in week 5, which places the same areas against the full certification yardstick. As the list I give a first employer when asked what orientation I need. And as a check at the end of the practicum: any row still at "with preceptor" in December goes on my first-year development plan, with the name of the colleague I would consult and the number of supervised encounters I would want before managing that presentation alone.
Limits
The inventory reflects three sites, mostly adults. A pediatric-heavy practice would show different gaps, and a hospital-based rotation would show more acute presentations and fewer well visits. The inventory describes my experience, not the range of family practice.
References
Barnes, H. (2015). Nurse practitioner role transition: A concept analysis. Nursing Forum, 50(3), 137-146. https://doi.org/10.1111/nuf.12078
Faraz, A. (2017). Novice nurse practitioner workforce transition and turnover intention in primary care. Journal of the American Association of Nurse Practitioners, 29(1), 26-34. https://doi.org/10.1002/2327-6924.12381
Gupta, K., Hooton, T. M., Naber, K. G., Wullt, B., Colgan, R., Miller, L. G., Moran, G. J., Nicolle, L. E., Raz, R., Schaeffer, A. J., & Soper, D. E. (2011). International clinical practice guidelines for the treatment of acute uncomplicated cystitis and pyelonephritis in women: A 2010 update by the Infectious Diseases Society of America and the European Society for Microbiology and Infectious Diseases. Clinical Infectious Diseases, 52(5), e103-e120. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciq257
Joglar, J. A., Chung, M. K., Armbruster, A. L., Benjamin, E. J., Chyou, J. Y., Cronin, E. M., Deswal, A., Eckhardt, L. L., Goldberger, Z. D., Gopinathannair, R., Gorenek, B., Hess, P. L., Hlatky, M., Hogan, G., Ibeh, C., Indik, J. H., Kido, K., Kusumoto, F., Link, M. S., . . . Van Wagoner, D. R. (2024). 2023 ACC/AHA/ACCP/HRS guideline for the diagnosis and management of atrial fibrillation: A report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Joint Committee on Clinical Practice Guidelines. Circulation, 149(1), e1-e156. https://doi.org/10.1161/CIR.0000000000001193
The Chamberlain NR 667 Week 1 instructions
Write the standard first: the scope of a newly certified family nurse practitioner, drawn from your program's competencies and the certification outline. Then use three levels of doing and never blur them: watched, did with a preceptor at your elbow, and did alone and would do alone tomorrow. Give each area a line with its level and one specific encounter behind the claim, since an adjective such as comfortable proves nothing. Name gaps by presentation, such as first-trimester bleeding or a febrile infant, rather than by body system, so a preceptor can schedule them. Have your preceptor review the levels. Close by saying which gaps the remaining weeks can realistically close and which belong to your first year.
How this NR 667 Week 1 example is built
The sample's standard is the scope of a new family nurse practitioner in primary care. Its table places thirteen areas, from well-child visits and cystitis at alone tomorrow to diabetes intensification, new atrial fibrillation and depression at with preceptor, and prenatal care and joint injection at watched. Each row names one encounter. The preceptor moved adolescent visits down a level and asked for a resistant hypertension case. Five gaps are named as presentations. Diabetes and depression can close in the practicum by leading five more of each, while infants, first-trimester bleeding and adolescent crises go to the first-year plan with consultation and referral. The write-up also says how it will be used: as the base for the week 5 map and as the orientation list for a first employer.
NR 667 Week 1 rubric: what full points look like
Self-assessments lose most when they read as essays about confidence, using words like comfortable and familiar without saying what the writer actually did. Next is a blurring of levels, so that watching a procedure is presented as being able to do it. Many write-ups list gaps by body system, which no preceptor can turn into a booked visit. Inventories that show only strengths are less believable than ones that name real gaps. Students often skip the preceptor's review, which is the easiest way to show the levels are honest. Closing with a promise to work on everything, rather than sorting gaps by what the remaining weeks can close, leaves the plan unusable. Inventories without a stated standard also make every level arbitrary.
Common NR 667 Week 1 mistakes, and how to avoid them
An honest inventory is hard to write in the final practicum, when there is pressure to look ready. With a guided draft you can set out your standard, sort your areas into three clear levels and attach one real encounter to each claim. We can also help you name gaps as presentations a preceptor could schedule, and sort them into what the remaining weeks can close and what belongs to your first year. Showing the table to your preceptor before you submit often moves a row or two, which strengthens the whole document. Your encounters and your judgment remain yours.
Get a NR 667 Week 1 example written to your instructions
Send the Week 1 instructions with the competency template your classroom supplies and a few lines about where you have and have not been, and a custom example is written to that template and returned inside 24 to 48 hours. The first one is free. Which gaps you admit stays your call.
More NR 667 papers and FNP samples
- NR 667 Week 2: Discussion Post
- NR 667 Week 3: Case Presentation
- NR 667 Week 4: Board Style Case Analysis
- NR 667 Week 5: Practice Readiness Write-up
- NR 667 Week 6: Professional Issues Brief
- NR 667 Week 7: Portfolio Reflection
- NR 667 Week 8: Capstone Synthesis Paper
- NR 511 Week 1: Discussion Post on Facial Pain
- NR 603 Week 1: Undifferentiated Complaint Post
- NR 566 Week 1: Age and Clearance Discussion Post
- NR 602 Week 1: Prenatal Surveillance Post
NR 667 Week 1 questions, answered
How honest is too honest?
Naming a presentation you have not managed is expected and it marks well. What reads badly is confessional writing that supplies no plan, since the assignment measures judgment about your own practice rather than nerve. State the gap, say what you will do about it in the weeks that remain, and say what you would do in practice if it walked in tomorrow before you had closed it.
Can I write about strengths outside family practice?
Yes, where they earn their place. Years on a medical surgical floor change how fast you recognize a deteriorating patient, and that is worth a line if it is tied to something you did as a provider rather than as a nurse. What weakens the document is a work history recounted at length, because the subject here is your practice at entry level.
Does the assignment need citations?
Usually a light touch, and many sections ask that the competency standard you measure against be cited. The rest of the document is your own evidence, so a page thick with references and thin on encounters signals the wrong instinct. Cite the framework, cite anything clinical you assert as fact, and let the remainder rest on cases you can describe.
Where can I find a free NR 667 Week 1 sample paper?
The complete self-assessment inventory for a family nurse practitioner capstone practicum is on this page.
Why does the NR 667 Week 1 inventory use three levels of doing?
Watching, doing with a preceptor and doing alone are different claims, and keeping them apart is what makes the inventory honest.