DNP 627 Module 3 Targeted Group Project and Presentation: A Common Adult Cancer (Colorectal Cancer Protocol) Example

Reviewed by Ingrid Vasterling, MSN, RN Arizona State University Updated October 2026

This DNP 627 Module 3 sample presents the Targeted Group Project and Presentation for Management of Complex Health Problems in Adult-Gerontology: Theory, delivered by adult-gerontology students in ASU's Doctor of Nursing Practice. At the Week 11 immersion, ASU DNP 627 asks each group to present a protocol, built on evidence, for finding and managing a common adult cancer of the group's choosing. This sample takes colorectal cancer and builds a twelve-slide protocol for primary care: who to screen from age 45, test choices, colonoscopy within months of a positive stool test, the red flags that call for diagnostic rather than screening workup, individualized decisions after 75 and survivor follow-up. Speaker notes carry the evidence for each step.

CourseDNP 627 Management of Complex Health Problems in Adult-Gerontology Theory
ModuleModule 3
Paper typeGroup protocol presentation slides with speaker notes
LengthAbout 699 words, 5 pages
FormatAPA 7 slide deck with speaker notes
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramDoctor of Nursing Practice
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for DNP 627 Module 3

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The Positive FIT Nobody Followed Up: A Primary Care Protocol for Colorectal Cancer Screening, Diagnosis and Survivorship

Student Name

Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

DNP 627: Management of Complex Health Problems in Adult-Gerontology: Theory

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title names the most common failure point in colorectal cancer care in primary practice, which is where the protocol puts its weight, then lists the three phases it covers.
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Slide 1: The Positive FIT Nobody Followed Up

Title slide: a primary care protocol for colorectal cancer from screening to survivorship.

Speaker notes: Our group chose colorectal cancer because primary care controls most of the steps that decide whether it is found early, and because the step most often missed is the one after an abnormal stool test.

Slide 2: Why Colorectal Cancer

Colorectal cancer ranks near the top of American cancer diagnoses and deaths, and new cases have been climbing among people under 50.

Speaker notes: The rise in younger adults is why the Task Force lowered the starting age for average-risk screening to 45 (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2021).

Slide 3: Step 1, Identify Risk

Average risk: no personal history of polyps or colorectal cancer, no inflammatory bowel disease, no strong family history and no hereditary syndrome. Higher risk: refer for earlier or more frequent colonoscopy.

Speaker notes: The protocol starts by sorting risk, because a patient with a parent diagnosed young or with a known syndrome is not a candidate for stool-based screening.

Slide 4: Step 2, Screen Average-Risk Adults 45 to 75

Offer a test the patient will complete: FIT yearly, stool DNA testing on a one- to three-year cycle, CT colonography at five-year intervals, flexible sigmoidoscopy at five-year intervals or colonoscopy once a decade.

Speaker notes: The Task Force recommends screening adults 50 to 75 and adults 45 to 49, and endorses several test strategies rather than one (US Preventive Services Task Force, 2021). The best test is the one completed.

What this page is doingFraming test choice around completion reflects the Task Force's position and gives clinicians a practical way to open the conversation.
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Slide 5: Step 3, Make FIT Work

Use a quantitative FIT with one sample, mail kits with reminders and track every kit until a result is filed.

Speaker notes: The Multi-Society Task Force recommends annual FIT with a single sample and organized programs that track results (Robertson et al., 2017).

Slide 6: Step 4, Close the Loop After a Positive Stool Test

Every positive FIT or stool DNA test needs a colonoscopy; the order is placed the day the result arrives, with a named staff member responsible for scheduling.

Speaker notes: A positive stool test is the start of screening, not its end. In a large health system cohort, waiting more than nine to ten months after a positive FIT was associated with higher risk of cancer and of later-stage disease (Corley et al., 2017). Our goal is colonoscopy within three months.

What this page is doingThis slide carries the protocol's central safety step and grounds the target interval in a cohort study, which shows the evidence behind a decision that is often left to chance.
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Slide 7: Step 5, Recognize Red Flags

Rectal bleeding, iron deficiency anemia, a change in bowel habit, unexplained weight loss or abdominal mass: these call for diagnostic colonoscopy at any age, not a screening test.

Speaker notes: A stool test is never the right response to symptoms. Iron deficiency anemia in an older man or a postmenopausal woman is colorectal cancer until proven otherwise.

Slide 8: Step 6, Adults 76 to 85

Decide individually based on overall health, life expectancy, prior screening history and preferences; screening is generally not recommended after 85.

Speaker notes: For older adults this is the adult-gerontology judgment call, and the protocol asks for a documented shared decision rather than an automatic order.

Slide 9: Step 7, After Diagnosis

Refer to surgery and oncology, complete staging, coordinate care and keep managing comorbidities that affect treatment.

Speaker notes: The primary care clinician stays involved during treatment, especially for diabetes, heart disease and medication review.

Slide 10: Step 8, Survivorship

Follow the oncology surveillance plan for CEA, imaging and colonoscopy; manage late effects such as neuropathy and bowel changes; screen for depression; promote activity and a healthy weight.

Speaker notes: Survivorship is where primary care takes back the lead, and a written care plan from oncology makes the handoff safe.

Slide 11: Measures

Screening rate for ages 45 to 75; proportion of positive stool tests with colonoscopy within three months; time from red flag to diagnostic colonoscopy.

Speaker notes: Three measures tell a clinic whether the protocol is working, and the second is the one we would review monthly.

Slide 12: Summary and Questions

Sort risk, screen from 45, track every kit, colonoscopy after every positive test, act on red flags, decide individually after 75 and plan survivorship.

Speaker notes: Thank you. We welcome questions on applying the protocol in a busy primary care practice.

What this page is doingThe closing slide condenses the eight steps into one line a clinic could post, which is the practical outcome a protocol presentation should leave with the audience.
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References

Corley, D. A., Jensen, C. D., Quinn, V. P., Doubeni, C. A., Zauber, A. G., Lee, J. K., Schottinger, J. E., Marks, A. R., Zhao, W. K., Ghai, N. R., Lee, A. T., Contreras, R., Quesenberry, C. P., Fireman, B. H., & Levin, T. R. (2017). Association between time to colonoscopy after a positive fecal test result and risk of colorectal cancer and cancer stage at diagnosis. JAMA, 317(16), 1631-1641. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2017.3634

Robertson, D. J., Lee, J. K., Boland, C. R., Dominitz, J. A., Giardiello, F. M., Johnson, D. A., Kaltenbach, T., Lieberman, D., Levin, T. R., & Rex, D. K. (2017). Recommendations on fecal immunochemical testing to screen for colorectal neoplasia: A consensus statement by the US Multi-Society Task Force on Colorectal Cancer. Gastroenterology, 152(5), 1217-1237. https://doi.org/10.1053/j.gastro.2016.08.053

US Preventive Services Task Force. (2021). Screening for colorectal cancer: US Preventive Services Task Force recommendation statement. JAMA, 325(19), 1965-1977. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.2021.6238

DNP 627 Module 3 instructions, in plain terms

The Targeted Group Project and Presentation is worth 15% of the DNP 627 grade and is presented in person during the Week 11 immersion. Students form their own groups, pick a cancer that is common in adults, study it closely and turn what they learn into a protocol for assessing and managing it, grounded in evidence. PowerPoint requirements and the grading rubric are in Canvas. The word "protocol" matters: a review of the cancer's biology and treatment is not enough, and the presentation should leave clinicians with steps they could follow in practice. Because this is an adult-gerontology course, expect faculty to look for attention to older adults, such as when screening should stop and how comorbidities affect decisions.

How this DNP 627 Module 3 example is built

Twelve slides with speaker notes carry the protocol. The first two give the group's reason for choosing colorectal cancer and the change in screening age. Eight numbered steps follow in the order a primary care clinician meets them: sorting risk, offering screening from 45 with a choice of tests, making stool testing work, closing the loop after a positive result, acting on red flags, deciding individually after 75, coordinating care after diagnosis and planning survivorship. The notes cite the Task Force recommendation, a multi-society statement and a cohort study on colonoscopy timing. A measures slide proposes three numbers a clinic could track, and the final slide condenses the protocol into one line. Two margin notes mark the steps that carry the most weight.

DNP 627 Module 3 rubric: what earns full marks

The rubric for the group presentation is posted in Canvas, and it is worth 15% of the grade. Protocol presentations are typically judged on the depth of exploration of the chosen cancer, a clear and logical assessment and management pathway, current evidence and guidelines, attention to older adults, organization and slide design and the delivery and handling of questions. Presentations that end with a usable protocol, with steps, timing and responsibilities, score higher than overviews of the disease. Sources belong beside each recommendation, since a protocol is only as trustworthy as the evidence behind it. Each member should be able to speak to any step, since questions at the immersion may go to anyone in the group.

DNP 627 Module 3 help from the desk

Groups often pour their slides into tumor biology and chemotherapy, which oncology owns, and leave little room for what primary care actually does. Center the deck on the steps you control. Another is a protocol without timing; say how soon each action should happen. Keep slides short and move detail into the notes. Avoid outdated screening ages and intervals, which change often. Include older adults explicitly, including when to stop. Divide the research fairly among group members, but rehearse together so the protocol reads as one. Generative AI is not allowed for any course work. If your group shares its chosen cancer and draft outline with the desk, it can help you organize the protocol.

Write yours, or have the desk draft it

This paper is an original model document written by our desk, not a submitted student paper and not an official Arizona State University document. Read it for the moves, then write your own to the instructions in your classroom. If you want one built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.

More DNP 627 and Doctor of Nursing Practice sample papers

DNP 627 Module 3 questions, answered

Where can I find a free DNP 627 Module 3 sample paper?

The DNP 627 Module 3 sample here is a full twelve-slide Targeted Group Project protocol for colorectal cancer, from screening at 45 to survivorship, with speaker notes and references.

What is the DNP 627 targeted group project?

Each group picks a cancer common in adults, researches it and presents, in person at immersion, a protocol for assessing and managing it.

How much is the DNP 627 group presentation worth?

Fifteen percent of the DNP 627 grade rides on this group protocol and its in-person delivery.

How soon should colonoscopy follow a positive FIT?

As soon as practical; a large cohort study linked waits beyond about nine to ten months with higher cancer risk, so many programs aim for a few months.

At what age does colorectal cancer screening start?

The US Preventive Services Task Force recommends starting average-risk screening at 45 and continuing through 75, with individual decisions from 76 to 85.