| Course | DNP 703 Innovation in Communication Scholarly and Professional Writing |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 2 |
| Paper type | Précis, paraphrase and response essay |
| Length | About 585 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | Doctor of Nursing Practice |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for DNP 703 Module 2
Four Ways of Knowing at the Bedside: A Précis, Paraphrase and Response to Carper's Fundamental Patterns
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
DNP 703: Innovation in Communication: Scholarly and Professional Writing
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Four Ways of Knowing at the Bedside: A Précis, Paraphrase and Response to Carper's Fundamental Patterns
Introduction
Nursing students often hear that nursing is both an art and a science, but few can say what that means in practice. In 1978, Barbara Carper offered one of the most cited answers, describing four patterns of knowing that together make up nursing knowledge. This essay summarizes her article in a rhetorical précis, paraphrases its main argument, and responds to it from the perspective of an intensive care nurse.
Rhetorical Précis
Carper (1978), in her article "Fundamental Patterns of Knowing in Nursing," argues that nursing knowledge comes in four distinct patterns: empirics, esthetics, personal knowledge and ethics. She develops this claim by analyzing the structure of nursing knowledge, defining each pattern and showing what kind of question each one answers. Her purpose is to widen what counts as legitimate nursing knowledge so that the discipline does not reduce itself to measurable science. She writes for nurse scholars and educators in a formal, analytic tone that treats each pattern as equally necessary.
Paraphrase
Carper (1978) begins by asking what kinds of knowing nurses actually rely on. The first, empirics, is the science of nursing: knowledge that can be described, explained and predicted, and tested against public evidence. The second, esthetics, is the art of nursing: the nurse's skill in grasping what matters to this patient now and shaping care to suit it. The third, personal knowledge, concerns the nurse's awareness of self and the willingness to meet a patient as a person rather than an object. The fourth, ethics, is moral knowledge about what ought to be done, which goes beyond following a code to weighing competing obligations. Carper concludes that each pattern is necessary but none is sufficient, and that teaching nursing as though empirics were the only real knowledge would leave nurses unprepared for much of their work.
Response
Carper argues that all four patterns are needed. I agree, but I would add that the intensive care unit rewards one of them far more than the others. My unit measures empirics constantly, through vital signs, laboratory values and protocols, and our audits and annual reviews follow those measures. Esthetic and personal knowing, such as sensing that a family is not ready to hear a prognosis, receive no audit and little recognition, even though they shape how a death unfolds. Graff and Birkenstein (2024) describe the move of agreeing with a difference as a way to join a conversation without simply repeating it, and that is my position here: Carper was right about the four patterns, but practice environments decide which ones nurses get to use.
Carper's argument also helps explain a frustration I could not name before. When a senior nurse tells a new graduate that a patient "just looks wrong," she is using esthetic and personal knowledge that our documentation has no field for. Narrative medicine makes a parallel case that clinicians must learn to take in and interpret patients' stories (Charon, 2001). If the patterns are equal in theory but unequal in practice, then DNP-prepared nurses may need to design systems, such as structured worry scores, that make the less visible patterns count.
Conclusion
Carper's four patterns remain a useful map of nursing knowledge nearly five decades later. Summarizing and paraphrasing her argument forced me to separate what she said from what I assumed she said. My response accepts her map but questions whether the places nurses work allow them to travel all of it.
References
Carper, B. A. (1978). Fundamental patterns of knowing in nursing. Advances in Nursing Science, 1(1), 13-24. https://doi.org/10.1097/00012272-197810000-00004
Charon, R. (2001). Narrative medicine: A model for empathy, reflection, profession, and trust. JAMA, 286(15), 1897-1902. https://doi.org/10.1001/jama.286.15.1897
Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2024). "They say / I say": The moves that matter in academic writing (6th ed.). W. W. Norton.
Reading the DNP 703 Module 2 assignment instructions
The posted syllabus grades Paper 1, the Précis/Paraphrase/Response Essay, at 100 points and 10% of the course. It falls in Module 2, Weeks 4 to 6, whose lessons cover paraphrasing, summarizing, quoting and citing, metacommentary and voice, and APA basics, with an APA basics quiz in the same module. The syllabus describes all four papers as building skill in Microsoft Word formatting, APA 7th edition style and writing on a five-paragraph essay foundation. Expect a précis that captures the author's claim, method, purpose and audience; a paraphrase in your own words; and a response that takes a position. Faculty may assign the reading, so confirm it in Canvas. The essay is also the first chance to show faculty your APA formatting, so treat the title page and reference list with care.
Inside the DNP 703 Module 2 example
The essay keeps the five-paragraph foundation, introduction, three body sections and a conclusion, with the précis, paraphrase and response as the body. The précis follows the common four-sentence rhetorical form: author, genre and claim; how the claim is developed; purpose; audience and tone. The paraphrase restates each pattern in new words and sentence structures, with attribution to the author throughout, and quotes nothing. The response uses a named move from the course text, agreeing with a difference, and supports it with examples from the writer's practice. The conclusion reflects on what the exercise taught about separating an author's ideas from one's own. Every paraphrased sentence keeps the author's name nearby, so a reader never wonders whose idea is being presented.
Reading the DNP 703 Module 2 grading rubric
Précis, paraphrase and response essays are usually graded on an accurate précis that captures the author's argument, a paraphrase that is genuinely in the student's words while preserving meaning, a response with a clear position supported by reasons and examples, correct attribution and APA formatting, and clear organization. Faculty check paraphrases closely for patchwriting, where the original's sentence structure survives with a few words swapped. A response that enters the conversation, rather than praising or rejecting the article wholesale, shows the voice this module teaches. Clean APA formatting and a correct reference list are part of the grade from the first paper. Faculty also reward précis sentences that use precise verbs, such as argues, demonstrates or questions, instead of says.
DNP 703 Module 2 help: mistakes that cost marks
The most frequent mistake is a paraphrase that follows the original sentence by sentence with synonyms. Read a section, close the article, write from memory, then check accuracy. Another is a response that summarizes again instead of taking a position. Use a "they say, I say" template to state where you stand. Keep the précis to four sentences. Check APA headings, margins and the title page against the manual. If you would like help with your précis, paraphrase and response essay, send the assigned article and the prompt to the desk. Read your paraphrase beside the original to make sure no phrase of three or more words matches.
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 703 and Doctor of Nursing Practice sample papers
- DNP 703 Module 3: Critical Analysis Essay
- DNP 703 Module 4: Synthesis Essay
- DNP 703 Module 5: Synthesis-Argument Essay
- DNP 647 Module 3: Case Study 3: Gastrointestinal Disorders (Celiac Disease)
- DNP 714 Module 4: Individual Assignment 2: MindMap of Three Relationship Theories
- DNP 709 Module 6: Immersion Reflection: Conflict Plan
- DNP 715 Module 2: Team Charter for the Healthy People 2030 Project
DNP 703 Module 2 questions, answered
Where can I find a free DNP 703 Module 2 sample paper?
The précis, paraphrase and response essay above is complete: Carper's patterns of knowing summarized in a rhetorical précis, paraphrased, and answered with a practice-based response.
How many points is DNP 703 Paper 1?
The Précis/Paraphrase/Response Essay is worth 100 points, 10% of the course grade.
What is a rhetorical précis?
A four-sentence summary giving the author, genre and claim; how the claim is developed; the purpose; and the audience and tone.
What is the difference between a paraphrase and a summary?
A paraphrase restates a passage in your own words at similar length; a summary condenses the main ideas into a much shorter form.
What book does DNP 703 use for academic writing moves?
The syllabus lists Graff and Birkenstein's "They Say / I Say," along with the APA manual and a guide to writing for graduate nursing students.