| Course | NUR 402 Concept Integration Across the Lifespan Accomplished |
|---|---|
| Module | Module 4 |
| Paper type | Group APA paper |
| Length | About 597 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Arizona State University |
| Program | BSN in Nursing |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NUR 402 Module 4
Care That Moves With the Child: Prioritizing Mental Health Continuity for Youth in Foster Care
Student Name
Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University
NUR 402: Concept Integration Across the Lifespan: Accomplished
Instructor Name
Month Day, Year
Care That Moves With the Child: Prioritizing Mental Health Continuity for Youth in Foster Care
Why This Disparity Comes First
Paper 1 described five disparities. The team prioritized mental health care continuity using three criteria: magnitude, consequences and the potential for nursing action. Mental health problems are the most common health issue among youth in foster care (Turney & Wildeman, 2016). Their consequences reach every other area, from school stability to placement disruption, since a child's distress can end a placement and each move worsens distress. Finally, nurses in schools, clinics and health plans can act on continuity directly, through screening, coordination and medication safety.
The Disparity Defined
Mental health care continuity means that a child's assessment, therapy, medications and treating clinicians carry over when the child changes placement. When continuity breaks, therapy restarts with a stranger, medications may be stopped abruptly or duplicated, and the child's history must be told again.
Social Determinants Appraisal
Healthy People 2030 places the social determinants of health in five domains, and the team used them as a frame (Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion, n.d.).
The appraisal shows that continuity breaks for structural reasons, not because caregivers or clinicians do not care. Health care access is the domain nurses can influence most directly, while education and social context require partnership with schools and child welfare workers.
| Domain | How it affects mental health continuity for foster youth |
|---|---|
| Economic stability | Many children come from families in poverty; kinship caregivers may have limited income for transportation to appointments |
| Education access and quality | School moves break ties with counselors and school nurses who know the child |
| Health care access and quality | Provider networks change with placement; records may not follow; therapy waitlists restart |
| Neighborhood and built environment | Placements may be far from previous providers, with limited transit |
| Social and community context | Loss of family, friends and trusted adults; stigma; adverse childhood experiences that shape later health (Felitti et al., 1998) |
Evidence-Based Nursing Care
The American Academy of Pediatrics technical report sets a schedule: screening within days of placement, a full assessment that includes mental health within the first month, regular follow-up and attention to psychotropic medication oversight, all within a medical home that can coordinate across systems (Szilagyi et al., 2015). The team translates that guidance into four nursing actions.
1. Trauma-informed mental health screening at every placement change, using a validated screening tool chosen with the health plan, so new symptoms are caught early.
2. Medication reconciliation at every move. Because many foster youth take several psychotropic medications at once (Zito et al., 2008), a nurse should compare the pharmacy history with what the child arrives with, contact the prescriber about gaps and teach the new caregiver about each medication.
3. A portable health summary. A one-page summary of diagnoses, medications, therapists and upcoming appointments travels with the child and is shared with the new caregiver, school nurse and primary care provider.
4. Warm handoffs between therapists when a move cannot be avoided, with the school nurse or care coordinator arranging a joint call or session.
Measures
Percentage of children with a mental health screening within 30 days of placement change; percentage with a completed medication reconciliation within 72 hours; days without therapy after a move; caregiver understanding of medications, measured by teach-back.
Conclusion
Mental health continuity is the disparity that links the others for youth in foster care. Its causes lie in the structures around the child, and nurses can repair several of them. The team's presentation will propose an innovative intervention built on the portable health summary and medication reconciliation.
References
Felitti, V. J., Anda, R. F., Nordenberg, D., Williamson, D. F., Spitz, A. M., Edwards, V., Koss, M. P., & Marks, J. S. (1998). Relationship of childhood abuse and household dysfunction to many of the leading causes of death in adults: The Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE) Study. American Journal of Preventive Medicine, 14(4), 245-258. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0749-3797(98)00017-8
Office of Disease Prevention and Health Promotion. (n.d.). Social determinants of health. Healthy People 2030. https://health.gov/healthypeople/priority-areas/social-determinants-health
Szilagyi, M. A., Rosen, D. S., Rubin, D., Zlotnik, S., Council on Foster Care, Adoption, and Kinship Care, Committee on Adolescence, & Council on Early Childhood. (2015). Health care issues for children and adolescents in foster care and kinship care. Pediatrics, 136(4), e1142-e1166. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2015-2656
Turney, K., & Wildeman, C. (2016). Mental and physical health of children in foster care. Pediatrics, 138(5), e20161118. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2016-1118
Zito, J. M., Safer, D. J., Sai, D., Gardner, J. F., Thomas, D., Coombes, P., Dubowski, M., & Mendez-Lewis, M. (2008). Psychotropic medication patterns among youth in foster care. Pediatrics, 121(1), e157-e163. https://doi.org/10.1542/peds.2007-0212
NUR 402 Module 4 instructions, in plain terms
The posted syllabus describes Group Paper 2 as the prioritization of the health disparity identified in Paper 1 and an appraisal of the social determinants of health behind it, with evidence-based nursing care to improve the chosen population's health status. The two group papers share 10 points, and Canvas holds the rubric. Expect to explain why you chose one disparity over the others using clear criteria, appraise the social determinants that drive it, ideally organized around the five areas Healthy People 2030 uses, and recommend nursing interventions supported by evidence, with ways to measure them. Your team's innovative intervention presentation will build on this paper, so recommendations should lead naturally into the innovation you plan to present.
How the NUR 402 Module 4 example is put together
The paper opens by explaining the prioritization with three named criteria, magnitude, consequences and potential for nursing action. It defines the prioritized disparity in concrete terms. A table appraises social determinants in the five Healthy People 2030 domains, each tied specifically to continuity for foster youth, followed by a paragraph on which domain nurses can influence most. Four evidence-based nursing actions follow, built on pediatric guidance and research on medication use. A short list of measures and a conclusion that previews the presentation close the paper. Five sources support it, including a federal framework and a pediatric technical report. Every nursing action can be traced to a source and to one of the social determinants in the table.
NUR 402 Module 4 rubric: what earns full marks
The second paper is likely graded on a justified prioritization, a thorough appraisal of social determinants, evidence-based and specific nursing interventions, measurable outcomes, links to Paper 1 and APA writing. Prioritization earns credit when criteria are stated and applied. Social determinants appraisals score higher when they explain how each domain affects the chosen disparity rather than listing domains. Interventions should be things nurses can do, supported by evidence, with enough detail to implement. Measures show the team understands evaluation. Consistency of voice and formatting across group sections still matters, as does a clear connection to the presentation that follows. Linking each intervention to a determinant it addresses shows the appraisal shaped the plan.
NUR 402 Module 4 help with common mistakes
Teams often choose a priority without explaining why. State your criteria and show how the chosen disparity meets them. Another common weakness is a social determinants section that defines the five domains in general; tie each one to your population and disparity. Keep interventions within nursing's scope and support each with a source. If your group would like help drafting Paper 2 from its first paper, send Paper 1 and the rubric to the desk. Reread faculty comments on Paper 1 before starting. Make sure your recommendations set up the innovation you plan to present. Check that every measure you list could be collected in a real setting.
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.
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NUR 402 Module 4 questions, answered
Where can I find a free NUR 402 Module 4 sample paper?
A full NUR 402 Group Paper 2 sample prioritizing mental health continuity for foster youth, with a social determinants appraisal and nursing actions, appears on this page.
What is NUR 402 Group Paper 2?
A paper that prioritizes one disparity from Paper 1, appraises the social determinants behind it and recommends evidence-based nursing care.
What are the Healthy People 2030 social determinants domains?
Five areas: money and work, schooling, access to good health care, where people live and the relationships and community around them.
How do I prioritize a health disparity?
State criteria such as magnitude, consequences and potential for nursing action, then show how the chosen disparity meets them.
What nursing care helps foster youth during placement changes?
Mental health screening, medication reconciliation, a portable health summary and warm handoffs between therapists help care continue across moves.