NUR 458 Module 3 Functional Health Patterns Community Assessment Example

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

This NUR 458 Module 3 sample is the Functional Health Patterns assessment in Community Care and Collaboration, taken during the community semester of ASU's BSN. Here ASU NUR 458 asks teams to gather and organize information about a vulnerable population through the functional health patterns, with completion checks at a quarter, half and three quarters of the way through. The composite team applies Gordon's eleven patterns to day laborers who wait for work at a Phoenix hiring corner. Each pattern records what the team found, where the information came from, including observation, a provider interview and research, and both strengths and needs, ending with the gaps the team must still fill.

CourseNUR 458 Community Care and Collaboration
ModuleModule 3
Paper typeFunctional health patterns community assessment
LengthAbout 500 words, 4 pages
FormatAPA 7 student paper
SchoolArizona State University
ProgramBSN in Nursing
UpdatedOctober 2026

Free sample paper for NUR 458 Module 3

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Eleven Patterns at the Hiring Corner: A Functional Health Patterns Assessment of Day Laborers

Student Name

Edson College of Nursing and Health Innovation, Arizona State University

NUR 458: Community Care and Collaboration

Instructor Name

Month Day, Year

What this page is doingThe title signals that every one of Gordon's eleven patterns is assessed for the population, which is the completeness the assignment rewards.
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Eleven Patterns at the Hiring Corner: A Functional Health Patterns Assessment of Day Laborers

Method

Data came from four site visits on weekday mornings, informal conversations with 22 workers in Spanish and English, an interview with a nurse practitioner at a nearby community health center and published research. Gordon's framework organizes nursing data into eleven functional patterns (Gordon, 1994); applied to a community, each pattern describes how the group as a whole functions.

The Eleven Patterns

PatternFindingsSourceStrength or need
Health perception and managementWorkers describe health as being able to work; few have a regular source of care; most use the community health center only for injuriesConversations; provider interviewNeed
Nutrition and metabolicBreakfast often skipped; food trucks and convenience stores nearby; provider reports frequent uncontrolled blood pressure and diabetesObservation; provider interviewNeed
EliminationNo public restroom at the corner; workers use a nearby store when allowedObservationNeed
Activity and exerciseHeavy physical labor in construction, landscaping and moving; high exposure to lifting, ladders and toolsConversations; researchNeed
Sleep and restMany arrive before 6 a.m.; several report poor sleep in crowded housingConversationsNeed
Cognitive and perceptualMixed literacy; most prefer Spanish; several report hearing loss from toolsConversationsNeed
Self-perception and self-conceptStrong identity as providers for families; pride in skillsConversationsStrength
Role and relationshipMany send money to family abroad; close friendships among regulars at the cornerConversationsStrength
Sexuality and reproductiveMany men live apart from partners; little information gatheredLimited dataGap
Coping and stress toleranceStress from wage theft and uncertain work; mutual help among workersConversations; researchMixed
Values and beliefsFaith is important; distrust of institutions linked to immigration fearsConversations; provider interviewMixed
What this page is doingRecording a source for each finding and labeling strengths and gaps as well as needs gives the assessment credibility and keeps it from reading as a list of assumptions.
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What the Research Adds

Published research confirms the injury risk the team observed. Day laborers in Seattle reported frequent exposure to hazards and an injury rate many times the national average for workers, and immigrant workers were more likely than others to report hazardous conditions (Seixas et al., 2008). An ethnographic study in San Francisco described how injured day laborers often kept working and avoided care because missing work meant losing income (Walter et al., 2002). These findings explain why the health perception pattern centers on the ability to work.

Strengths

The community has real assets: strong relationships among regular workers, who share information about safe and unsafe employers; pride in skilled work; and faith communities that already offer meals. Any intervention should build on these.

Progress Through the Checks

At the 25% check, the team had observations for six patterns. By the 50% check, conversations and the provider interview filled most of the rest. At the 75% check, research was added and gaps were identified.

Gaps to Fill

Sexual and reproductive health information is thin, and the team has not yet spoken with women who seek work at the site. Before the data analysis, the team will ask the worker center about women workers and look for published data.

References

Gordon, M. (1994). Nursing diagnosis: Process and application (3rd ed.). Mosby.

Seixas, N. S., Blecker, H., Camp, J., & Neitzel, R. (2008). Occupational health and safety experience of day laborers in Seattle, WA. American Journal of Industrial Medicine, 51(6), 399-406. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajim.20577

Walter, N., Bourgois, P., Loinaz, H. M., & Schillinger, D. (2002). Social context of work injury among undocumented day laborers in San Francisco. Journal of General Internal Medicine, 17(3), 221-229. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1525-1497.2002.10501.x

NUR 458 Module 3 instructions, in plain terms

The posted syllabus lists the Functional Health Patterns assignment at 7 of 100 points, with three completion checks during the semester at 25%, 50% and 75% by assigned dates. The purpose is to analyze the unique needs of a vulnerable population and prioritize effective interventions by gathering and organizing information through the functional health patterns. You will find the template and rubric in Canvas. Plan to collect data on all eleven patterns from observation, interviews and research, record the source of each finding, note strengths as well as needs and identify gaps. Plan your data collection around the checks so that each one shows real progress. The data analysis and problem prioritization assignments that follow depend on how complete and well sourced this assessment is.

How this NUR 458 Module 3 example is built

The assessment opens with its methods: site visits, conversations with workers, a provider interview and research, and a sentence on how Gordon's framework applies to a community. A table covers all eleven patterns, each with findings, sources and a label of strength, need, mixed or gap. A section shows how two studies support the injury and delayed-care findings. A short strengths section names community assets, and a progress note describes what was complete at each check. The assessment ends by naming the patterns with thin data and how the team will fill them. It rests on three sources. The table can be updated at each completion check without restructuring it. Strengths are marked as clearly as needs.

NUR 458 Module 3 rubric: what earns full marks

Functional health patterns assessments are likely graded on completeness across all eleven patterns, accuracy and specificity of findings, documentation of sources, attention to strengths as well as problems, organization and timely completion of the three checks. A finding like "no public restroom at the site" earns more than a general statement about poor conditions. Naming sources shows the data are grounded. Identifying gaps honestly is better than filling them with assumptions. Including strengths reflects a community health approach. Because the checks are graded for completion, steady progress matters as much as the final version. Faculty notice when an assessment avoids stereotypes by tying every statement to a source. Balanced attention to strengths often separates strong submissions from adequate ones.

NUR 458 Module 3 help: mistakes that cost marks

A common problem is leaving patterns blank or filling them with guesses. If data are missing, say so and plan how to get them. Another is describing individuals rather than the population; write about the group's patterns. Avoid stereotypes, especially about immigrant or low-income communities, by tying every statement to a source. If your team would like help organizing data it has collected, share the notes with the desk with names removed. Start collecting early so the first check shows real data. Keep a running source list as you go. Keep a separate log of where each finding came from so citations are easy later. Check with clinical faculty about what you may ask at the site.

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 NUR 458 and BSN in Nursing sample papers

NUR 458 Module 3 questions, answered

Where can I find a free NUR 458 Module 3 sample paper?

A full NUR 458 Functional Health Patterns sample assessing day laborers across all eleven patterns, with sources, strengths and gaps, is on this page.

What are Gordon's functional health patterns?

Eleven areas nurses use to organize assessment data, from health perception and nutrition to activity, sleep, coping and values and beliefs.

Can functional health patterns be used for a community?

Yes. Each pattern can describe how a population functions as a whole, using observation, interviews and published data.

How is the NUR 458 functional health patterns assignment graded?

Seven points in all, with completion checked at 25%, 50% and 75% of the way through the term.

What if I cannot find data for a pattern?

Name it as a gap and describe how you will gather the missing information rather than guessing.