Course Project 1 - Brainstorming

They will provide the roadmap and specific examples for how to complete your work. The Course Project consists of a Needs Assessment, an Action Plan based on what you determine is "needed" and an Evaluation of your Needs Assessment. Your instructor may have additional requirements. In general, the Course Project document should be between 1600 to 1700 words in length, 12 point font, double-spaced; and must use APA format for both in-body citations and the References page at the end. However, based upon how you present your findings, such as using tables, the above guidlelines may change somewhat. Discuss this with your instructor.

The individual Course Project Assignments will all contribute to your final product so there is no wasted effort! In this lesson, your goal is to brainstorm topics that will help you to narrow down the focus of your Needs Assessment. A good way to start the brainstorming process is to reflect back on all your previous courses for a subject that interests you. Another approach is to examine your current work setting and consider healthcare issues that you feel are impacting or will impact service delivery. Perhaps your employer is willing to work with you on a problem area that requires a Needs Assessment, such as staff training related to a new federal healthcare policy change or a better way to complete a work process.

Then, you may also want to Google hot topics in the healthcare industry. Read a few things you find to see if you are on the right track, in other words, does the topic still interest you. Here's a tip: don't try to brainstorm in isolation, trying to pull a topic out of the proverbial rabbit's hat. All that does is make you panic for no reason. Research a bit, using the process described above first, then decide on a topic or two.

After you do your detective work, please submit:

Two or three broad topic areas to your instructor for feedback

A paragraph (minimum 150 words) on why you chose those topics.

Your instructor will help you refine your ideas so that you can move on to the next step in Lesson 2. And keep in mind; you can change your mind.