NURS-FPX6610 is the foundational course in Capella's DNP Care Coordination specialization. It introduces the core principles of coordinating patient care across settings, teams, and transitions, preparing you to assess needs, build care plans, manage transitions, and present clinical cases with scholarly rigor.
Course Overview
Introduction to Care Coordination establishes the conceptual and practical framework for the entire specialization. Students learn to evaluate healthcare needs at both the patient and community level, design individualized care plans grounded in evidence, plan for safe transitions between care settings, and synthesize their learning through structured case presentations. The course emphasizes systematic approaches, interprofessional communication, and measurable outcomes throughout every assessment.
As a FlexPath course, NURS-FPX6610 allows you to move at your own pace, but each assessment builds on the previous one. A strong needs assessment (Assessment 1) directly informs the care plan (Assessment 2), which connects to the transitional care plan (Assessment 3) and ultimately the case presentation (Assessment 4). Understanding this progression early is key to success.
Key Assessments
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1
Comprehensive Needs Assessment
Conduct an in-depth evaluation of patient and community healthcare needs, identifying gaps in care and resource availability. This assessment requires systematic data collection, validated screening tools, and a structured analysis of both individual patient factors and broader community-level determinants of health.
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2
Patient Care Plan
Develop a detailed, individualized care plan addressing identified patient needs with evidence-based interventions and measurable outcomes. The plan must include SMART goals, prioritized nursing diagnoses, specific interventions with supporting evidence, and clear criteria for evaluating patient progress.
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3
Transitional Care Plan
Create a comprehensive plan to facilitate safe patient transitions across care settings, such as hospital to home or acute care to long-term care. This assessment addresses handoff communication, medication reconciliation, patient and caregiver education, follow-up scheduling, and readmission risk mitigation.
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4
Case Presentation
Present and analyze a clinical case scenario demonstrating care coordination principles, communication strategies, and outcome evaluation. The presentation must integrate concepts from all previous assessments and show how coordinated care improves patient outcomes through evidence-based practice.
How We Help
- Structuring comprehensive needs assessments using validated frameworks such as community health needs assessment models and standardized screening tools
- Developing evidence-based care plans with SMART goals, prioritized diagnoses, and measurable outcome criteria
- Designing transitional care protocols aligned with best practices including SBAR and I-PASS communication tools
- Building case presentations that demonstrate clinical reasoning, evidence integration, and clear communication
- Ensuring proper APA formatting, scholarly tone, and appropriate use of current peer-reviewed sources
Common Challenges
Assessment 1 requires a systematic approach to needs assessment. Students often submit narrative descriptions instead of structured assessments with quantifiable data, validated screening results, and clear identification of care gaps. Using a recognized framework from the start prevents this.
Assessment 3 on transitional care demands understanding of handoff communication tools like SBAR and I-PASS, along with awareness of readmission risk factors that many students have not encountered in their clinical practice. Research into evidence-based transition models is essential before drafting.
The case presentation in Assessment 4 requires both clinical depth and clear communication skills. Students need to demonstrate how care coordination principles work in practice, not just describe them theoretically. Deliberate structuring of the presentation with a logical flow from assessment through outcomes is critical.
Need Help With NURS-FPX6610?
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Related Care Coordination Courses
Frequently Asked Questions
While FlexPath allows flexibility, the assessments in this course are designed to build on each other sequentially. Your needs assessment (Assessment 1) informs your care plan (Assessment 2), which connects to your transitional care plan (Assessment 3), and all three feed into the case presentation (Assessment 4). Completing them in order produces the strongest work.
Effective needs assessments typically use validated tools such as the PHQ-9, Braden Scale, or Morse Fall Scale at the patient level, combined with community health needs assessment models for population-level analysis. Your assessment should identify specific gaps between current care delivery and evidence-based standards rather than providing a general health overview.
Assessment 3 focuses on creating a plan for safe patient transitions between care settings. Key elements include handoff communication using tools like SBAR or I-PASS, medication reconciliation procedures, patient and caregiver education, follow-up appointment scheduling, and strategies to reduce readmission risk. The plan should address specific barriers patients face during transitions.
The case presentation (Assessment 4) should follow a structured clinical case format that includes patient background, assessment findings, care coordination interventions, communication strategies used, and outcomes evaluation. It should demonstrate how you applied care coordination principles from the course and include evidence-based justification for your approach.
No specific care coordination experience is required, as this is the introductory course in the specialization. However, foundational DNP-level nursing knowledge and familiarity with evidence-based practice concepts are expected. Students without direct care coordination experience can draw on clinical scenarios from their practice setting and supplement with current literature.