HCA 302 Term Paper Guidelines: Keys to Course Project Success
In this assignment, you will write a term paper comparing the U.S. health care system to a country of your
choice. Deliverables for your paper will be due in Modules 1, 3, 5, and 7.
APA formatting is required. When submitting each of your assignments, please use the following file
name format: HCA302_AssignmentName_FirstInitialLastName.docx. So if your name is John Smith and
you are submitting Writing Assignment 1, the name of the file will be
HCA302_WritingAssignment1_JSmith.docx. Points will be deducted for any late submissions.
Module 1 (Writing Assignment 1): Term Paper Topic/Title: Choose a Country (Graded)
Students may choose any country to submit for approval in Module 1. This is the beginning of the Term
Paper project, and you may use the template located in the Doc Sharing. This assignment requires a
cover page with the title indicating the country you wish to compare to the U.S. health care system.
Before you submit your country, make sure you are able to find at least three primary sources
with enough information to write a quality paper that meets the length requirements and for
comparing key indicators of the U.S. health care system to your choice country. Primary sources
are the WHO, NIH, CDC, OECD, the county’s national health care website, government websites, and so
on.
NOTE: There is a comprehensive database of health care statistics for 30 different countries, including
the U.S., from the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). This is an
international organization that collects economic and health care data. The database has 1,200 different
data elements, with a time series from 1960 to 2010. It is used by the World Health Organization, the
U.S., and other OECD reporting participants. The entire world accesses and utilizes this data to
determine what may be the most efficient and effective way to deliver health care. The OECD, HCQI data
may be used for your papers. It will show where these 30 developed countries are in healthcare services
and which of these countries are making progress. Click here or type the URL in the reference below
(OECD, 2011) into your browser.
Students may choose any other country outside of the 30 in the spreadsheet, as long as there are enough
quality references. Students will submit Writing Assignment 1 to the Dropbox by no later than Sunday
11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module 1.
Module 3 (Writing Assignment 3): Term Paper Outline and References (Graded)
Using the course project template in Doc Sharing as a guide and the references found, prepare an outline
of the Term Paper to assist in later writing it (sample outline format below). The template is only a guide
and you do not have to write the paper verbatim from the outline. It will help you formulate the paper
outline, and guide you in your research and writing. An outline is very important because it helps you
organize research topics and write the paper. It also helps the flow of your paper, e.g., transitions from
one subtitle topic to the next. Each outline will vary depending on your research findings. Students will
submit Writing Assignment 3 to the Dropbox by no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module 3.
I. Title Page
II. Introduction
III. Body of Paper
a. Topic Heading
i. SubTopic 1 1. Content 1
2. Content 2
http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?DataSetCode=HEALTH_STAT
http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?DataSetCode=HEALTH_STAT
3. Content 3
b. … and so on
IV. Conclusion
V. References
Module 5 (Writing Assignment 5): Term Paper Draft with References (Graded)
There is no such thing as an incorrect draft. The purpose of the draft is so the instructor can provide
feedback before you submit your final paper. The project requirement is a 10-15 page paper. Note that
APA formatting is double-spaced with 1-inch margins left, right, top, and bottom, and a 12 point standard
font. The cover sheet, table of contents, long or multiple quotations, and reference page do not count
toward the page count. Students will submit Writing Assignment 5 to the Dropbox by no later than Sunday
11:59 PM EST/EDT of Module 5. (This Dropbox basket is linked to Turnitin.)
Module 7: Final Term Paper (Graded)
Before you submit your final draft to Chalk and Wire, you need to do a spelling and grammar check and
correct any content errors. Additionally, you will need to do a quality assurance check to ensure the
following:
1. Your introduction is concise and clear and reflects the paper’s content.
2. Topics and subtopics transition well throughout each section of your paper.
3. All concepts, quotes, numbers, statistics, graphs, and graphics are properly cited.
4. Each citation has a corresponding reference listed on the References page.
5. The conclusion is consistent with the paper’s content.
6. The title page, paper, in-paragraph citations, and reference page are all in the APA format. Before
submitting your final draft, check to make sure your paper meets all of the criteria identified in the
rubric.
Students will submit the Final Term Paper to Chalk and Wire no later than Sunday 11:59 PM EST/EDT
of Module 7. Submit the Final Term Paper to Chalk and Wire using the link found in the Module 7 folder.
Students who do not submit the assignment to Chalk and Wire will receive a zero. This is a key program
assessment; the results are used to ensure the students are meeting program goals. Video and PDF
instructions can be found on the course home page. PDF instructions are also located on the Start Here
folder. (Chalk and Wire is linked to Turnitin.)
_______________
Source Reference:
Organization for Economic and Cooperative Development [OECD]. (2011). OECD health data
2011: StatExtracts. Retrieved from
http://stats.oecd.org/index.aspx?DataSetCode=HEALTH_STA
