| Course | BUSI 304 Introduction to Health Policy (BUSI304) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 2 |
| Assignment | Group Blog 1 |
| Paper type | Group blog entry with legislator email template |
| Length | about 620 words, 2 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: a group blog entry of 400 to 500 words on an issue related to a specific legislative policy affecting healthcare, citing at least 2 peer-reviewed journal articles and integrating a biblical worldview, plus a 200- to 250-word email template to the appropriate legislator, in current APA format |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 100 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BS in Healthcare Administration |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 2 in Liberty's published BUSI 304 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for BUSI 304 Week 2
Safe Staffing Is Patient Safety: A Group Blog on Nurse Staffing Legislation and an Email to a Legislator
[Student Name]
School of Business, Liberty University
BUSI 304: Introduction to Health Policy
Group Blog 1
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The group and the legislator are composites; the textbook, Scripture and the peer-reviewed studies cited are real.
Safe Staffing Is Patient Safety: A Group Blog on Nurse Staffing Legislation and an Email to a Legislator
Blog Entry: When Nurses Have Too Many Patients, Patients Pay the Price
State lawmakers are again considering a bill that would set minimum nurse staffing standards for hospitals, limiting how many patients a registered nurse may care for on a medical-surgical unit and requiring hospitals to publish their staffing plans. Hospitals argue that the rules are rigid and expensive. The evidence suggests the greater cost lies in doing nothing. Similar debates have played out in several states, and researchers have now measured what heavier nurse workloads mean for patients, so this is no longer a question of opinion.
In Illinois, Lasater et al. (2021) linked a survey of 1,391 hospital nurses to outcomes for 210,493 Medicare patients in 87 hospitals. Medical-surgical workloads ranged from 4.2 to 7.6 patients per nurse. Where nurses carried one more patient on average, patients' odds of dying in the following month rose 16% and the odds of a longer stay climbed 5%. By the researchers' estimate, a four-to-one ratio would have spared over 1,595 lives in a single year and saved the hospitals more than $117 million through shorter stays. Those are not abstract figures; they are grandparents who would have gone home.
Pennsylvania evidence points the same way. Muir et al. (2026) studied 132 hospitals and found that heavier workloads went along with more deaths and readmissions, longer stays, more burnout and more nurses planning to leave. They also estimated that the the money saved through better outcomes and lower nurse turnover would cover a large share of what a safe standard costs. McLaughlin and McLaughlin (2015) urge policy analysts to count costs and benefits across all parties, not just the budget of the institution that writes the checks, and on that broader ledger safe staffing looks like an investment. Hospitals do face a real problem in recruiting and keeping nurses, especially in rural areas, which is why the bill's details matter: phased deadlines and help with recruitment make the standard achievable rather than punitive.
Our group's position also rests on conviction. Scripture calls God's people to speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves and to stand up for the poor and needy (English Standard Version Bible, 2001/2016, Proverbs 31:8-9). A frail patient at 3 a.m. cannot ask for a second nurse. A staffing ratio is a promise that someone will be there when the call light goes on. We support the bill, with funding help for rural hospitals that would struggle to hire, and we urge readers to contact their senators this month.
Email Template to the Legislator
Dear Senator [Name],
We live in [town] and are writing as constituents and students in Liberty University's healthcare administration program, writing about the hospital nurse staffing bill now before the Health and Human Services Committee.
Research in two neighboring states shows that staffing saves lives. A study of 87 Illinois hospitals found that adding one patient to a nurse's assignment increased a patient's risk of death within a month by 16%, and a 2026 study of 132 Pennsylvania hospitals found similar results along with higher nurse burnout and turnover. Both studies estimated that savings from shorter stays and fewer readmissions would offset much of the cost.
We respectfully ask you to vote for the bill when it reaches the committee and to support an amendment providing transition funding for rural and critical access hospitals, so that small communities can meet the standard without losing services. A phased schedule for compliance would also give hospitals time to recruit.
Many of us have worked in hospitals where one nurse cared for seven or eight patients overnight, and we have seen what that means for patients who need help quickly. Thank you for considering our request. We would welcome the chance to share the full studies with your staff.
Respectfully,
[Names], [Town], [Email]
References
English Standard Version Bible. (2016). Crossway. (Original work published 2001)
Lasater, K. B., Aiken, L. H., Sloane, D., French, R., Martin, B., Alexander, M., & McHugh, M. D. (2021). Patient outcomes and cost savings associated with hospital safe nurse staffing legislation: An observational study. BMJ Open, 11(12), e052899. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjopen-2021-052899
McLaughlin, C. P., & McLaughlin, C. D. (2015). Health policy analysis: An interdisciplinary approach (2nd ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Muir, K. J., Aiken, L. H., Brom, H., Hovsepian, V., Lasater, K. B., & McHugh, M. D. (2026). Safe minimum nurse staffing requirements for hospitals: Evidence from Pennsylvania. Medical Care, 64(7), 447-455. https://doi.org/10.1097/MLR.0000000000002332
What the BUSI 304 Week 2 instructions ask
BUSI 304 assigns its first group blog in Module/Week 2, together with Discussion Board Forum 2, chapter 3 of McLaughlin and McLaughlin and one presentation. Working in an instructor-assigned group, students write a blog entry of 400 to 500 words on an issue tied to a specific legislative policy that affects healthcare, citing at least two peer-reviewed journal articles and integrating a biblical worldview. The group also writes an email template of 200 to 250 words to the appropriate legislator about the issue. Each of the three blogs in the course must address a different law, so the group should plan all three topics early to avoid overlap.
How this BUSI 304 Week 2 example is built
The sample's blog entry opens with the bill under discussion and what it would require of hospitals. It then presents two peer-reviewed studies on staffing and patient outcomes, answers the cost objection with the studies' own savings estimates and explains the group's position through a biblical concern for those who cannot protect themselves. The entry ends with a call to action. The email template that follows is addressed to a state senator on the health committee, introduces the writers as constituents studying healthcare administration, summarizes the evidence in two sentences and makes one specific request, leaving space for the sender's name and town.
BUSI 304 Week 2 grading rubric: where the points go
Instructors scoring the first blog check that it lands between 400 and 500 words, addressing a specific legislative policy, supporting claims with at least two peer-reviewed journal articles, integrating a biblical worldview meaningfully, writing for a public audience and producing an email of 200 to 250 words directed to the right legislator with a clear request. Faculty want a blog that argues for something and backs it up, not a neutral summary of a bill. An email that is respectful, concise and specific about the action requested earns more credit than one that only expresses an opinion. Choosing a law that has not been used in another blog matters for the later entries. Groups that divide the research and writing fairly, and say so in their submission, also show the collaboration the assignment is meant to build.
BUSI 304 Week 2 help: mistakes that cost points
Choose a bill or law your group can describe in a sentence, such as a staffing law, a telehealth extension or a drug pricing rule. Find two peer-reviewed studies that measure the problem or the effect of similar laws. Write the blog for an informed public reader: state the issue, give the evidence, address the strongest objection and take a position grounded in a biblical principle. For the email, identify the legislator who sits on the relevant committee, keep it under 250 words and ask for one specific action. Count both pieces separately, since each has its own range.
Related BUSI 304 sample papers
Other BUSI 304 weeks
- BUSI 304 Week 1: Discussion Board Forum 1
- BUSI 304 Week 3: Discussion Board Forum 3
- BUSI 304 Week 4: Case Study 1 Medicaid Expansion
- BUSI 304 Week 5: Group Blog 2 and Legislator Email
- BUSI 304 Week 6: Discussion Board Forum 5
- BUSI 304 Week 7: Group Blog 3 and Legislator Email
- BUSI 304 Week 8: Case Study 2 Rural Hospital
More BS in Healthcare Administration sample papers
BUSI 304 Week 2 questions, answered
What is BUSI 304 Group Blog 1?
The first of three 100-point group assignments: a 400- to 500-word blog entry on a health law with two peer-reviewed articles and a biblical worldview, plus a legislator email.
Where can I find a free BUSI 304 Week 2 sample paper?
Read the complete BUSI 304 Week 2 group blog on safe nurse staffing laws, plus its email to a state senator, here without paying.
How long is the BUSI 304 legislator email?
The email template must be 200 to 250 words, separate from the blog's 400 to 500 words, and should ask the legislator for a specific action.
Does nurse staffing affect patient deaths?
Yes. Yes. A study of 87 Illinois hospitals found that when nurses averaged one more patient each, Medicare patients had 16% higher odds of dying within 30 days.
Can each BUSI 304 blog cover the same law?
No. Each of the three group blogs must address a different legislative policy, so groups should plan their topics across the course.
Use it as a model, or ask for your own
This paper is an original model written by our desk for study. It is not a submitted student paper and not an official Liberty University document. Read it for structure and reasoning, then write your own to the instructions in your Canvas course. If you want a version built to your exact prompt and rubric, the first custom sample is free and arrives in 24 to 48 hours.
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