| Course | NURS 440 Post-licensure Strategies for Community Health Care (NURS440) |
|---|---|
| Module/Week | 2 |
| Assignment | Community Assessment Part 1: Windshield Survey |
| Paper type | Windshield survey |
| Length | about 732 words, 3 double-spaced pages plus title page and references. Course guide: a windshield survey of the student's own community, the first of three parts of the community assessment, in current APA format |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| Points | 50 |
| School | Liberty University Online |
| Program | BSN |
| Where it sits | Module/Week 2 in Liberty's published NURS 440 course guide; current sections can differ |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NURS 440 Week 2
Community Assessment Part 1: A Windshield Survey of an Older Neighborhood in Lynchburg, Virginia
[Student Name]
School of Nursing, Liberty University
NURS 440: Post-licensure Strategies for Community Health Care
Community Assessment Part 1
[Instructor Name]
[Date]
The neighborhood observations are a composite drawn from a drive and walk through older residential areas of Lynchburg; no real addresses or businesses are identified. The textbook, the CDC data set and the journal article cited are real.
Community Assessment Part 1: A Windshield Survey of an Older Neighborhood in Lynchburg, Virginia
How the Survey Was Done
I surveyed an older residential neighborhood close to downtown Lynchburg on a Tuesday between 3 and 5 p.m. and again on a Saturday between 9 and 11 a.m., driving the main roads and walking a twelve-block loop each time. Maurer and Smith (2013) describe the windshield survey as an early, observational step in community assessment that gives the nurse a sense of the community before formal data are gathered. I recorded observations under the standard headings and photographed buildings and streets but not people.
Boundaries and Character
The neighborhood sits on a hillside, bounded by a busy commercial road on one side and steep, wooded slopes on another. Streets are narrow and many are steep, with sidewalks on most blocks. The area feels distinct from newer subdivisions on the city's edge; most homes appear to date from the early to mid-twentieth century.
Housing
Housing is mostly single-family frame houses and some brick duplexes, with a few small apartment buildings. Roughly one house in six on my loop had peeling paint, sagging porches or boarded windows; several others had new roofs or fresh paint. I counted eleven "for rent" signs and two houses being renovated. Interpretation: the mix suggests both long-term owners and a renter population, and older housing raises questions about heating costs and lead paint.
Open Space
One small park, with swings and a single basketball court, serves the area. On Saturday, eight children and three adults were using it; on Tuesday, two teenagers. Several vacant lots are overgrown. No walking trail or community garden was visible in the area I surveyed.
Transportation
Two city bus routes run along the main road, with three shelters on my loop, one with a broken bench. Many residents appeared to walk; I saw people carrying grocery bags uphill on both days. Interpretation: steep hills combined with walking for errands could be a barrier for older adults and people with disabilities.
Service Centers and Stores
Within the loop were two convenience stores, a dollar store, a laundromat, a barber shop and a small storefront church. The convenience stores sold mostly packaged snacks, soda, canned goods and tobacco; one had a single basket of bananas and onions. The nearest full-service grocery store I found was on the commercial road, about a mile away and uphill from much of the neighborhood. Interpretation: the area may function as a low food access area for residents without cars.
People in the Streets
During the weekday visit, schoolchildren were heading home in small groups, older adults sitting on porches and several men talking outside the convenience store. On Saturday, families were at the park and a church van was picking up older residents. People greeted me as I walked.
Signs of Decay
Litter collected along the commercial road and in the vacant lots. Several streetlights appeared to be out. I did not see graffiti beyond a few tags on a retaining wall.
Race, Culture and Religion
Residents I observed appeared racially diverse, with many Black and white residents. I counted four churches within the loop, including one that advertised a weekly food pantry and a Sunday community meal. Interpretation: churches appear to be central community institutions and possible partners for health programs.
Health Resources
No clinic, pharmacy or dental office was within the loop. A pharmacy and an urgent care center were on the commercial road. A flyer at the laundromat advertised a free clinic's hours across town.
Politics and Media
Yard signs supported candidates in an upcoming city council election. A community bulletin board at the laundromat carried notices for job fairs, church events and a free tax preparation service.
Summary and Questions for Part 2
The neighborhood's strengths include strong churches, a park in active use, walkable streets and neighbors who know one another. Concerns include aging housing, limited fresh food within walking distance, steep hills for walkers and no health services within the neighborhood. These observations raise three questions for Part 2. Do the city's data show food insecurity and diet-related disease consistent with what the stores suggest? CDC estimates for the city list adult food insecurity at 16.2% and diagnosed diabetes at 11.0% (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [CDC], 2025), but neighborhood rates may differ. How do residents without cars reach groceries and health care? And could churches serve as partners, as food banks have for nursing programs elsewhere, where a windshield survey and interviews with key informants shaped health education built around a food bank (Jin et al., 2022)? A windshield survey cannot measure a community's health, but it tells the nurse which questions are worth measuring.
References
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (2025). PLACES: Local data for better health, county data 2025 release [Data set]. https://data.cdc.gov/d/swc5-untb
Jin, X., Ezeonwu, M., Ayad, A., & Bowman, K. (2022). Using a food bank as a platform for educating communities during the COVID-19 pandemic. Journal of Community Health Nursing, 39(1), 50-57. https://doi.org/10.1080/07370016.2022.2037052
Maurer, F. A., & Smith, C. M. (2013). Community/public health nursing practice: Health for families and populations (5th ed.). Elsevier Saunders.
What the NURS 440 Week 2 instructions ask
Part 1 of the NURS 440 community assessment is due in Module/Week 2, with Maurer and Smith's chapters 10 and 15, two presentations, the first part of the cultural group project and the health education program topic. The guide asks students to complete a windshield survey of their own community, the first step of an assessment that will grow across three parts into an 11- to 15-page paper with community diagnoses and a plan. A windshield survey records what an observer can see, hear and smell while moving through a community, usually by car and on foot, so plan to visit at two different times of day or week to see how the area changes from one visit to the next.
How this NURS 440 Week 2 example is built
The survey opens with how and when the observations were made. It then follows standard windshield survey headings, each in its own short section: the neighborhood's boundaries and character, housing and its condition, open space, transportation, service centers, stores, people seen on the streets, signs of decay, the area's racial and cultural makeup as observed, religious institutions, health resources, political signs and local media. In each section, observations come first and interpretations are labeled as such. The survey ends with a summary of strengths and concerns and three questions that the objective data search in Part 2 will try to answer.
NURS 440 Week 2 grading rubric: where the points go
Windshield surveys are typically graded on completeness across the standard categories, specific and objective observations, clear separation of observation from interpretation, attention to both strengths and concerns, respectful description of residents and a summary that sets up the next part of the assessment, along with APA format. Faculty look for details a reader could picture, such as the number of bus shelters or the condition of sidewalks, rather than impressions such as "a poor area." A survey conducted at more than one time of day, and one that notices assets as well as problems, shows a careful assessment. Photographs of places, not people, can support the narrative if the course allows them.
NURS 440 Week 2 help: mistakes that cost points
Visit your community at two different times, such as a weekday afternoon and a weekend morning, and take notes or photographs of places, not people. Organize your notes under the standard headings before writing. For each heading, write what you saw first, then, separately, what it might suggest. Look for assets as carefully as for problems: churches, parks, community centers and small businesses are resources. Avoid judgmental language about residents; describe conditions, not character. End by listing questions your observations raise, since Part 2 will answer them with published data and interviews with residents. Format the finished survey to current APA rules, including its cover page and reference list.
Related NURS 440 sample papers
Other NURS 440 weeks
- NURS 440 Week 1: Discussion Board Forum 1
- NURS 440 Week 3: Epidemiology Case Study
- NURS 440 Week 4: Community Assessment Part 2
- NURS 440 Week 6: Health Education Program Part 2
- NURS 440 Week 7: Disaster Response PowerPoint
- NURS 440 Week 8: Patient Education Assessment
More BSN sample papers
- NURS 215 Week 2: Research Paper Part 1
- NURS 220 Week 2: Concise Writing Assignment
- NURS 225 Week 2: EBP Project Part 1
- NURS 325 Week 2: Discussion Board Forum 2
NURS 440 Week 2 questions, answered
What is NURS 440 Community Assessment Part 1?
The 50-point Module/Week 2 windshield survey of the student's own community, the first of three parts of the NURS 440 community assessment that becomes an 11- to 15-page paper.
Where can I find a free NURS 440 Week 2 sample paper?
This page has a complete NURS 440 Week 2 windshield survey of an older Lynchburg, Virginia, neighborhood, organized by standard headings, free to read.
What is a windshield survey in community health nursing?
An organized look at a community from a car and on foot, noting housing, transportation, services, people, signs of decay and resources under standard headings.
What categories does a windshield survey include?
Common headings include boundaries, housing, open space, transportation, service centers, stores, people on the street, signs of decay, race and culture, religion, health resources, politics and media.
How should observations be written in a windshield survey?
Record what is seen, heard or smelled in specific, neutral terms first, then label any interpretation separately, so the reader can tell facts from impressions.
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.
Ask for a custom NURS 440 Week 2 sample · All NURS 440 weeks · All courses