HELP! I’M A NURSING STUDENT OF MS. JOHNSON’S AND
I THINK I’M GOING TO GO CRAZY TRYING TO GET THIS
PAPER/PRESENTATION DONE!!!
WRONG ATTITUDE, GUYS AND GALS
Here are some tips:
GET STARTED – that’s half the battle.
DO NOT bury yourself with your research, it’s a short research project, not a book.
Balance your arguments – your pros and cons should be fairly equal.
DO NOT give away your personal feelings in the paper. Your arguments should be from
the perspective of the articles you’ve researched.
OUTLINE
Follow the sample outline from the handouts section. You probably will not have that
specific number of arguments and sub-arguments as there are in the sample but the
numbering and lettering should be consistent. You do not have to use a full sentence
format for your outline, just key words and phrases will suffice. Just make sure your
outline and paper are in the same order.
INTRODUCTION
Define the topic and why there is an ethical dilemma surrounding the issue. End your
introduction with an open ended thesis statement.
Sample:
The problems caused by a shortage of licensed nurses in the United States have led to the
recruitment of nurses educated and trained abroad. This has sparked controversy over
their abilities and qualifications to relieve the pressure of the nursing shortage in the
U.S. medical community.
THE CASE SCENARIO should also be open-ended, anonymous, not a real case!
MAKE IT UP! And remember to keep it from the nurse’s perspective.
Sample:
Nurse Nancy has been a practicing RN for nine years. Recently she took a job at a local
cancer treatment facility. She has observed that one physician regularly prescribes
placebos for to his patient’s pain. Nurse Nancy is unsure whether this practice is
efficacious or even ethical. PERIOD – STOP RIGHT THERE!!!
There should be no resolution of the dilemma in the case scenario.
THE CURRENT STATUS: Who’s doing what, when, where, how & why. Remember,
these topics are not just local, state or even US – they can be addressed globally.
The case scenario and current status can be in any order depending where you think it
works best. (Look at the sample outline in the handouts module.)
PROS AND CONS: Balanced, not 7 pros and 2 cons. 3 & 4, 4 & 3 are okay. You can
combine or separate certain arguments to make them balanced. ARGUMENTS
SHOULD BE BASED ON THE RESEARCH. NOT YOUR OPINION. THINK OF
MR. SPOCK FROM STAR TREK – NO EMOTION UNTL YOUR CONCLUSION.
CONCLUSION. Just write the word CONCLUSION on your outline. You don’t want
your instructor to know what you think until she reads it or hears it. THIS is where YOU
get heard. Now you can turn into a raving maniac, saying what you think, but still KEEP
IT FROM THE NURSING PERSPECTIVE. Example:
As a future nursing professional, I firmly and adamantly argue against the recruitment of
nurses trained and educated in other countries. Not only is their ability suspect, but there
are many social and cultural differences which can easily lead to problems with patient
relations, safety, etc… You get the idea.
These are some suggested research areas:
AMA – American Medical Association
ANA – American Nursing Association
NEJM – New England Journal of Medicine
HMJ – Harvard Medical Journal
BMJ – British Medical Journal
CDC – Center for Disease Control
NIH – National Institute for Health
WHO – World Health Organization
INC – International Nursing Council
CAN – Canadian Nurses Association
Look for .govs and .edus. Dot coms and orgs are okay but check them carefully. Nobody
rides herd on them and they can post anything. Orgs usually have an agenda, but they can
still contain viable information – just be careful. Also, if you find an article but want
additional information, look at the article’s bibliography, it might help.
Some of you, because of the sensitive ethics of your topic, might not always find
arguments on one side or the other. For instance, take the continued employment of
disabled nurses. No one is going to argue against disabled people working. Look outside
the bun; what about patient’s safety, the possible burden placed upon that nurse’s coworkers, etc.
I have been working with Lillie and her students for years. However, all of the tutors at
the center are qualified to help you. They are all familiar with APA format and style.
Most have already worked with Lillie’s students before and are aware of the parameters
to be followed.
Good luck,
Doug Perry
Rio Grande Writing Center