Leadership Paper : Topic Nurse Burnout

Purpose of Assignment: The BSN faculty believes that a major purpose of BSN education is to promote increased professionalism in the practice of our graduates. Such professionalism may be evident in students’ ability to move beyond the care of individual clients to consideration of issues and factors influencing health care delivery. We believe the cognitive skills required for such practice can be demonstrated in a professional paper required in NURS A460.

Directions: The leadership paper should begin with the identification of an issue influencing health care delivery in which nursing leaders and managers are likely to face. Almost any issue may be considered for this paper. Students will conduct a review of published literature to determine the scope of the issue and understand what is known about this issue. Then students will investigate solutions for addressing the issue as reported in the literature and confer with a nursing leader to determine the feasibility of these solutions in practice.

The Introduction and Review of Literature sections of the paper will be submitted at the end of the third (3rd) week and the Solutions and Conclusion sections will be submitted at the end of the fifth (5th) week of the course with opportunities for faculty feedback before the final draft is submitted. Each section of the paper must include specific criteria as outlined below:

Introduction: The introduction section sets the stage for the paper. It should include three (3) main areas (in this order): Statement of the problem, Significance of the issue, and Purpose of the paper. Please do not create subheadings within the Introduction section. The Statement of the problem is a concise statement identifying the issue influencing healthcare delivery that this paper will focus on. For example, if the topic of the paper is nurse turnover then the reader would need to know the definition of turnover. Next, the introduction section should define the issue and describe how the issue influences or impacts the ability of nurses to deliver healthcare to patients, families, groups, or communities. Finally, describe why (implications) the issue must be addressed by nurse leaders now. The Introduction section should conclude with a purpose statement outlining what your paper will be about. It is perfectly fine to say, “The purpose of this paper is….”

Review of Literature: This section of the paper provides as opportunity for students to define the scope of the problem and discuss what is known about the issue. Begin this section by outlining your strategy for searching/retrieving articles. Articles must be retrieved from at least 2 different databases, one must be CINAHL. Often the scope of a problem is presented using numbers and/or statistics. Peer-reviewed articles, textbook(s), or professional websites may be used to locate information. Sources like Wikipedia, blogs, or non-professional websites should not be used (example: Pinterest). Examples of a professional organization might include the American Nurses Association (ANA), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), or the American Academy of Colleges of Nursing (AACN).

Students should succinctly present a synthesis of the literature, not an annotated bibliography. This means that individual articles are not summarized separately but rather all of the references should be integrated together. The review of literature section should be well developed and comprehensive; clearly presenting current research (less than 5 years old) or position statements from leading professional organizations. Typically, a review of literature is organized by themes. For example: if the topic of the paper is incivility, perhaps the review of literature is organized by the impact of incivility on the nurse, the patient, and the organization. Please do not provide a critical appraisal of each research article as that is not the intent of this paper. Instead, focus on the results and implications of the research as it relates to the profession, work environment, and nurse leader.

Solutions: In this section, students should explore solutions reported in the literature to address the issue. Define and describe each solution in relationship to the issue focusing on how relevant and feasible the solution is. At least one (1) solution should come from the literature, the others may be something you think of. Identify the best solution and the rationale. Then discuss the issue and the solution you identified with a nurse leader in your work or clinical setting (your clinical preceptor or charge nurse is ideal). Inquire how the nurse leader addressed (or witnessed) the issue in the clinical setting. How effective was the solution? Briefly describe similarities and differences between your best solution and the solution employed by the nurse leader. Make sure the solutions offered by the nurse leader you spoke with are clear. It’s okay if their solutions overlap your ideas – just state that. A minimum of 3 solutions in addition to solution(s) from a nurse leader (minimum of 4) should be in the paper.

Conclusion: The paper should end with a single conclusion paragraph that restates the issue, highlights the impact on healthcare delivery, identifies the best solution (it could be one you found in your literature review or one described by a nurse leader in your work/clinical setting), and restate why it is important for nurse leaders to address this issue in practice. No citations should be included in the Conclusion.

Tips for Writing a Scholarly Paper:

• Avoid first-person point of view – “I”.

• Do not use personal pronouns including “they” “them” “their” “themselves” “we” “me” “my” “you” “your” “us” or “our.” Writers can communicate the same intent or meaning using 3rd person point of view. For example: instead of saying “The roles of nurse leaders are critical in confronting nursing incivility as they have an ethical duty to address any maltreatment within the workplace” you could say “Nurse leaders have an ethical duty to address maltreatment in the workplace and are critical to eliminating nursing incivility altogether.”

• When writing about the solution(s) the nurse leader used – please avoid using the nurse leader’s name or any identifying information. It would be best to phrase it like this: “A nurse leader working on a medical-surgical unit in an urban hospital described XXX.”

• Do not include your opinion(s) related to the issue or solution in the paper.

• No direct quotes may be included in this paper.

• Papers should be limited to a maximum of 6 pages not including the title page or reference list.

• Format the paper according to APA 7th edition & submit as a Word document (not a pdf)

When you submit the final draft of your paper for grading, it will automatically be reviewed by a plagiarism checker known as Safe Assign. Within minutes of submission, you can see your ‘Originality Report.” Closely review that report for any evidence of plagiarism. If anything is suspicious (exact words from original source used), I encourage you to edit your paper and re-submit it.

Introduction & Review of Literature sections – due January 29, 2023 at 11:59 pm

Solutions & Conclusion sections – due February 12, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

Final Paper – due February 25, 2023 at 11:59 pm.

University of South Carolina Aiken School of Nursing

NURS A460: Leadership and Management

Evaluation Criteria for Leadership Paper

Worth 30% of Final Course Grade in NURS 460

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