Obstetrical and Neonatal Nursing Writing Assignment

Purpose & Overview	In this assignment, students will choose a topic related to perioperative nursing and complete a research paper. To complete this assignment, students will find appropriate scholarly and research articles from nursing and related disciplines and write an expository essay on their chosen topic.   The student will also use provided learning resources and the instructions below to complete the assignment.  There are three primary purposes to this assignment. First, the student will increase familiarity and comfort with locating, reading, and evaluating relevant scholarly sources, articles, and research papers. Second, the student will engage in professional communication by completing a student research paper in APA format. Finally, the student will examine and discuss a topic related to safe and effective nursing care of the pregnant patient and/or the neonate.
Student Learning Outcomes	Upon completing this assignment, the student will be able to:   Discuss a topic relevant to obstetrical or neonatal nursing care. Discuss how nursing care and management impact safe and effective patient care of the pregnant patient and/or the neonate. Discuss how interprofessional care and collaboration impact safe and effective patient care of the pregnant patient and/or the neonate. Discuss evidence-based practice, health promotion, and patient education impact patient outcomes and contribute to safe and effective patient care of the pregnant patient and/or the neonate. Identify appropriate sources of accurate, credible, current, and relevant information and research for health care professionals. Evaluate scholarly articles and nursing research related to obstetrical or neonatal nursing care.  Demonstrate professional communication by completing an academic student paper in APA format
Due Dates	The final draft of this assignment is before
Evaluation & Grading	Evaluation and grading will be based on the Writing Assignment Rubric. The assignment is worth a total of 30 points.

Instructions

There are three primary components to this assignment: 1) Discussion, 2) APA Formatting, 3) Research and References. To achieve a passing grade on this assignment, all components must be complete. Specific objectives for each component are listed below. It is strongly suggested that you review the rubric for this assignment.

Use the Paper Template to complete this paper!

Discussion Objectives:

The Obstetric or Neonatal Nursing Writing Assignment will contain a well-developed, well-supported, logically organized, and focused discussion of a topic related to perioperative nursing care. Your discussion will include:

• At least five (5) but no more than nine (9) pages of discussion
• Discussion of chosen topic
• Discussion of nursing care and management
• Discussion of interprofessional care and collaboration
• Discussion of evidence-based practice
• Discussion of education and health promotion
• Discussion of improving patient outcomes
• Suggested topics:
  • Diabetes (preexisting or gestational)
  • Hypertension
  • Depression or other Mental Health Issues
  • Preeclampsia
  • Premature Labor and Birth
  • Fetal Demise
  • Maternal Age or Weight
  • Maternal Substance Use
  • Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
  • Intimate Partner Violence
  • Topic of your choice (with approval)

APA Formatting Objectives:

• Adhere to elements of APA 7th edition student paper formatting
• Use the provided headings to organize your paper
• Be written in third person voice and in a formal academic tone
• Contain fewer than one direct quotations per page and/or less than
• Contain less than 10% directly quoted materiel (<one direct quote per page is best)

Reference Objectives:

At least FIVE (5) references are required for this paper.

In order to get full credit for references:

• At least one (1) must be a literature review article or meta-analysis from a scholarly/peer-reviewed NURSING journal (not a professional magazine)
• At least one (1) must have an RN as a primary author (it can be the above article)
• At least two (2) references must be from “outside” sources (i.e. not your textbooks)
• All references must be less than ten years from the publication date (2012 or more recent)
• All reference must be originally published in English
• You can use whatever credible sources you like for your other references. Some great examples are:
  • Your textbooks (you should absolutely use textbooks for this paper)
  • Credible websites and online databases (NCBI, CDC, NIH, AHRQ)
    • Pro Tip! Choose websites that end in .gov, .edu, or .org – Avoid websites that end in .com
    • When choosing reference material from websites remember that you are a medical professional. Many websites publish general information for the public and more specific or specialized information for professionals. You should always choose professional material.
  • Professional literature (practice reviews, clinical guidelines, competency standards, etc.)
  • More scholarly or research articles!
• The following will NOT be accepted as references:
  • Popular magazines
  • Non-professional websites (WebMD, Wikipedia, etc.)
  • Information published for non-professional audiences (e.g. information from CDC for patients)
  • Opinions published in journals

Suggested Pacing Guide

• Week 1: Prepare
  • Make goals and schedule writing tasks
  • Choose Topic
  • Locate references
  • Outline paper key topics
• Week 2: Write rough draft of
  • Discussion of chosen topic
  • Nursing care and management
  • Interprofessional care and collaboration
• Week 3: Write rough draft of
  • Evidence based practice
  • Education and health promotion
  • Improving outcomes
• Week 4: Complete rough draft
  • Write introduction and conclusion
  • Format references and citations
    • Come to office hours
  • Review all sections
• Week 5: Edit!
  • Review all sections
  • Read your paper aloud
  • Swap it with a peer
  • Come to office hours
  • Use TutorMe and/or the writing center
• Week 6: Edit Again and Submit!
  • Review and refine all sections
  • Do everything from week 5 again
  • Submit a gorgeous and polished draft that you are super proud of