Freaking out!!!

I am not clear as to what you are asking. Help with your topic (which is unclear) or help with how to speak in front of a group. Didn't you take a speech class as a pre-requisite?

No I did not take a speech class for a prereq. I am in an accelerated program and it is 10 months long full time. I had public speaking in college but it was an online course and I was able to videotape myself and send it in to the instructor.

As far as the topic, it is for my Growth & Development Class and it is on what it is like to be a working parent. I guess I am looking for advice on doing an oral presentation without passing out and an ideas of what to do to present it. I am unsure what to do with this topic.

You should interview several working parents. You need to compile several questions to help you do that. Like, ask them about burnout, their dreams, how they deal with not spending enough time with children, etc. You could also have your major points and pictures and things on a poster board. But, just BREATHE. You can do this. How long does your speech have to be?

I have up to 10 - 15 minutes. I know I can break it up and do a powerpoint of some sort so I am not the center of attention but I still need to know how to begin and put it all together. I am a working parent myself so alot of it will be from personal experience. I do have to get 3 credible references for my outline that I need to turn in the day of the presentation. Do you know good nursing sites that are credible that may have info on working parents I can search for? I googled it but so many come up. It is hard to know what is credible and what isn't.

Thanks for the words of encouragement!!! :)

Your school probably has access to the nursing journals online. That is the best place to start. Talk to your librarian about how to find peer reviewed nursing journals. Those are generally the only ones that are acceptable for "credible references." Talk to your teacher as well. Even if you use the below suggestions for this project, do this soon, because if you are in a BSN program it is better to learn how to find these articles and get practice sooner rather than later because you are going to be doing a good deal of writing up nursing research.

As to the interview idea - that is considered 'qualitative research' which is good if there is not much information on the topic already, but is a lower standard of evidence. (See http://ebp.lib.uic.edu/nursing/?q=node/12 for the standards of evidence) You need to find Randomized Controlled Trials (RCTs) or Systematic Reviews/Meta-Analysis for the information to truly be credible. Use those as search terms when you search.

For the shortcut method if this is due tomorrow:

Google Scholar - type this in to the google search window and it will bring you to the page or there is usually a hyperlink at the top of google. Go to advanced search and type in your search "Working Parents" or whatever. You can add other things like "Child Development or Breast feeding", whatever aspect you are interested in. The only problem with this is that sometimes you will find that the articles you need are for purchase only - another reason to go to your library. They have free access. But when you find a result that looks good you click it and then look for a link on the page that says "Full PDF". Sometimes only the abstracts (brief summaries) are free.

PubMed = generally you can find quality free research here too. Go to the advanced search hyperlink near the search bar and you can select all sorts of options. I would suggest selecting "Links to full Free Text", "English", "Meta-Analysis, Randomized Control Trial, Practice Guideline (another high level of evidence)", and maybe even "review".

Good luck with your project.

Thank you!! I appreciate your help.

Regarding being nervous about public speaking. Remember that just because you couldn't do it in the past does not mean that you can't do it now. People are capable of change. I know this because I was never able to give presentations when I was younger. But I have overcome this--it is not always super successful. Sometimes my voice still shakes. And my heart pounds every time and I look aroung for the nearest exit wanting so badly to make a run for it. But every time I go through with it, I give myself a break for not being perfect. And I'm very proud just because I tried. Just try. And however it turns out, be proud that you did it:twocents:.