Research Papers?

MB37 · Dec 8, 2007

I have a psych degree, and I'm currently in an accelerated BSN program. So far I've had to write one major paper each semester for NS, one in my ethical/legal class (we turned in a first draft and a final) and one for nursing research (we turned in a lit review and a final). My research class was very similar to a 300-level psych class I took called "Experimental Psych," but obviously the focus was on nursing. How many papers you write will vary from school to school, but nursing (and all sciences) is a profession based on research. You will be reading and basing your practice on research for the rest of your career. Also, my psych program at a highly ranked private university was SIGNIFICANTLY easier for me and required a lot less work than my BSN program at the mid-level public university I currently attend. If you actually want to be a nurse, go for it, but be prepared to work much harder than you ever have in your life.

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2007

It depends on the program. The program I am in just added papers to our requirements, even though we are not required to have a writing prerequisite past WR121. A lot of people are complaining about that.

Tweety, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2007

Not a whole lot, but there are some. BSN students take a course in nursing research and that's obviously a papers.

However, most nursing programs are geared towards the NCLEX, so they test you similar to the NCLEX and there isn't time for a lot of research. Too many facts and procedures to learn.

ADN to BSN programs are a lot of research papers.

Daytonite, BSN, RN · Dec 8, 2007

Research papers are something that are a requirement of college students, so if the nursing program you are considering going into is part of a college or university, then the answer is, yes, you will probably need to do some research related papers. If you go into a BSN program you will definitely be required to take a nursing research class.

If you just want to be a hands on practitioner become a CNA (certified nursing assistant). That requires 6 weeks of training, often outside a college setting; you'll make a little bit more than minimum wage; probably never do a research paper; and spend your career doing nothing but physical work.

You need to understand that an RN is a leader, supervisor and problem solver--hands on work is part of the job, but not a consuming part of it. An RN is expected to be a thinker and user of their brain. If you can't figure out how to write a research paper, how are you going to be able to figure out how to solve patient problems which is what an RN is expected to do on a regular basis?

User123456 · Dec 8, 2007

we only had to write one this semester, but its my first semester

shaggyjo · Dec 8, 2007

We had to write a research paper every other week for 16 weeks :uhoh21: and then a big one at the end, for just ONE class!! Then we had a take home test where there were 8 questions and you needed 2 resources per question (ended up 20 pages long) and then a big one in that class at the end as well. So YES, there should be some research papers in the program. But as you get into the professional part of the nursing program it is less reasearch papers and more research for care plans!!

T

S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN · Dec 9, 2007

My nursing degree required more papers than any of my friends doing English degrees, science degrees, or liberal arts degrees. It was ridiculous. I had at least one paper a week, sometimes two--not including the big term papers due at the end of the semester. Oh, and don't forget pre-clinical assignments, journaling, and class presentations.

caliotter3 · Dec 9, 2007

I attended a BSN program and spent more time doing papers than I feel was justified even for the BSN. As far as I was concerned more time could have been spent seeing that we were given quality instruction in our skills labs and in our clinical rotations. Far too many projects and assignments were turned into an APA style paper. The excuse given was that today's student has problems with the written language. Well, then they could have also spent more time giving us experience in nursing writing style for charting. Charting is one of the most important nursing functions, yet most of what I learned about charting, I learned on the job. Just like everything else.

S.T.A.C.E.Y, LPN · Dec 9, 2007

I attended a BSN program and spent more time doing papers than I feel was justified even for the BSN. As far as I was concerned more time could have been spent seeing that we were given quality instruction in our skills labs and in our clinical rotations. Far too many projects and assignments were turned into an APA style paper. The excuse given was that today's student has problems with the written language. Well, then they could have also spent more time giving us experience in nursing writing style for charting. Charting is one of the most important nursing functions, yet most of what I learned about charting, I learned on the job. Just like everything else.

Ditto to that!!!

missninaRN · Dec 9, 2007

I'm in my 3rd semester of an ADN program and have written several papers every month. Now, not all of those were research papers; some were case studies or care plans.

I wrote a care plan every week throughout my first semester. This semester I only had to write two, but one of them was close to 30 pages long. So yes, you may find that you do a lot of writing in nursing school.

User123456 · Dec 9, 2007

We had to write a research paper every other week for 16 weeks :uhoh21: and then a big one at the end, for just ONE class!! Then we had a take home test where there were 8 questions and you needed 2 resources per question (ended up 20 pages long) and then a big one in that class at the end as well. So YES, there should be some research papers in the program. But as you get into the professional part of the nursing program it is less reasearch papers and more research for care plans!!
T

ouch sorry! :uhoh21: