writing project

manna, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2005

I would assume that most nursing programs use APA - so http://www.apastyle.org

Wish they'd taught more of that in my Comp classes and less of MLA! I haven't had ANY experience with APA until I started the nursing program, so its pretty frustrating! Ugh!

Tweety, BSN, RN · Jan 4, 2005

Welcome.

Don't feel alone. I'm in the same boat. My last English course was in 1980 and I'm starting on my RN to BSN, which is nothing but papers. I have to write one once a week! I'd never heard of APA format until recently. Here's an online writing lab I found helpful. http://owl.english.purdue.edu/workshops/hypertext/apa/index.html

The Elements of Style is a handy little book I found at Borders one day. http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/020530902X/qid=1104832839/sr=2-1/ref=pd_ka_b_2_1/002-9199114-1209617

My ADN program focused entirely on NCLEX so we wrote no papers and took multiple choice tests similar to NCLEX.

Good luck to you and wish me luck! My first paper is due on Friday. gulp.....

akcarmean, LPN · Jan 4, 2005

good luck everyone, my papers are also due in apa format which i had never heard of. so thanks for the info. i got some from my school library but will also check these sites out.

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[color=#ff8c00]tweety -- you will do great on your paper. i know it.

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[color=#ff8c00]angie

stressgal, RN · Jan 4, 2005

You may want to check your resources at your school. My cc has a writing lab that will assist in proof reading or helping format your paper correctly.

onduty23 · Jan 4, 2005

thanks to all i check out :)

Jen2 · Jan 4, 2005

Welcome and best of luck to you. My nursing program uses APA also. I hate APA format (probably because I have a really hard time with it myself), but after 3 semesters, I have finally started catching on and you will to.

jenrninmi, MSN, RN · Jan 4, 2005

Welcome.
I'm starting on my RN to BSN, which is nothing but papers. I have to write one once a week! I'd never heard of APA format until recently. Here's an online writing lab I found helpful. QUOTE]
It's nothing but papers?? So you're not learning anything but how to write??

LilPeanut, MSN, RN, NP · Jan 4, 2005

My suggestion is to also try and practice your "formal" writing, all the time, including on message boards etc. I know a lot of people whose skills have devolved because they get too used to the lazy rules of online communication.

Good luck :)

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 5, 2005

It's nothing but papers?? So you're not learning anything but how to write??
If done properly, writing papers teaches you a lot more than "how to write." The activity forces the student to read and analyze material, think it through, understand it, apply it to real-world situations, problem-solve issues that relate to the topic, etc. -- all in preparation to write the paper. Then, the student has to express all that in a way that the reader can understand, perhaps making a rational argument for a certain point of view. The written paper serves as documentation of the students thought processes, knowledge of the topic, and ability to communicate effectively about all that.
All of the above skills are highly sophisticated intellectual skills -- ones that are hallmarks of a highly educated person. Those are the types of skills that are required in a leadership position -- and why BSN completion programs often emphasize them. The RN to BSN students have already demonstrated that they can safely take care of the patients and can pass the NCLEX. The whole purpose for the BSN completion program is to emphasize those other intellectual skills NOT emphasized in typical ADN and Diploma programs.
I had the good fortune to study political science at Oxford University, England for a semester while an undergraduate. Each week, I was given a topic to research. The following week, I was expected to return to my tutor with a paper on the topic, which I would read aloud to him and another student who was my tutorial-mate. We would then discuss my paper and the topic in general. (The other student would have written a paper on a related topic.) Such a system really forces the student to learn the material thoroughly. I learned a whole lot in that class. The Oxford tutorial system is one of the most respected educational systems in the world -- and not without good reason.
llg
llg

llg, PhD, RN · Jan 5, 2005

One of the best tips I have for people struggling to write is:

Read your writing aloud. That's when you often catch poor grammar, awkward wording, etc. If it doesn't flow nicely as you read it aloud, you should probably re-word it.

llg