Nursing Stress and Burnout

PLEASE READ INSTRUCTIONS CAREFULLY THANK YOU:
Journaling/Reflective Reasoning Paper (SLO #1)
Personal Problem Solving Worksheet & Reflective Practice Essay
Student Learning Outcome (SLO #1): Students will use critical thinking in their everyday lives.
Journal Topic: Define a problem that you are currently experiencing. Using critical thinking skills, define and examine this problem. Use your journal to help you reflect on the challenges of the problem, and its importance in your life. Use this worksheet to list and analyze choices and determine your best course of action.
PURPOSE: The purpose of the Problem-Solving Worksheet is to provide you with a structured template that you can use to define your problem and help you research it. The worksheet will also help you organize your findings as you prepare to compose your essay.
Directions (Important!):
• Read this entire document before you start.
• Read the directions for each number very carefully, even if they are long.
• Download this worksheet as a Word document and “Save As” the document you will turn in. Type (preferable) or write directly into this worksheet, and do not alter the formatting.
• You can add numbers and space if you need more space in any section.
• Using your critical thinking skills, evaluate the sources carefully. Prepare a rough draft and then a final draft of your essay, and proofread both your worksheet and your paper before submitting.
Section I. Define the Problem.
The goal of this project is to find a solution to a personal problem, so try to select a problem or decision you are facing that is personal, current, and measurable with research. Compose a one-sentence problem statement here (and make sure you sentence is complete with a subject and a verb):
Section II. Examine possible alternative courses of action.
List three (3) possible alternative courses of action and consider the potential outcomes of each. Write in complete sentences and be specific.
Alternative #1 and possible outcomes:
Alternative #2 and possible outcomes:
Alternative #3 and possible outcomes:
Section III. Spend time researching the problem.
Note: Work on sections III and IV at the same time.
Spend some time researching your problem to gain a better understanding of how others have studied and dealt with similar situations. Begin by locating at least five (5) sources that are well-researched and offer valid conclusions. You may search journal articles, books, magazines, news sources, professional interviews, and/or websites. Be sure to hunt for a variety of credible sources. For example, avoid selecting five “how-to” websites that regenerate the same information.
A common error is to direct research toward the conclusion you want, making the outcome biased. Avoid this! Look for well-rounded sources that will allow you to research all possible outcomes and settle on solution to your problem that is best for you.
It is also important to locate sources that relate directly to your problem statement. Because you also want to take notes and gather information from each source (which you will record in Section IV), look for specific facts and ideas that are particularly helpful to your situation.
List your five sources (or more) here using either the MLA or APA style, as they would appear on a reference list or Works Cited page.
THIS IS IMPORTANT! Your sources must be COMPLETE and in the correct format. (If this is confusing to you, please ask for clarification. You may also refer to the Purdue OWL Research and Citation Guidelines, linked at the top of the Moodle course page in the “Writing Resources” folder, for reference. Remember:
***COPYING AND PASTING A WEB URL IS NOT THE CORRECT FORMAT***).
Section III (cont.)
List your sources here:
1. Source 1:
2. Source 2:
3. Source 3:
4. Source 4:
5. Source 5:
6. Other sources:
Section IV. Gather information and give the author(s) credit.
As you search for appropriate sources to help you solve your problem, keep a record of useful facts, information, observations, and other bits of evidence that illuminate the problem for you. As you read through your sources, ask yourself, “How does this information address my problem statement?”
Use this section to list what you have learned. Be specific, detailed, and pay attention to grammar and punctuation. There are two important rules for this section:
1. You must paraphrase, or compose statements relaying information you learned in your own words. To reiterate: Do not copy and paste! Spend a moment trying to understand what the author means to convey, and rephrase it in a new way.
2. You must place a citation directly after the statement, using either APA or MLA format, as it would be done in the body of a paper. In-text citations are abbreviated forms of the full citations that would appear in a reference list. If you are unsure about how this is done, refer to the Writing Resources folder in Moodle, or ask a librarian, a tutor, or your instructor for guidance. Do not use blue or underlined hyperlinks, and use the same font throughout.
Your information can only come from the sources found above. List the evidence only, not your opinion of it. Application and analysis comes next:
Section IV (cont.): List your evidence/information here. You can add more numbers if needed.
V. Keep a journal dedicated to your problem.
You may use the space below to record your thoughts, observations, and ideas about the problem you are facing. Alternatively, you may record your thoughts in a separate document that you will upload along with the Problem-Solving Worksheet and Essay. If you prefer to record your journal longhand in a separate notebook, you may scan the pages and upload them to the assignment module, or you may turn it in to me during class (seated classes).
You are required to turn in at least five (5) substantial journal entries (see assignment guidelines for further clarification on what is required for journal entries).
VI. State your conclusion to the problem.
Compose a conclusion, or thesis statement. The conclusion must come from a combination of the research you did above, in addition to your reflections on the problem from your journal.
Compose your basic thesis here:
VI. Compose your Reflective Practice Essay
You will now elaborate on your conclusion in a two-page essay that evaluates the process of problem solving. Refer to the assignment guidelines for further instruction on how to summarize the process of keeping a journal to help you work through your problem, in addition to the research you conducted and the information you listed above. Analyze how these tools helped you to draw your personal conclusion, and how you have been able to enhance your critical thinking skills through this process.
Begin composing your paper on the following page, and turn this entire worksheet in to the appropriate tab in the Moodle assignment module.
Note: The text in brackets is meant to help you with formatting your paper. You may remove the brackets and text and insert the requested information in those spaces.