Applying for a Master’s or Doctoral Program in Nursing? Tips to Prepare for Writing
Author: Michelle DeCoux Hampton, RN, PHD, MS (michelle.hampton@sjsu.edu)
Selected Works: https://works.bepress.com/michelle-hampton/
Dr Hampton came to nursing with a background in psychology. Her interest in the way people think led naturally to an interest in the way people learn and communicate.
Nurses in graduate programs need to know how to write; but why? As pre-licensure students, faculty largely evaluate learning and achievement by giving tests. In graduate programs, however, educators promote and assess student learning primarily through papers, theses, dissertations, and other writing assignments. Furthermore, writing is an important skill for career success, in order to communicate with interdisciplinary team members in the clinical setting and to disseminate best practices to the scientific community.
Students enter graduate nursing programs with a wide variety of writing knowledge and ability, and expectations increase at each level of education from baccalaureate, to Master’s, and to doctoral programs. There are several preparatory steps students can take which can ease the transition to graduate studies and improve writing assignment performance.
Read extensively
If you find you are struggling with what to say in a writing assignment, you haven’t read enough! In the weeks and months leading up to the start of your graduate program, set a goal to read 1 or 2 research studies per week (structured thusly: introduction, methods, results, discussion, conclusions); studies from peer-reviewed journals are best. As you build your knowledge in your area of interest, you will find that your struggle instead becomes what you must leave out!
Create an organization strategy
Once you’ve read a few studies, you will want to develop a plan to help you consolidate that information and to make access easy for when the time comes to write. Many writers use tables for this purpose with columns including (but not limited to): year of publication, number of participants, study design, main outcomes, and additional columns that are relevant for your specific area of interest. It’s also wise to consider a standardized approach to note-taking on your studies (written notes on printed hardcopies, or highlighting and typing notes in pdfs). If you create thorough references and notes, you will be able to write directly from your table without the need to go back to individual studies (making the process most efficient).
Refresh basic skills
When evaluating writing assignments, graduate nursing educators expect to focus on content rather than fundamental writing skills. It’s not uncommon for students to require a refresher of these skills, either because they have been out of school for many years or didn’t learn certain skills in primary and secondary education. However, time spent addressing such needs is time taken away from students’ true passion, the clinical problems or needs they want to address. Incoming graduate students should refresh skills in the following areas:
- APA format (or whichever citation style your school uses)
- Grammar and punctuation
- Plagiarism do’s and don’ts
Shift your mindset
In undergraduate programs, students often write a paper, submit it for a class, and never revisit that topic again. In graduate studies, focus is on a single topic - often through the entirety of a program. That means that we will:
- Write a draft
- Receive feedback
- Rewrite
- Repeat steps 1-3 until the deadline arrives or program ends
It’s important for students to have an open mind and a willingness to accept feedback from faculty mentors - not just for success in the academic program, but also to prepare for the peer review process when submitting manuscripts for publication in the future.
Most importantly, you should know that whatever your current level of skill, writing is always a work in progress. You are not expected to be a perfect writer when you enter a program, but to be committed to ongoing development as an academic writer.
If you are thinking of applying to SJSU’s DNP program and would like to discuss your scholarly writing preparedness, contact Dr. Michelle DeCoux Hampton at michelle.hampton@sjsu.edu.
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Choosing a DNP Project topic = 3Ps = Passion, Persistence, and Peaches!
Author: Ruth Rosenblum, DNP, RN, PNP-BC, CNS (ruth.rosenblum@sjsu.edu)
Selected Works: https://works.bepress.com/ruth_rosenblum/
Dr Rosenblum has taught university-level nursing for 14 years, has been taking excellent care of patients for 37 years, and has been a life-long appreciator of peaches.
Students expressing interest in attending a Doctor of Nursing Practice program often begin with a vague idea of what they want to study. But how does a future student choose a topic, and how does one further define the phenomena they wish to explore? The ‘3Ps’ described here are an informal way of considering a topic – do you have an idea? If so, ask: does it pass the '3Ps' test?
First, passion!
Do you have a passion for the topic? Is this an area of study you wish to live with for the next two-to-two-and-a-half years? Is this an area that you are willing to think about and consider from several different viewpoints?
Students often approach me with a topic of interest, but it does not ‘spark joy’ in them; their interest speaks of obligation, rather than passion. The definition of passion is: a strong or extravagant fondness, enthusiasm, or desire for anything. An incoming DNP student’s project topic must embody all of these. Of course, students should speak with colleagues, managers, and other stakeholders, to inform their choice of topic; it should be important to the organization one will be practicing at during their DNP study, and the idea must have value to constituents. But even a topic picked because of its usefulness must be something that a student can develop a passion for - the student must ‘own’ the area of study, as they will be looked at as a subject matter expert.
Second, persistence!
“You don’t have to be perfect, just keep going!”
“It always seems impossible until it’s done.”
“A good project is a finished project.”
These are all well-known sayings that graduate and doctoral students hear often. While there is a considerable amount of work, especially writing, associated with a DNP project, a vital element of any graduate school program is ‘stick-to-it-iveness’. We all have good and bad days, and these highs and lows are magnified in an intense doctoral program. But know that this too shall pass. Taking an occasional break from your studies is a good, healthy idea – an hour, a day - something to reset one’s mind and renew one’s enthusiasm.
Third, peaches!
In addition to being a member of the rose family, in some cultures, peaches indicate immortality and long life. How do peaches relate to a DNP Project? The peach pit is the core of the project, and the peach ripens over time and becomes soft, edible and tasty. Perhaps this is a good metaphor for your project. You start with a core idea, and watch it ripen and develop over time, becoming complete, and may have immortality and long life as you drive policy change or use evidence in your practice to improve patient outcomes. If you publish (another ‘P’) your findings you truly will have immortality in the literature and online. So choose a topic, plant a seed of an idea, and watch it grow and mature!
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Alumni Member?
Everyone has a story to share - and we want to hear yours! As an alumnus of the DNP program, do you have advice for current and future students? An anecdote about your time management and coping skills? A tale of how your DNP degree has impacted your life and your career? A message for a teacher that really made an impact?
If so, please share! We want to hear from you.
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