Core task: You will write a 3000 word semi-structured critically reflective and critically analytic essay examining an episode of care from your own nursing experience. The episode must be a case of complex care you were personally involved in where there was a risk to be managed and where you can debate what the quality nursing care should have been. You will write in the first person.
You will structure the assignment using the following headings, indicated topics and approximate word count:
Introduction (300 words: 10%)
– Introduce your episode of care and how you will meet the objectives of the assignment
o State in what capacity you were involved in the episode of care
o Briefly summarise what happened
o Explain why you have chosen this episode
o State what the risk was in this episode
o State what nursing care you are going to examine in the assignment
Evidence-based holistic nursing assessment (600 words: 20%)
– In this section consider the person who is receiving nursing care
o Describe their thoughts, feelings & behaviours
o Explain how they experienced the episode of care
– Give a bio-psycho-social assessment of the person
o Briefly discuss relevant history, experiences, environment and life journey
o Discuss how those features were possibly presenting in their current thoughts, feelings and behaviours
o Consider the role of their family, friends, carers, dependants or significant others and the possible impact upon their current thoughts, feelings and behaviours
o Justify assessment of the risk they were presenting with and what nursing care they needed
Critical reflection on self (600 words: 20%)
– Critically reflect on your experience of the episode of care
– Explore and analyse your thoughts, feelings and behaviours you remember at the time
– Explore and analyse how people responded to you and how you responded to others
– Explore and focus on your impact on this episode of care
Critical appraisal of evidence (600 words: 20%)
– Using appropriate reading from the module, module reading list and your own literature searches:
o Apply theory to explain the episode of care
o Analyse what the clinical guidelines and evidence tell you should be the correct care for someone with this kind of presentation
– Apply the evidence to your episode of care
o Critically appraise the underpinning theory and research
o Examine the quality of the evidence
o Consider the research you have identified in this section and provide a debate on if it would be effective for this particular episode of care, justify your opinion.
Evidence-based nursing interventions (600 words: 20%)
– Using appropriate reading from the module, module reading list and your own literature searches:-
o Evaluate if the risks were managed appropriately
o Evaluate if the nursing care was effective
o Analyse the quality of the care given
– Debate what factors would increase the quality of the care given
o Analyse what improvement mechanisms would be useful
o Evaluate if those mechanisms would be effective in this case, considering the wider context this care is delivered in
Conclusion (300 words: 10%)
– Summarise your recommendations for this kind of episode of care
o Summarise your findings
o State the recommendation you have identified in this assignment for this kind of episode of care
