Health Science Practicum / Capstone

Term Paper Guidelines

This assignment is worth 30% of your grade; see course schedule on the syllabus for due dates of rough draft and final draft.  This assignment is going to be done in conjunction with and in support of your grant project

  • Choose a health care associated issue that has impact in your professional practice or in an area of interest.  This should be topic that has been seen as a controversy or public health problem in your field or health care overall. (Please read ALL of the requirements of the assignment and the template found on the next page before submission).  This topic will directly impact your proposed intervention in your grant project and will provide the research needed for your grant proposal
  • Get approval from instructor for topic by the end of Week 1.
  • This term paper must be at a minimum of 6 & maximum of 8 pages.
  • There should be a range of 5-8 sources cited for this length and depth of paper
  • Complete a research paper in APA format which contains the following:
    1. Title page
    2. An introduction to the issue and what will be discussed in the paper.
    3. Relevant history of the issue including what attempts have been made in the past to rectify the issue.
    4. Describe the current situation regarding the issue, current attempts for resolution of the issue, and future strategies for resolution from evidenced based peer-reviewed literature.  See course readings and resources in Week 2 & Week 6 for what constitutes peer reviewed literature.
    5. Discuss relevance of the topic to the political, economic, social, and ethical  issues using peer-reviewed literature (must cite at least 1 article for each issue)
    6. Discuss relevance of the topic’s impact on individuals, families, communities, professional HSC/ ALH practice and the health care system using peer reviewed literature.
    7. A reflection on gaps in literature and conclusion summarizing what was discussed in the paper.
    8. A reference list in APA format. .

Please see Term Template on next page It is STRONGLY suggested that you use this template to organize your paper and ensure that you cover all required elements!

  • This paper will be graded using the “Research Paper Rubric”.
  • Please note that the library offers individual sessions to assist with database searches for valid, reliable, and scholarly information.
  • APA and writing resources:
  1. Study Guides and Strategies – information related to writing, grammar, punctuation along with many other potentially useful topics  http://www.studygs.net
  2. The Purdue Online Writing Lab – information on both writing and APA along with many other potentially useful topics

http://owl.english.purdue.edu

  1. Landmarks Citation Machine – APA format guide

www.citationmachine.net

Health Science Practicum / Capstone

Term Paper Template

NOTE: Items in bold represent headings within the term paper). You must use APA formats and citations for all sections of your paper.  According to APA format, there must be a title page.

Title page (this page will not have a heading – it speaks for itself)

Abstract/Introduction: State 5-6 sentences about your topic area “in general” and then the purpose of the paper.

Relevance of Topic to Issues Related Issue (cite all sources)

Political Issue (such as national priorities; political action groups; lack of adequate political representation; funding decisions)

Economic Issue (such as costs of services; ability to pay for services; sources of payment; funding)

Social Issue (such as social issues such as increasing number of one-parent households; increasing geographic distances between family and aging parents; social networks)

Ethical Issue (such as ethical principles, allocation of resources/services, consent for services, gender equity, moral values)

Relevance of Topic to Specified Populations (cite all sources)

Individuals: What are consequences of the issue to the individual – morbidity/mortality, lost time from work, financial (cost of care)

Families: What is the impact of the issue to the family as a whole

Communities;  How does the impact to the individual and family then impact the community in which they live and work – what is the cost to the community

Professional Practice: How does the issue impact health care professionals and how they have to practice.

Healthcare System: What is the impact of the issue on the health care system as a whole – cost of care, health care disparities, ETC.

Reflection

Gaps in Literature (topics/areas where you could not find nursing literature)

Conclusion: Recap of findings & use citations & restate relevance on populations & use citations.

References

(Remember to use APA most recent edition)