Writing a Nursing Essay Paper Outline

Writing a Nursing Essay Paper Outline

Strategies for Creating an Outline

One effective strategy for outlining your first draft is to list the topic sentence of each paragraph. This approach ensures that each paragraph serves a specific purpose in your paper. By doing so, you can identify repetitive ideas or sections that hinder rather than advance your paper’s central argument, allowing you to combine or eliminate paragraphs as needed.

If you’re having difficulty revising your paper, outlining each paragraph and its topic sentence after writing the paper can help you identify its strengths and weaknesses. This process can be particularly beneficial in understanding the paper’s overall structure and content.

Example Outline: Nursing Essay Paper

The following outline is designed for a 5-7 page paper that explores the connection between educational attainment and health. Refer to the subsequent sections of this document for more detailed information on each component of the outline.

I. Introduction

A. Current Problem: Decreasing educational attainment rates and increasing healthcare costs in the United States.
B. Population/Area of Focus: Unskilled or low-skilled adult workers
C. Key Terms: Healthy, well-educated

Thesis Statement: High school dropouts face a higher risk of physical and mental health problems later in life due to income deficits and susceptibility to depression.

II. Background

A. Historical Employment Overview: Past experiences of unionized and adequately compensated unskilled laborers.
B. Historical Healthcare Overview: Past provisions of adequate healthcare and benefits for unskilled laborers.
C. Current Link between Education and Employment Type: Increasing prevalence of uneducated workers in low-skilled jobs.
D. Gaps in the Research: Limited information on the health implications of current conditions in low-skilled jobs.

III. Major Point 1: Conditions of employment affect workers’ physical health.

A. Minor Point 1: High correlation between unskilled work environments and worker injury.
B. Minor Point 2: Lack of healthcare and insufficient recovery time in unskilled work environments.

IV. Major Point 2: Conditions of employment affect workers’ mental health.

A. Minor Point 1: High correlation between low-skilled positions and dangerous levels of stress.
B. Minor Point 2: Stress is closely linked to mental health issues.

V. Major Point 3: Physical health and mental health are directly correlated.

A. Minor Point 1: Strong association between mental health problems and physical health problems.
B. Minor Point 2: Manifestation of stress in physical form.

VI. Major Point 4: Financial worries contribute to stress and worsen physical health.

A. Minor Point 1: Financial problems faced by many high school dropouts.
B. Minor Point 2: Correlation between financial problems and unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as poor diet, alcohol abuse, smoking, and abusive relationships.

VII. Conclusion

A. Restatement of Thesis: High school dropouts are at a higher risk of both mental and physical health problems throughout their lives.
B. Next Steps: The importance of educational advocates in society, raising awareness among educators, and promoting student retention to foster healthy lifestyles and inform students about the risks associated with dropping out of school.

Introduction/Context

The introduction section provides readers with the necessary context to understand your paper’s argument or purpose. It should focus on the specific topic rather than providing a broad background overview. The introduction may establish the population under discussion, define key terms, or justify the relevance of the topic by connecting it to a current problem.

Thesis/Purpose Statement

The thesis or purpose statement, placed at the end of the introduction, clearly and concisely articulates the central argument or purpose of your paper. It serves as a guide for the rest of your paper, with subsequent sections supporting and building upon

it.

Background

Following the introduction, the background section typically provides additional information on your topic. This may include a literature review, surveying current research in the field, or a historical overview of relevant information. The purpose of this section is to establish the need for your own project by identifying gaps in existing research that your work will address.

Major & Minor Points

Major points form the foundation of your paper, advancing the central argument and building upon each other. Each major point should be a clear claim related to your paper’s central argument. Minor points, on the other hand, develop the nuances of the major points, providing supporting evidence and examples.

The body of your paper will consist of major and minor points, with each major point contributing to the overall argument and each minor point elaborating on the major points. Together, they provide sufficient evidence and analysis to support your paper’s conclusion.

Conclusion

In the conclusion, you restate the major claim of your paper and connect it to a larger discussion. Instead of merely repeating the major and minor points, you should revisit your thesis statement and consider how it relates to current research in the field, future implications, or broader studies. This helps to create a sense of closure and provides a broader perspective on your paper’s findings.

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