nursing student assignments

Nursing School Assignments and Tips to Ace All of Them

If you are about to start nursing school or considering enrolling in a nursing program, you would want to know what to expect. You will write many papers in nursing school and do many other assignments. This is true whether you pursue ADN, BSN, MSN, DNP, or PhD in Nursing.

Before we delve into the types of assignments and papers to expect in nursing school, let us begin by dispelling the myth that nursing school is hell; it is NOT. Instead, it is a beautiful and exciting journey into a noble profession. It entails a commitment to life-long continuous learning for you to grow.

Nursing school writing assignments are an excellent way for students to understand concepts taught in the classroom. You might wonder what kinds of assignments nursing students do. These assignments come in various forms and help students build critical thinking, creativity, research, clinical reasoning, and problem-solving skills that are critical in clinical settings.

This blog post looks at the diverse assignments you should expect or will cover in nursing school, including some tips to help you ace them and get better grades.

Common Nursing School Writing Assignments

Classwork forms the core of most nursing programs. You must have high-quality assignment submissions to attain better grades in nursing school. As soon as you decide to become a nursing student, you sign up for a marathon of writing different types of papers.

Whether you love or hate it, you will write papers before graduating from nursing school; that is the norm. Although not so many, you will encounter a few homework and assignments where you must submit a well-researched, formatted, and organized nursing paper.

The typical nursing school assignments include essays, research papers, term papers, and case studies. Others are article critiques/reviews, critical appraisal, evidence synthesis tables (synthesis matrix), PowerPoint Presentations, posters, discussion posts/ responses, and policy analysis papers. Other advanced papers include nursing care plans, SBAR template papers, evidence-based papers, capstone projects, theses, dissertations, proposals, etc.

These assignments are submitted either individually or as a group. Let us expound on this so you have a clear picture.

Essays for nursing classes come in various forms, including admission essays , scholarship essays, descriptive essays, persuasive essays, speech essays, expository essays, and narrative essays.

Notably, nursing essays focus on a single perspective, argument, or idea, which constantly forms the thesis of the paper.

Nursing essays focus on various topics relating to nursing practice and the broader healthcare field. You can write an essay examining a nursing theory or non-nursing theory or discuss a nursing issue .

Some essays, such as reflective nursing essays, use reflective models to reflect, analyze, and understand personal and professional encounters during clinical practice.

Each nursing essay should demonstrate your understanding of the topic, critical analysis, and organization skills. Besides, you should use evidence from peer-reviewed scholarly sources to support your arguments and ideas.

Discussion Board Posts

If you pursue a hybrid or exclusively online nursing program, you will be assigned to write weekly discussion forum posts and responses. Discussion board posts are short essay-like assignments posted in a threaded format so students can discuss nursing and healthcare topics.

You will write an original discussion post, between 200 and 300 words long, and post it on the forum. You are also expected to write a peer-response post in response to or to comment on an original post done by your peers.

Discussion boards help nursing students advance theoretical concepts, learn from one another, share ideas, and get feedback that can help them advance their knowledge in clinical reasoning and practice.

Research Papers

Nursing practice is evidence-driven, translating evidence into practice to ensure quality, accessible, and affordable healthcare. As such, nursing research takes precedence during studies and when practicing.

Nursing professors assign nursing students to write research papers on various evidence-based practice topics. The students must prove their worth by researching, analyzing, and organizing facts.

Related Writing Guides:

• How to write a nursing school research paper.
• Systematic Reviews vs Literature Review

Research papers help student nurses to review literature, conduct research, implement solutions, and draw evidence-based conclusions.

Research papers are critical in developing research and writing skills, maintaining good communication, and fostering creativity and clinical reasoning.

Potential nursing research paper topics can be quality improvement, healthcare/nursing informatics , healthcare policies, practice privileges, nursing ethics, ethical dilemmas , pathophysiology, and epidemiology .

Term Papers

In nursing school, a term paper is a type of assignment completed and submitted toward the end of the semester.

Usually, a professor can assign you a specific term paper topic, or they can let you choose a topic and consult with them for approval.

Term papers can be done individually or as a group project. A term paper has an impact on your final grade.

You should use credible scholarly sources published within the last five years for recent information.

Besides, also ensure that you plan your time well, do everything as per the instructions, and submit the nursing term paper before the deadline.

A term paper can also be a nursing process change report that is expected to address an area that needs change.

Case Studies

Nursing school case study assignments are an essential learning tool.

Most professors assign hypothetical clinical case studies or case scenarios (snippets) to test your clinical reasoning skills.

As a nursing educational tool, nursing case studies help you to develop practical, theoretical knowledge by simulating real-world experiences.

When analyzing a case study, you must use concepts and knowledge from class and class text to assess a patient, plan and implement care, and evaluate the outcomes.

Sometimes, you encounter simulated or digital clinical experience case studies such as iHuman and Shadow Health .

You should be very keen when analyzing a case study and when writing the analysis report.

Case studies help you get beyond books and use your creativity, clinical reasoning, problem-solving, and analytical skills to apply theoretical knowledge to real-world problems.

Your professor can give you a case study of a patient presenting with a given condition and expect you to take them through the care planning process, including admission and discharge, as you would in a real healthcare setting.

Other times, you can be asked to develop a hypothetical case study of a patient presenting with a chronic disease or a disorder and then use the case study guidelines, including head-to-toe assessment , diagnosis , nursing care planning , and discharge planning.

Related Guides:

• How to write a great nursing case study.
• How to complete a case conceptualization report (for psychiatric nursing students)

Nursing Care Plans and SOAP Notes

A nursing care plan can be part of a case study or a stand-alone assignment. Nursing care plans are essential in nursing education as they help students develop effective nursing care planning. Formulating a nursing care plan for a patient scenario or case helps treat them as you define the guidelines and roles of nurses in caring for the patient.

You also develop solid action plans for focused and patient-centred care by documenting the patient's needs. When they are part of an assignment, you can tabulate the nursing care plan using columns so that you explore every aspect independently.

Remember to use evidence from peer-reviewed scholarly sources when giving rationale.

The SOAP notes are a clinical tool healthcare professionals use to organize patient information to minimize confusion and assess, diagnose, and treat patients. Check our comprehensive guide on developing good SOAP Notes in nursing school .

Concept Maps

Another common nursing school assignment is concept maps. Concept mapping helps you visually organize, compartmentalize, and categorize information about nursing care planning, medical diagnosis, pathophysiology, SBAR, nursing responsibilities, etc.

A nursing concept map assignment equips you with strong critical thinking, analytical, and problem-solving skills. You also hone your clinical reasoning skills in the process.

Whether it is part of an assignment or a stand-alone, learn how to write great concept maps to score the best grades.

Concept Analysis Papers

If you are taking BSN, MSN, or DNP, you will likely be assigned to write a concept analysis paper. Make sure to distinguish this from a concept paper that is a proposal. A concept analysis paper examines the structure and function of a nursing concept.

The process entails a review of the literature and creativity in coming up with borderline, related, contrast, inverted, and illegitimate cases.

You also explore the antecedents and consequences of the concept before finalizing with empirical referents.

If you need to learn about the structure of a good concept analysis paper, check out our nursing concept analysis guide . We have listed concepts you can analyze depending on your speciality, instructions, and passion.

Capstone Projects

At an advanced stage in nursing school, students are expected to submit longer research papers; capstone project papers. A nursing capstone project is a final project that allows students to demonstrate the skills, knowledge, and concepts gained throughout the nursing program.

In nursing education, the capstone project typically covers an evidence-based practice issue or problem. You can write a nursing change paper, look into a clinical process, problem, or issue, and then develop recommendations based on a study.

Most of the MSN and DNP capstone projects focus on clinical change or quality improvement. You will be expected to develop a PICOT question and formulate a research study to examine the issue, implement a change process using evidence-based models, and make recommendations.

Nursing capstone projects are individual research projects based on nursing topics either of your professional or personal interest. You have to demonstrate competency and commitment to improve health outcomes.

Apart from capstone projects, you will also write a nursing thesis and dissertation papers, which depend on the program requirements and your professor's preferences.

Check out these specific writing guides for advanced papers:

• How to write a nursing dissertation or thesis
• Tips for choosing the best nursing dissertation topic
• How to write an excellent capstone project paper
• List of capstone project topics for nursing school
• How to formulate a PICOT question
• PICOT question examples to inspire nursing students

Group Assignments

In nursing school and practice, collaboration and teamwork are highly recommended. You will encounter collaborative group assignments such as presentations (PowerPoint slides, Prezi, or other platforms), simulation assignments, writing nursing reports, and group research projects.

Group projects allow you to research, learn, and organize ideas together so that you can understand concepts better. It is essential to avoid social loafing in a group to gain more. Besides, plan your time well and avoid excuses.

You can also be assigned to work on simulation exercises as a group of nursing students. The aim of such exercises is to build a collaborative, teamwork, and decision-making spirit among the team.

When in such groups, expect to work with your peers to assess the hypothetical patient, communicate with your peers, formulate a care plan, and manage any arising issues as you would in clinical settings. Do not take such activities for granted; they contribute significantly to your grade.

Presentations

Your professor can assign you to design a PowerPoint Slide accompanied by speaker notes and send it for grading or present it online or in class. Under presentations, you will also be requested to design flyers, posters, and other visual documents to disseminate information.

It could be about a disease, health promotion, or nursing research. You must also make PowerPoint slides when presenting a thesis, dissertation, or capstone for assessments. Remember, this is the chance to bring out your creativity.

Expect other assignments such as dosage calculations, HESI test exams, skills checkoffs, electronic medical record documentation, nursing student portfolio, online quizzes, drug write-ups, process recordings, group drug presentations, etc.

In most cases, you will be given a template to use wisely and make it as appealing as possible.

Tips to Help You Ace Nursing Assignments

A lot goes into getting the best grades in nursing school. One of the main determinants of your nursing school grades is the assignments, which you are required to do and complete within set deadlines.

Even though many nursing students perform better on clinical, that needs to reflect in written assignments. Most students fear research and writing or do not take writing assignments seriously. Regardless of the assignment, here are some practical and effective tips to help you ace your nursing school writing assignments and surprise everyone, including yourself.

1. Plan your Time

The number one challenge for nursing students that inhibits them from completing assignments is the need for more time management.

Most students are juggling studies and work to make ends meet. It worsens when you have a massive workload from more than one class and a family to look after.

The simple trick to beat this is to manage your time well. You can schedule your assignments for periods when you are free and when you can concentrate and cover more. Assignments have deadlines ranging from hours to days or a few weeks.

To succeed, keep track of your assignments and other academic activities, such as mid-term and final examinations, so that you can plan your study periods. You can use online time management tools and apps to allocate your nursing school homework time.

With proper planning, you should be reassured about the last-minute rush to complete your assignment, which is responsible for the colossal failure we are experiencing in nursing schools.

2. Follow the Course Guidelines to the T

Guidelines, prompts, and reading materials accompany each writing assignment and homework. Sometimes a professor can be generous enough also to give you access to the Rubric, which breaks down how they will assess assignments. Ensure you read everything and note what is required before working on any paper.

Pay attention to these, read, and familiarize yourself with the course guidelines. Understand the formatting requirements preferred by your school, such as Vancouver, APA, or Harvard. Most nursing schools will specify this in the course documents. Also, check the databases and journal articles you can use when writing your nursing assignments.

Preparing in advance by reading the course materials to identify the recommended study materials. You will have a deeper understanding, knowledge, and skills to handle every nursing assignment correctly.

3. Have an Active Study Buddy

A nursing study buddy can be one of your classmates whom you study with. Study buddies offer mutual support, which comes in handy when completing assignments.

Select a bright and committed person with something to offer so you are not only giving. Set the study hours and have accountability follow-ups to ensure you cover much of the syllabus and concepts in time.

A study buddy can help you understand nursing concepts, theories, models, and frameworks. They can also help you review your written papers and give valuable feedback when editing and proofreading your nursing papers.

A knowledgeable, accountable, committed study partner can help you revamp your grades by submitting high-quality assignments.

4. Join a Study Group

A study group is a tried and tested means of completing nursing assignments. Apart from building your teamwork and collaborative skills, you can brainstorm ideas, critique one another, and learn more about the class assignments. With diversity in thoughts, you can get valuable insights and inputs for personal-level work.

Besides, you are also guaranteed to ace the nursing group assignments with ease. When doing group work, try to rotate into new groups so that you can appreciate the diversity of thoughts and reasoning. You can also identify individuals from your groups, those that are active, as your study buddies.

When you have accountability partners within the group, you commit to given tasks and make necessary follow-ups. If you are a part-time student, consider having students whose free time is similar to yours to benefit everyone.

5. Get Writing Assignment Help

As with other subjects in college and university, nursing students face challenges such as time management, complexity of assignments, too many assignments, and writer's block. When you feel overwhelmed with completing your nursing class assignments, you can always pay someone to handle the class for you or at least do your coursework or assignments.

One sure way to get assistance without drawing too much attention is by trusting assignment help websites like NurseMyGrade.com with your papers. Many students do not have time to complete assignments or find them challenging. Consequently, many hire nursing assignment helpers from nursing paper writing platforms.

If you feel like hiring the right professionals, use NurseMyGrade. We offer customized writing solutions to nursing students at different academic levels. Our nursing experts can complete short and lengthy assignments. You will have a well-researched and formatted paper written in Vancouver, APA, MLA, ASA, AMA, Harvard, or any citation style you choose.

You can use the tips and insights above to master nursing school assignments. We wish you all the best as you strive towards excellence. Don't worry about the many assignments. Instead, be grateful that they will equip you with knowledge, skills, and experience to make you the best nurse.

How Many Papers to Write in Nursing School

We have so far covered the general aspects of the types of assignments to expect in nursing school. Under the assignments, you may ask yourself if you must write many papers in nursing school.

While the answer depends on your professor, institutional curriculum requirements, and nursing level, you will undoubtedly write a couple of academic papers before graduating from nursing school. You will write research papers, essays, proposals, white papers, policy analysis papers, capstone project papers, case studies, scholarship essays, personal statements, quality improvement reports, etc.

Suppose you are pursuing a Licensed Practical Nurse (LPN) program. In that case, you will likely write between 13 and 15 papers during the LPN program, including short and long essays, reflective journals, essays, patient-based case studies, and others as your professor pleases.

If you are in a 2-year ADN program, expect to complete about 20 to 30 papers, including care plans, SBAR reports, essays, case studies analyses, research papers, reports, and other assignments.

For a 4-year Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) program, you will write between 35 and 50 papers. If you are taking the online class program options, like the WGU BSN program, you might write more papers because they form the basis for your assessment.

BSN-level papers are demanding because you must strictly adhere to the formatting styles and be critical and organized in your presentation.

If you are taking a Master of Science in Nursing (MSN) program, an advanced-level study for registered nurses (RNs), you will do about 20-50 papers, given that it offers the foundation for nursing research. Again, at an advanced level, the MSN writing assignments are complex.

You need to plan well, research widely, and analyze facts thoroughly before drawing conclusions. During this level, expect to write papers such as MSN essays, discussion posts and responses, specialized case studies, research papers, clinical reports, advanced SOAP notes, nursing care plans, policy papers, position papers (white papers), dissertations, theses, capstone papers, project papers, and change project papers.

You are expected to show exquisite research skills for the Doctor of Nursing Practice (DNP) program, considered the highest level or terminal degree in nursing practice. At this level, you have specialized, advanced your knowledge, and have adequate experience.

Mostly, DNP papers are a little longer. You will write between 20-30 papers; depending on your nursing school curriculum and supervisor's preference, it could be less or more.

If you opt for the research route, you will write many research papers, technical papers, policy analysis papers, white papers, reflection papers, nursing dissertations, PICOT-based change project papers (DNP change project papers), and other assignments.

Finally, for the Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) in nursing programs, you should expect to write between 10 and 15 papers covering research-oriented topics.

Attaining this degree makes you the epitome of success in the field. You can advance into a nursing researcher, educator, leader, or manager.

We have writers that can help you handle all these types of papers regardless of the academic level. Our Online Nursing Writing pros are available for hire anytime and any day.

Having worked successfully with many nursing clients/students, we are confident to help you achieve your dreams.

Before you go ...

There are many assignments and papers to complete in nursing school, including written assignments, quizzes, exams (oral and written), reflective journals, journal entries, e-Portfolio, integrative reviews, teaching plans, presentations, etc. Whether taking an LPN program or advancing your career by pursuing a Ph.D. in Nursing, you will do many nursing school assignments.

Do not take assignments as a punishment. Instead, consider them as tools to equip and shape you into a desirable nurse practitioner.

If you feel overwhelmed, stressed, and anxious about completing the assignments, you can hire our nursing writers to help you. We can help you ace nursing assignments online and ensure that you get 100% well-researched, organized, and proofread papers.

Our papers are 100% original and non-plagiarized. The writers understand how to structure nursing papers, formulate great paragraphs using the MEAN, PEEL, or TEEL formats, and write desirable papers consistently, scoring the best grades. You can call us your nursing assignment slayers or acers because, in a few hours, we will help you get it all behind you. We can help you ace online nursing classes and tests/quizzes .

Click on the Order button and fill out the form to get our writers started in making you a nursing paper that gives the best grade. No topic is challenging for us, and we allow you direct communication with the writer in the process of getting help.

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10 Activities and Nursing Games for Students to Stimulate Learning

Authored by.

Barbara L. Yoost , MSN, RN, CNS, CNE, ANEF

Lynne R. Crawford , MSN, RN, MBA, CNE

Fundamentals of Nursing  authors Barbara L. Yoost, MSN, RN, CNS, CNE, ANEF, and Lynne R. Crawford, MSN, RN, MBA, CNE, share 10 ideas for infusing classroom activities for nursing students into your lessons.

• Patient Teaching Pamphlets Creating sample patient scenarios is a great way to incorporate active learning into nursing and healthcare classes. Create a sample patient that has an illness or injury related to what you’re currently covering in class. Then ask each student to develop an educational pamphlet, flyer, or mini-brochure for that patient. Make sure students cover all the necessary information in their pamphlet such as: risk factors; signs and symptoms; when to call the primary care provider; treatments; prevention strategies; and online and community resources for further information. Encourage students to be creative with the design and writing of the piece to make the information engaging and understandable for the patient.
• Ace® Wrap Relay Exercises Divide the class into teams (2-4 teams depending on size of classroom and number of available patient mannequins or body parts). In the relay, each member of a team takes a turn at wrapping and unwrapping a specific body part of a “patient.” The actual ace bandage serves as the baton as it is handed from one team member to the next. The team that finishes all of their wrappings effectively, in the fastest amount of time, wins. You may decide to have each student complete their bandage wrapping on the same body part for the same problem (e.g., every student performs a wrap on an amputation below the knee), or you can vary the body parts, problems, and wrap style depending on the relay round (e.g., student one from each team does a figure 8 wrap on a right leg with edema, student two does a spiral wrap on a sprained left ankle, and so on). For an extra challenge, have each student assess the wrapped extremity for circulation, sensation, and movement. You can even have students document their care electronically before moving on to enhance this particular active learning exercise .
• Creating NCLEX® Exam Questions Break students into pairs and have them write 10 different NCLEX exam-style questions on a specific nursing concept or class topic. Make sure students include a variety of wrong responses along with the correct answer. Then have students present their questions and response options. After classmates vote on which answer is correct, have the presenting pair reveal the correct answer and explain their rationales for both the right and wrong responses.
• O2 Bingo Introduce your class to O2 Bingo by creating bingo boards with oxygenation terms (think oximetry, CPAP, hypoxia, etc.). Then ask students questions and have them mark the answer on their boards. The bingo game can also be developed to cover a variety of different nursing concepts and related exemplars. For a creative end-of-the-year review idea, have each of your students develop their own bingo cards and questions surrounding a specific nursing concept. Then have the entire class play a round of bingo to review the concept.
• Creating Medication Commercials Divide students into groups of two or three and have them write and perform medication commercials. You can have the entire class cover the same medication or have each group cover something different. After each group performs their commercial, have the class compare and discuss what they experience in the clinical area versus what they read about in research.
• Unfolding Case Studies Bring the subject to the center of your classroom by incorporating unfolding case studies into your active learning lesson. Start off by providing basic assessment data on a patient. As the class progresses, continue to reveal more information about that patient and their disease/disorder. Make sure students have their smartphones, tablets, or laptops on hand to reference medication, diagnostic testing, and care planning point-of-care software.
• Reading Reflections Assign a particular section of the text to read for homework. Then at the beginning of the next class, have students write down: 1.) three things they learned from the reading, 2.) one way that learning might affect them in clinical practice, and 3.) one question they hope to have answered today in class. Have students hand in their written reflections, and then discuss the various takeaways as a class. Ask students to help answer their classmates’ questions from the reading. This short active learning exercise is a great way to ensure students complete the assigned reading ahead of time.
• The Sensory Deprivation Experience When covering nursing concepts such as functional ability or sensory perception, have students take turns experiencing the blind or deaf patient’s point of view during simulation or a classroom activity by having the student wear a blindfold or earplugs respectively. Afterwards, have students discuss what they felt and learned from their sensory deprivation.
• Name That Personal Care Item Use this identification game to familiarize fundamentals students with the patient care items they will frequently encounter on the job. Start by collecting a variety of personal care items, such as a fracture pan, regular bed pan, catheter, etc., and set them on a table. Give each item a number and hold them up one item at a time. Then have students write down what they think the item is. This active learning activity can be used in place of a quiz where students individually write down the answers on a piece of paper to hand in. Or for an interactive review, divide the class into four teams and carry out the activity as if it were a round in a game show (first team to ring the bell gets to guess, and so on).
• Clinical to Classroom Each week, assign one student to write a case study based anonymously on a former clinical patient whose diagnoses relate to concepts being covered in readings and class. Have the student present his/her case study. Then allow classmates time to discuss their possible answers to the questions provided in the case study. Finally, have the author lead a discussion about the clinical patient case study and provide the “correct answers” that the authoring student prepared from required class readings, preparatory research, and his/her actual clinical experience with the patient. These can be submitted to you prior to class for review and you can then post it on the course website for all students to download prior to class.

We hope you found these helpful, active learning methods useful. For more information, read about instructor success with active learning.

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Keeping learning engaging – focus on active learning no matter the environment, getting ready for the next-generation nclex® (ngn): how to shift from the nursing process to clinical judgment in nursing.

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Common Assignments: Writing in Nursing

Although there may be some differences in writing expectations between disciplines, all writers of scholarly work are required to follow basic writing standards such as writing clear, concise, and grammatically correct sentences; using proper punctuation; demonstrating critical thought; and, in all Walden programs, using APA style. When writing in nursing, however, students must also be familiar with the goals of the discipline and discipline-specific writing expectations.

Nurses are primarily concerned about providing quality care to patients and their families, and this demands both technical knowledge and the appropriate expression of ideas (“Writing in nursing,” n.d). As a result, nursing students are expected to learn how to present information succinctly, and even though they may often use technical medical terminology (“Writing in nursing,” n.d.), their work should be accessible to anyone who may read it. Among many goals, writers within this discipline are required to:

• Document knowledge/research
• Demonstrate critical thinking
• Express creative ideas
• Explore nursing literature
• Demonstrate understanding of learning activities. (Wagner, n.d., para. 2)

Given this broad set of objectives, nursing students would benefit from learning how to write diverse literature, including scholarly reports, reviews, articles, and so on. They should aim to write work that can be used in both the research and clinical aspects of the discipline. Walden instructors often ask nursing students to write position and reflective papers, critique articles, gather and analyze data, respond to case studies, and work collaboratively on a project. Although there may be differences between the writing expectations within the classroom and those in the workplace, the standards noted below, though more common in scholarly writing, require skills that are transferrable to the work setting.

Because one cannot say everything there is to say about a particular subject, writers present their work from a particular perspective. For instance, one might choose to examine the shortage of nurses from a public policy perspective. One’s particular contribution, position, argument, or viewpoint is commonly referred to as the thesis and, according to Gerring et al. (2004), a good thesis is one that is “new, true, and significant” (p. 2). To strengthen a thesis, one might consider presenting an argument that goes against what is currently accepted within the field while carefully addressing counterarguments and adequately explaining why the issue under consideration matters (Gerring et al., 2004). The thesis is particularly important because readers want to know whether the writer has something new or worthwhile to say about the topic. Thus, as you review the literature, before writing, it is important to find gaps and creative linkages between viewpoints with the goal of contributing innovative ideas to an ongoing discussion. For a contribution to be worthwhile you must read the literature carefully and without bias; doing this will enable you to identify some of the subtle differences in the viewpoints presented by different authors and help you to better identify the gaps in the literature. Because the thesis is essentially the heart of your discussion, it is important that it is argued objectively and persuasively.

With the goal of providing high quality care, the healthcare industry places a premium on rigorous research as the foundation for evidence-based practices. Thus, students are expected to keep up with the most current research in their field and support the assertions they make in their work with evidence from the literature. Nursing students also must learn how to evaluate evidence in nursing literature and identify the studies that answer specific clinical questions (Oermann & Hays, 2011). Writers are also expected to critically analyze and evaluate studies and assess whether findings can be used in clinical practice (Beyea & Slattery, 2006). (Some useful and credible sources include journal articles, other peer-reviewed sources, and authoritative sources that might be found on the web. If you need help finding credible sources contact a librarian.)

Like other APA style papers, research papers in nursing should follow the following format: title, abstract, introduction, literature review, method, results, discussion, references, and appendices (see APA 7, Sections 2.16-2.25). Note that the presentation follows a certain logic: In the introduction one presents the issue under consideration; in the literature review, one presents what is already known about the topic (thus providing a context for the discussion), identifies gaps, and presents one’s approach; in the methods section, one would then identify the method used to gather data; and in the results and discussion sections, one then presents and explains the results in an objective manner, noting the limitations of the study (Dartmouth Writing Program, 2005). Note that not all papers need to be written in this manner; for guidance on the formatting of a basic course paper, see the appropriate template on our website.

In their research, nursing researchers use quantitative, qualitative, or mixed methods. In quantitative studies, researchers rely primarily on quantifiable data; in qualitative studies, they use data from interviews or other types of narrative analyses; and in mixed methods studies, they use both qualitative and quantitative approaches. A researcher should be able to pose a researchable question and identify an appropriate research method. Whatever method the researcher chooses, the research must be carried out in an objective and scientific manner, free from bias. Keep in mind that your method will have an impact on the credibility of your work, so it is important that your methods are rigorous. Walden offers a series of research methods courses to help students become familiar with the various research methods.

Instructors expect students to master the content of the discipline and use discipline- appropriate language in their writing. In practice, nurses may be required to become familiar with standardized nursing language as it has been found to lead to the following:

• better communication among nurses and other health care providers,
• increased visibility of nursing interventions,
• improved patient care,
• enhanced data collection to evaluate nursing care outcomes,
• greater adherence to standards of care, and
• facilitated assessment of nursing competency. (Rutherford, 2008)

Like successful writers in other disciplines and in preparation for diverse roles within their fields, in their writing nursing students should demonstrate that they (a) have cultivated the thinking skills that are useful in their discipline, (b) are able to communicate professionally, and (c) can incorporate the language of the field in their work appropriately (Colorado State University, 2011).

If you have content-specific questions, be sure to ask your instructor. The Writing Center is available to help you present your ideas as effectively as possible.

Beyea, S. C., & Slattery, M. J. (2006). Evidence-based practice in nursing: A guide to successful implementation . http://www.hcmarketplace.com/supplemental/3737_browse.pdf

Colorado State University. (2011). Why assign WID tasks? http://wac.colostate.edu/intro/com6a1.cfm

Dartmouth Writing Program. (2005). Writing in the social sciences . http://www.dartmouth.edu/~writing/materials/student/soc_sciences/write.shtml

Rutherford, M. (2008). Standardized nursing language: What does it mean for nursing practice? [Abstract]. Online Journal of Issues in Nursing , 13 (1). http://ojin.nursingworld.org/MainMenuCategories/ThePracticeofProfessionalNursing/Health-IT/StandardizedNursingLanguage.html

Wagner, D. (n.d.). Why writing matters in nursing . https://www.svsu.edu/nursing/programs/bsn/programrequirements/whywritingmatters/

Writing in nursing: Examples. (n.d.). http://www.technorhetoric.net/7.2/sectionone/inman/examples.html

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Effective clinical learning for nursing students

Approaches that meet student and nurse needs..

• Direct care nurses serve as significant teachers and role models for nursing students in the clinical setting.
• Building critical thinking skills is one of the most important outcomes in the clinical setting for nursing students.
• Collaboration with nursing faculty during the clinical rotation can ease the burden on direct care nurses and facilitate a positive learning experience for the student.

The nursing profession continues to experience several challenges—some longstanding and exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic. The shortage of nurses at the bedside and reports of nurses planning to leave the profession soon place stress on the workforce and the healthcare system. The situation has put even more pressure on nursing schools to recruit and retain students who enter the workforce well-prepared for practice and capable of filling these vacancies. However, concerns exist surrounding students’ critical thinking skills and their readiness for a demanding career.

The challenge

A longstanding shortage of nursing school faculty and a reliance on new graduate nurses to serve as preceptors create challenges to properly preparing nursing students for a demanding role that requires excellent critical thinking skills.

What-Why-How? Improving Clinical Judgement

New nurses and clinical judgment

Nurse faculty shortage

Lack of interest and incentives lead to difficulty recruiting nurses from the bedside or practice to education. Many 4-year schools require a terminal degree to teach full-time in their undergraduate programs, but only 1% of nurses hold a PhD. In addition, according to the National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice (NACNEP), the average doctorally prepared nurse faculty member is in their 50s, which means they may soon retire. The surge in doctor of nursing practice programs has helped to bridge this gap, but attracting advanced practice nurses to academia from their more lucrative practice roles continues to prove difficult.

Concerns about the practice readiness of new graduate nurses have existed for several years. Missed clinical experiences and virtual learning during the COVID-19 pandemic heightened those concerns. The National Council of State Boards of Nursing (NCSBN) addressed the calls from nurse employers to make progress in this area by revamping the NCLEX-RN and NCLEX-PN exams to create Next Generation NCLEX (NGN), which includes more clinical judgment and critical thinking items. Nurse educators are working hard to prepare students for both practice and the new exam items by incorporating more active learning into classroom, clinical, and lab activities and emphasizing the importance of clinical judgment skills.

In most areas of the country, clinical student experiences have returned to pre-pandemic arrangements. State boards of nursing mandate maximum faculty-to-student ratios for clinical experiences. Schools can choose to have faculty supervise fewer students than the maximum, but faculty and clinical site shortages may eliminate that option. In many cases, preceptor-style experiences (such as capstone or practicum courses) have higher faculty-to-student ratios, and preceptors may have to meet specific criteria, such as a certain amount of experience.

Nursing faculty who facilitate on-site learning and supervise and teach students during their clinical experiences face several challenges. Some faculty supervise students across multiple units because unit size can’t accommodate 8 to 10 students at one time. Faculty may or may not have access to the organization’s electronic health records or other healthcare information technology, such as medication dispensing cabinets or glucometers.

In such instances, direct care nurses play an important role in the student’s experience at the clinical site. Their familiarity with the unit, the patient population, and the organization’s technology facilitates learning.

Direct care nurses

Allowing nursing students into the hospital can improve the patient care experience and potentially recruit students to work at the organization in the future. However, precepting a student or new employee creates an extra burden on an already overextended bedside nurse. NACNEP identifies several challenges for obtaining qualified preceptors, including lack of incentives and limited preparation in clinical teaching and learning strategies. Many hospitals have nursing students on the same unit several days a week to accommodate multiple area schools. This means that staff nurses are expected to teach students on most of their workdays during a typical school semester.

Unit nurse experience creates another barrier to effective precepting of nursing students. A study by Thayer and colleagues reported that the median length of experience for inpatient nurses working a 12-hour shift was less than 3 years at an organization. Without a better alternative, new graduate nurses frequently teach nursing students, although they may still be in what Benner describes as the advanced beginner stage of their career (still learning how to organize care, prioritize, and make clinical judgments). It’s difficult for someone who’s still learning and experiencing situations for the first time to teach complex concepts.

A guide to effective clinical site teaching

The following strategies promote critical thinking in students and collaboration with nurse faculty to ease direct care nurses’ teaching workload. Not every strategy is appropriate for all student clinical experiences. Consider them as multiple potential approaches to help facilitate meaningful learning opportunities.

Set the tone

Nursing students frequently feel anxious about clinical experiences, especially if they’ve been told or perceive that they’re a burden or unwanted on the unit. When meeting the student for the first time, welcome them and communicate willingness to have them on the unit.

If you feel that you can’t take on a student for the day, speak to the nurse faculty member and charge nurse to explore other arrangements. Nurse faculty recognize that work or personal concerns may require you to decline precepting a student. Faculty members want to find the best situation for everyone. If the charge nurse or supervisor determines that the student still needs to work with you, talk to the nurse faculty about how they can help ease the burden and facilitate the student’s learning experience for the day.

Begin your time with the student by asking about their experience level and any objectives for the day. Understanding what the student can or can’t do will help you make the most out of the clinical experience. You’ll want to know the content they’re learning in class and connect them with a patient who brings those concepts to life. A student may have assignments to complete, but their focus should be on patient care. Help the student identify the busiest parts of the day and the best time to review the electronic health record and complete assignments.

If a situation requires your full attention and limits training opportunities, briefly explain to the student what will happen. If you have time, provide the student with tasks or specific objectives to note during the observation. Involve the nursing faculty member to help facilitate the learning experience and make it meaningful.

Be a professional role model

Students like to hear about the benefits and rewards of being a nurse, and about each nurse’s unique path. Students also enjoy learning about the “real world” from nurses, but keep in mind that they’re impressionable. Speaking negatively about the unit, patients, organization, or profession may discourage the student. If you must deviate from standard care, such as performing a skill differently than it’s traditionally taught in school, provide the rationale or hospital policy behind the decision.

Feel free to discuss the student’s nursing school experience but don’t diminish the value of their education or assigned work. Keep in mind that school assignments, such as nursing care plans or concept maps, aren’t taught for job training but to deliberately and systematically promote critical thinking. These assignments allow a student to reflect on how a patient’s pathophysiology and nursing assessment and interventions relate to one another.

Reinforce how concepts students learn in school provide valuable knowledge in various settings. For example, if the student is on a medical-surgical unit but says that they want to work in obstetrics, engage the student by pointing out links between the two areas, such as managing diabetes and coagulation disorders. Provide encouragement and excitement about the student’s interest in joining the profession at a time of great need.

Build assessment skills

Explain to students your approach to performing assessments and organizing patient care. Most students learn comprehensive head-to-toe assessments but, in the clinical setting, need to focus on the most relevant assessments. To promote critical thinking, ask the student what data they should focus on gathering based on the patient’s condition. Many students focus on the psychomotor aspect of assessment (performing the assessment correctly); ask them about the subjective data they should gather.

Allow the student to perform an assessment and then compare findings. For example, a student may know that a patient’s lung sounds are abnormal but not remember what the sound is called or what it means. Provide them with the correct terminology to help connect the dots. Discuss with the student when reassessments are warranted. If appropriate, allow a student to reassess the patient (vital signs, output, pain, other physical findings) and then confirm their findings and discuss what any changes mean for the clinical situation. If you don’t have time for these types of discussions following a student’s patient assessment, ask nursing faculty to observe and discuss findings with the student.

Discuss care management

Take advantage of opportunities to discuss concepts such as prioritization, advocacy, delegation, collaboration, discharge planning, and other ways in which the nurse acts as a care manager. Pointing out what’s appropriate to delegate to unlicensed assistive personnel or a licensed practical nurse will prove valuable and help reinforce concepts frequently covered on the NGN exam.

Promote critical thinking

The NCBSN has introduced the Clinical Judgment Measurement Model (CJMM) as a framework for evaluating the NGN exam, which incorporates unfolding case studies that systematically address six steps: recognize cues, analyze cues, generate hypotheses, generate solutions, take action, and evaluate outcomes. Each candidate encounters three case studies, with six questions, one for each step of the CJMM. Nursing faculty incorporate this framework and language into the nursing curriculum to help students think systematically and critically and prepare them for the exam.

Nurses with practice experience use this type of framework to gather information, make judgments, and take action. As a nurse approaches Benner’s competent stage of nursing practice, this type of thinking becomes intuitive, and nurses may not even be aware of the conclusions they draw and decisions they make based on their clinical judgment skills. To help students understand why something is happening, they should continue to work through a process like this deliberately. For example, many students view medication administration as a simple task and may say in post-conference discussion, “All I did was give meds.” You perform many assessments and make various judgments while administering medications, but you may not think to discuss them with students. Asking questions of students while they’re performing what may seem like repetitive tasks can help prompt critical thinking. (See Critical questions .)

Critical questions

Enhance self-efficacy

Many nurses believe that the student must follow them to every patient. This can be overwhelming for the direct care nurse and a barrier to agreeing to work with students. Other approaches can better facilitate learning. Most students will complete an assignment focused on one or two patients. Encourage the student to spend time alone with those patients to perform a more comprehensive history and assessment, help patients with basic care, and provide education. Select a patient who might enjoy the extra attention to ensure a mutually beneficial experience.

Also, consider asking the student to find information using available resources. Such inquiry can benefit you and the student. For example, prompt a student to answer one or more critical thinking questions using their textbooks or resources available on the hospital’s intranet. If time prevents you from explaining complex topics or helping the student problem-solve, ask the student to take the information they find to their faculty member to review. Nurse faculty won’t be familiar with the specific details of all patients on the unit, so identify the most appropriate questions for the student to consider to help the nurse faculty facilitate learning.

Allowing the student time to find answers themselves builds self-efficacy and confidence and also relieves some of the stress and anxiety associated with being asked questions on the spot. This strategy also models the professional approach of using evidence-based resources to find information as needed in the clinical setting.

To ensure a positive learning experience and reduce anxiety, provide the student with ample time to prepare for performance-based skills. For example, identify an approximate time that medications will be administered to one patient and ask the student to independently look up the medication information by that time. This is more beneficial for the student than observing every patient’s medication administration or participating only in psychomotor tasks, such as scanning and giving injections. This also can free up your time by setting the expectation that the student will have the chance to prepare for and be directly involved in one medication pass.

Similarly, if an opportunity exists for practicing a psychomotor skill, such as inserting a urinary catheter or suctioning a tracheostomy, ask the student to review the procedure with their instructor using hospital policy and resources. If time doesn’t allow for a review, have the student observe to ensure provision of the best care and efficient use of time and resources.

Opportunities in education

Nurses who enjoy working with students or new staff members may want to consider academic roles. Many advanced nursing degrees, available in various formats, focus on education. For those who want to try teaching or have an interest in teaching only in the clinical setting, opportunities exist to work as adjunct faculty or to participate in hospital-based professional development activities. Adjunct faculty (part-time instructors) teach a variety of assignments and workloads, including in clinical, lab, or classroom settings. Many clinical adjunct faculty are nurses who also work in the organization with patients and may teach one group of students one day a week. Clinical and lab assignments vary from 4- or 6-hour experiences to 12-hour shifts.

According to NACNEP, most nursing programs require that adjunct faculty and clinical preceptors have the same or higher level of educational preparation as the program; for example, a nurse with a bachelor of science in nursing (BSN) may be able to teach clinicals for associate degree in nursing or BSN programs, depending on the state’s requirements and the school’s needs. Educational requirements to work in nursing programs vary by school. In some cases, adjunct faculty who don’t have a master’s degree may be supervised by full-time faculty with advanced degrees.

Benefits for adjunct faculty can include extra income, professional development, personal reward, tuition discounts or remissions, and giving back to the profession. Locate opportunities on nursing school websites or by talking to the nursing instructors or administrators in the local area.

Everyone benefits

Applying teaching approaches that benefit students and nurses can help ensure a positive clinical learning experience for everyone. When you graciously accept and teach students you help create positive encounters that enhance student critical thinking skill development, aid program retention, and support organizational recruitment.

Jennifer Miller is an assistant professor of nursing at the University of Louisville School of Nursing in Louisville, Kentucky .

American Nurse Journal. 2024; 19(4). Doi: 10.51256/ANJ042432

American Association of Colleges of Nursing. Nursing faculty shortage fact sheet. October 2022. aacnnursing.org/news-information/fact-sheets/nursing-faculty-shortage

Benner P. From Novice to Expert: Excellence and Power in Clin­i­cal Nursing Practice . Menlo Park, CA: Addison-Wesley; 1984.

National Advisory Council on Nurse Education and Practice. Preparing nurse faculty, and addressing the shortage of nurse faculty and clinical preceptors. January 2021. hrsa.gov/sites/default/files/hrsa/advisory-committees/nursing/reports/nacnep-17report-2021.pdf

National Council of State Boards of Nursing. Clinical Judgment Measurement Model. 2023. nclex.com/clinical-judgment-measurement-model.page

Thayer J, Zillmer J, Sandberg N, Miller AR, Nagel P, MacGibbon A. ‘The new nurse’ is the new normal. June 2, 2022. Epic Research. epicresearch.org/articles/the-new-nurse-is-the-new-normal

Key words: nursing students, nursing education, critical thinking, precepting

Let Us Know What You Think

1 comment . leave new.

All nursing programs need to put in more clinical time. Students do not get the time in clinicals so they do not have the opportunities to develop their clinical judgement and thinking skills. Clinical time is what glues concept and theory together if they don’t get the clinical time they are less likely to develop these skills which contributes to errors, burnout and nurses leaving the field.

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Miller J. Effective clinical learning for nursing students. American Nurse Journal. 2024;19(4):32-37. doi:10.51256/anj042432 https://www.myamericannurse.com/effective-clinical-learning-for-nursing-students/

The Ultimate Guide to Nursing Assignments: 7 Tips and Strategies

Nursing assignments are a critical component of every nursing student’s academic journey. They serve as opportunities to test your knowledge, apply theoretical concepts to real-world scenarios, and develop essential skills necessary for your future nursing career. However, tackling nursing assignments can often be overwhelming, particularly when you’re juggling multiple responsibilities. In this comprehensive guide, we provide valuable tips, strategies, and expert assignment help services to help you excel in your nursing assignments. Whether you’re struggling with research, structuring your assignment, or proofreading, we’re here to support you every step of the way.

Understanding the Nursing Assignments

To excel in nursing assignments , it’s crucial to start by thoroughly understanding the requirements. Take the time to carefully read the assignment prompt, paying close attention to the topic, word count, formatting guidelines, and any specific instructions provided by your instructor. Understanding these key components will ensure that you meet all the necessary criteria.

Conducting Thorough Research

Once you have a clear understanding of the assignment, it’s time to conduct thorough research. Solid research forms the foundation of any successful nursing assignment. Begin by gathering relevant and credible sources, such as nursing textbooks, scholarly articles, reputable websites , and academic databases specific to nursing. These resources will provide you with evidence-based information to support your arguments and demonstrate your understanding of the topic.

Creating a Well-Structured Outline

A well-structured outline is essential for organizing your thoughts and ensuring a logical flow in your nursing assignment. An effective outline acts as a roadmap, guiding you through the writing process and ensuring that you cover all the necessary points.

At [Your Service Name], our expert writers can assist you in creating a comprehensive outline tailored to your specific assignment. By collaborating with us, you can receive personalized guidance in organizing your ideas effectively and structuring your assignment in a logical manner. Our writers understand the nuances of nursing assignments and can help you identify the most important concepts and supporting evidence to include.

Using a Professional Tone

Maintaining a professional tone throughout your nursing assignment is crucial. As aspiring healthcare professionals, it’s essential to communicate your ideas with clarity, conciseness, and professionalism. Use clear and concise language, avoiding jargon or slang that may hinder the reader’s understanding. Present your arguments and supporting evidence in a logical and coherent manner, demonstrating your ability to think critically and apply nursing principles.

Our expert writers have extensive experience in academic writing within the field of nursing. They possess a deep understanding of the professional tone required for nursing assignments and can ensure that your assignment is written to the highest standards. By collaborating with us, you can receive guidance in maintaining a professional tone and effectively conveying your ideas.

Incorporating Practical Examples

In addition to a professional tone, incorporating practical examples into your nursing assignment can greatly enhance its quality. Practical examples bring theoretical concepts to life, illustrating their application in real-life scenarios. They demonstrate your understanding of nursing principles and showcase your ability to bridge the gap between theory and practice.

Our team consists of experienced nursing professionals who can assist you in incorporating relevant practical examples into your assignment. Drawing from their extensive knowledge and expertise, they can provide you with real-life scenarios or case studies that strengthen the impact and credibility of your work. By collaborating with us, you can elevate the quality of your assignment by demonstrating your ability to apply nursing concepts in practical settings.

Proofreading and Editing

Proofreading and editing are essential steps in the assignment writing process. They ensure that your nursing assignment is polished, error-free, and effectively communicates your ideas. After completing the initial draft, it’s crucial to take a break and return to your work with fresh eyes. During the proofreading stage, carefully review your assignment for grammar, spelling, punctuation, and sentence structure. Correct any errors and inconsistencies that may affect the clarity and professionalism of your writing.

At nursingresearchhelp.com , we have a dedicated team of proofreaders and editors who specialize in nursing assignments. They meticulously review your work, ensuring that it adheres to formatting guidelines and meets the highest standards of academic writing. Our proofreaders and editors will help you refine your assignment, ensuring that it is polished and error-free. By collaborating with us, you can rest assured that your assignment will be thoroughly reviewed and refined before submission.

Seeking Help When Needed

In addition to proofreading and editing, it’s important to seek help when needed. Nursing assignments can be challenging, and it’s perfectly normal to require assistance. Whether you’re facing difficulties in understanding the assignment prompt, need guidance in specific areas, or simply want a fresh perspective on your work, don’t hesitate to reach out for support.

Our friendly and knowledgeable support team is always available to address any questions or concerns you may have. We understand the unique challenges faced by nursing students and can provide you with the guidance and clarification you need. By seeking help when needed, you can overcome obstacles and ensure the successful completion of your nursing assignments.

Mastering nursing assignments is within your reach with the right tips, strategies, and expert assignment help services. At nursingresearchhelp.com we are committed to supporting nursing students in excelling in their academic pursuits. Our experienced writers, proofreaders, and editors can provide personalized assistance throughout the assignment writing process, ensuring that your assignments meet the highest standards of quality and professionalism.

With our help, you can confidently tackle your nursing assignments and overcome any challenges you may face. Visit our website nursingresearchhelp.com to learn more about our services and how we can support you in achieving academic excellence. Whether you need guidance in understanding the assignment, conducting thorough research, creating a well-structured outline, using a professional tone, incorporating practical examples, or ensuring a polished final product, we are here to assist you. Trust us for reliable and professional assignment help tailored to your needs.

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Student Nursing 101: Top 15 Free Online Resources for Nursing Students

Mackenzie Thompson, Life Saver, NHCPS

Co-authored by Karl Disque, D.O. RPH

Share with your Friends!

AS A NURSING STUDENT YOU AIM TO CARE AND HELP OTHERS , but don’t forget about yourself! Student nurses need all the help they can get, and most likely will appreciate it more if the help is free. We get it and want to help you out.

Check out our list of 15 free online resources for nursing students, just like you!

Free Reference Resources For Nursing Students

#1 Learning Nurse If you’re looking for a simple way to study or simply find out more information, LearningNurse.org is a free, online resource network filled with free modules, tests, apps, videos and much more. They even have an online nursing library!

#2 Nurse.com As a student nurse, staying up-to-date with the latest news and career opportunities within the competitive and always changing field is crucial. Nurse.com has a useful “student news” section and a “jobs” section where nursing students can check out what’s new.

#3 Nursing and Allied Health Resources If you are a student nurse looking for one website with a plethora of free and informative resources, look no further than Nursing and Allied Health Resources of the online Medical Library Association. Just a glance at the left sidebar will leave you feeling overwhelmed with databases, literature, surveys, PowerPoint presentations, and any more helpful resources.

#4 Nurse Zone Student Nurse Any nursing website that features an entire section tab devoted to helping nursing students is a winner in our book! Nurse Zone’s Student Nurses site is chock full of practical information for college students, such as tips on schools, financial aid, study tips, networking, and a resume creator. You won’t be left hanging here!

#5 All Nurses Nursing Student The recipe for a successful nursing education is to surround yourself with your peers and we couldn’t agree more. If you are looking to network and connect with other nursing students on specific and general topics, the All Nurses Nursing Student section is the place to be. Registration is free and the topic possibilities are endless!

#6  RNCareers.org RN program rankings, NCLEX Exams with rationales, scholarships, career guides, and career advice from veteran nurses at RNCareers.org.

Educational Resources For Nursing Students

#8 eNurseScribe For nursing students looking for assistance with writing, scribing and organization tips, eNurseScribe is a site filled with information that is sure to help you out. They offer great tools such as articles, student pages, crosswords, and conferences.

#9 Scholarships.com Nursing College is expensive, and everyone could use a scholarship. One must apply first to be eligible, and the list of nursing scholarships could feel overwhelming. Scholarships.com has a specific site pertaining to only nursing scholarships, including application deadlines, prerequisites and descriptions of every major scholarship.

#10 NHCPS Online BLS Practice Test All nurses need Basic Life Support certification (BLS), which requires a challenging final exam to receive the certification. In addition to Basic Life Support, nurses also may need Pediatric Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification (PALS), Advanced Cardiac Life Support certification (ACLS) and CPR, AED & First Aid certification, which also all require final exams. If you are studying for the final exam, consider checking out our online BLS Practice Test, PALS Practice Test, and ACLS Practice Test questions! #11 Manuel’s Web Nursing Calculator From conversion to clinical to drug calculators, this site features any calculator you may need as a nursing student for quick reference.

#12 RxList Student nurses need to know about prescription drugs. Physical drug guides are big and bulky, and it could take a while for you to find the drug you’re looking for. RxList has a search bar function, which allows nurses to quickly search any drug they need the down low on.

#13 Nursing Ethics Ethics is central to the way we care, and to the way, we envision ourselves as professionals. If you are looking for a site filled with nursing ethics, codes and articles, you need to visit NursingEthics.ca.

Fun Nursing Resources

#14 Nursing Fun If laughter really is the best medicine, Nursing Fun is a cure-all for nursing students. With jokes, games, and resources, this site is great if you need a chuckle and break from the intensity of nursing school.

#15 Nurstoon For hilarious comic strips on virtually any nursing or health care topic, visit Nurstoon and experience a true LOL!”

Whether you need a comprehensive online study guide for the NCLEX or simply a 5-minute satirical nursing humor break with a comic strip, the Internet is filled with ways to help you be a better nurse.

* Extra Nursing Education Resource Guide Whether you’re a current nurse seeking to become a nurse educator, a nursing student or just someone interested in nursing, you will find a lot of useful information in this guide. You’ll find everything from study and teaching resources to links for professional associations, blogs, podcasts and more.

Comment below if you have any other suggestions for nursing students! Also, don’t forget to bookmark this page on your Internet browser so you can come back anytime you need nursing resources. Keep up with us on Instagram, click the icon below and give us a follow!

Keep Reading

Bcls vs bls certification: key differences and choosing the right one, hemodynamic instability: key signs and symptoms guide, we offer online acls, pals and bls certification and renewal, 12 responses.

hello sir i m student of ms.c nursing 1st year i want study of nursing education subject please give any suggestion related to on line study

Thank you for the really useful list, Mackenzie, I found a lot of interesting for my daily reading.

Thanks for sharing such a good thinking, piece of writing is nice, thats why i have read it fully

Thanks for the response!

Welcome My name is Reem and I have an obligation in nursing and I cannot solve it. Can I send it to you and help me solve it? The assignment contains only 3 questions, and I hope that you will help me, because it remains only two days for him to complete the assignment.

Hello Reem,

Please send us an email at [email protected] to see if we can be of assistance.

Thank you so so much!!

We are more than happy to help!

this content is so nice it even included some educational resources for aspiring nurses

Thank you Angela! We love to hear that you enjoyed the article!

Thanks so much for this write-up It was helpful

Of course! We are so happy to hear that!

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‘Racism absolutely must not be tolerated’

STEVE FORD, EDITOR

• You are here: Students

‘Top tips for starting a student nurse assignment’

08 September, 2022 By Soneika Atkinson

According to the Nursing and Midwifery Council, practice must account for 50% of learning; this means that you will learn in a placement environment.

However, for the other 50% in areas of academia, accomplishing assignments is an integral part of the learning process.

“There are some assignment preparation generalisations that all students should embrace”

Most assignments contribute to students’ grades at the end of their courses. As such, assignments should not be taken lightly.

Students should ensure that all assignments are done to the best of their abilities, so they may be able to get maximum scores.

Regardless of the different areas in which students study and the assignment types, there are some assignment preparation generalisations that all students should embrace.

These include, but are not limited to, understanding the assignment, doing research, planning, writing, reviewing, and reading the recommended reading material.

Prior to beginning an assignment, students ought to ensure they investigate the assignment and address and comprehend what they are required to do. This will assist them with directing the task and deciding the construction of the task.

Comprehending the assignment will guarantee that it doesn’t consist of unimportant data and isn’t muddled, which will prove deplorable.

Students ought to continuously understand what is required of them and what they are expected to produce.

If necessary, rehashing the guidelines will assist students with understanding what’s generally anticipated of them.

In addition, they likewise need to decide how long the task ought to be and the ways that they will proceed.

Doing research is another essential assignment preparation guideline. Students should explore their assignment subject and track down important and dependable data.

Before beginning an assignment, they should gather different material sources and make sure they follow the assignment guideline that will direct them.

It is imperative to go through different materials and then record highlights of the most important data to use in the assignment.

“Students ought to continuously understand what is required of them and what they are expected to produce”

This will include assessing the data found and decisive reasoning for perusing and examination. The writing cycle will be easier when they have all of the needed information.

Third, there should be ample planning. Planning how assignment questions can be answered will help students to concentrate more and make composing their tasks more straightforward.

A structure will be there to ensure they answer the questions accurately. Arranging an assignment likewise includes making a timetable for composing tasks, and students ought to guarantee that they adhere to their timetables.

Planning also includes double-checking cutoff times so they will not feel overpowered when their cutoff times are close.

Students should separate their time and undertakings into manageable chunks, so they will continuously be on top of their tasks.

Writing a draft before an assignment is also integral. Subsequent to finishing their assignment planning, the next thing students should do is compose their first drafts.

This segment is fundamentally free composition and students are urged to write as much as possible without agonising over the phrasing being 100% correct.

It is prudent to not invest excessive energy attempting to get this draft to perfection, as changes are likely. After drafting, students ought to then continue on toward the process of adjusting.

This includes amending the draft and ensuring that it checks out and incorporates all it needs. Cohesion and flow are vital in this assignment preparation step.

Students should guarantee that each passage or part of their assignment is clearly connected to one another before putting the final thing together. This is to ensure that whoever marks the assignment stays connected with the information.

“Students should guarantee that each passage or part of their assignment is clearly connected to one another ”

To accomplish this, students need to return to their assignment plan, then look for essential concepts that will assist them with smoothly connecting the sections.

Finally, preparing to do an assignment and reviewing the collected information is also essential. This is where students inspect if the accumulated data matches the assignment's context.

Here students should check their information against the rubric to ensure it matches. The design and logical arrangement of the data must likewise be entirely inspected and checks carried out to guarantee that all aspects of the assignment are appropriately covered by the data collected.

After all this, the assignment is now suitable for completing and submitting. This is when the assignment will be formally done and turned in.

Soneika Atkinson is a first-year student mental health nurse at the University of Essex, national volunteer manager at Raising Awareness of Mental Health in Higher Education and regional student quality ambassador, Health Education England 

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Best Nursing Research Topics for Students

What is a nursing research paper.

• What They Include
• Choosing a Topic
• Best Nursing Research Topics
• Research Paper Writing Tips

Writing a research paper is a massive task that involves careful organization, critical analysis, and a lot of time. Some nursing students are natural writers, while others struggle to select a nursing research topic, let alone write about it.

If you're a nursing student who dreads writing research papers, this article may help ease your anxiety. We'll cover everything you need to know about writing nursing school research papers and the top topics for nursing research.  

Continue reading to make your paper-writing jitters a thing of the past.

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A nursing research paper is a work of academic writing composed by a nurse or nursing student. The paper may present information on a specific topic or answer a question.

During LPN/LVN and RN programs, most papers you write focus on learning to use research databases, evaluate appropriate resources, and format your writing with APA style. You'll then synthesize your research information to answer a question or analyze a topic.

BSN , MSN , Ph.D., and DNP programs also write nursing research papers. Students in these programs may also participate in conducting original research studies.

Writing papers during your academic program improves and develops many skills, including the ability to:

• Select nursing topics for research
• Conduct effective research
• Analyze published academic literature
• Format and cite sources
• Synthesize data
• Organize and articulate findings

About Nursing Research Papers

When do nursing students write research papers.

You may need to write a research paper for any of the nursing courses you take. Research papers help develop critical thinking and communication skills. They allow you to learn how to conduct research and critically review publications.

That said, not every class will require in-depth, 10-20-page papers. The more advanced your degree path, the more you can expect to write and conduct research. If you're in an associate or bachelor's program, you'll probably write a few papers each semester or term.

Do Nursing Students Conduct Original Research?

Most of the time, you won't be designing, conducting, and evaluating new research. Instead, your projects will focus on learning the research process and the scientific method. You'll achieve these objectives by evaluating existing nursing literature and sources and defending a thesis.

However, many nursing faculty members do conduct original research. So, you may get opportunities to participate in, and publish, research articles.

Example Research Project Scenario:

In your maternal child nursing class, the professor assigns the class a research paper regarding developmentally appropriate nursing interventions for the pediatric population. While that may sound specific, you have almost endless opportunities to narrow down the focus of your writing. 

You could choose pain intervention measures in toddlers. Conversely, you can research the effects of prolonged hospitalization on adolescents' social-emotional development.

What Does a Nursing Research Paper Include?

Your professor should provide a thorough guideline of the scope of the paper. In general, an undergraduate nursing research paper will consist of:

Introduction : A brief overview of the research question/thesis statement your paper will discuss. You can include why the topic is relevant.

Body : This section presents your research findings and allows you to synthesize the information and data you collected. You'll have a chance to articulate your evaluation and answer your research question. The length of this section depends on your assignment.

Conclusion : A brief review of the information and analysis you presented throughout the body of the paper. This section is a recap of your paper and another chance to reassert your thesis.

The best advice is to follow your instructor's rubric and guidelines. Remember to ask for help whenever needed, and avoid overcomplicating the assignment!

How to Choose a Nursing Research Topic

The sheer volume of prospective nursing research topics can become overwhelming for students. Additionally, you may get the misconception that all the 'good' research ideas are exhausted. However, a personal approach may help you narrow down a research topic and find a unique angle.

Writing your research paper about a topic you value or connect with makes the task easier. Additionally, you should consider the material's breadth. Topics with plenty of existing literature will make developing a research question and thesis smoother.

Finally, feel free to shift gears if necessary, especially if you're still early in the research process. If you start down one path and have trouble finding published information, ask your professor if you can choose another topic.

The Best Research Topics for Nursing Students

You have endless subject choices for nursing research papers. This non-exhaustive list just scratches the surface of some of the best nursing research topics.

1. Clinical Nursing Research Topics

• Analyze the use of telehealth/virtual nursing to reduce inpatient nurse duties.
• Discuss the impact of evidence-based respiratory interventions on patient outcomes in critical care settings.
• Explore the effectiveness of pain management protocols in pediatric patients.

2. Community Health Nursing Research Topics

• Assess the impact of nurse-led diabetes education in Type II Diabetics.
• Analyze the relationship between socioeconomic status and access to healthcare services.

3. Nurse Education Research Topics

• Review the effectiveness of simulation-based learning to improve nursing students' clinical skills.
• Identify methods that best prepare pre-licensure students for clinical practice.
• Investigate factors that influence nurses to pursue advanced degrees.
• Evaluate education methods that enhance cultural competence among nurses.
• Describe the role of mindfulness interventions in reducing stress and burnout among nurses.

4. Mental Health Nursing Research Topics

• Explore patient outcomes related to nurse staffing levels in acute behavioral health settings.
• Assess the effectiveness of mental health education among emergency room nurses .
• Explore de-escalation techniques that result in improved patient outcomes.
• Review the effectiveness of therapeutic communication in improving patient outcomes.

5. Pediatric Nursing Research Topics

• Assess the impact of parental involvement in pediatric asthma treatment adherence.
• Explore challenges related to chronic illness management in pediatric patients.
• Review the role of play therapy and other therapeutic interventions that alleviate anxiety among hospitalized children.

6. The Nursing Profession Research Topics

• Analyze the effects of short staffing on nurse burnout .
• Evaluate factors that facilitate resiliency among nursing professionals.
• Examine predictors of nurse dissatisfaction and burnout.
• Posit how nursing theories influence modern nursing practice.

Tips for Writing a Nursing Research Paper

The best nursing research advice we can provide is to follow your professor's rubric and instructions. However, here are a few study tips for nursing students to make paper writing less painful:

Avoid procrastination: Everyone says it, but few follow this advice. You can significantly lower your stress levels if you avoid procrastinating and start working on your project immediately.

Plan Ahead: Break down the writing process into smaller sections, especially if it seems overwhelming. Give yourself time for each step in the process.

Research: Use your resources and ask for help from the librarian or instructor. The rest should come together quickly once you find high-quality studies to analyze.

Outline: Create an outline to help you organize your thoughts. Then, you can plug in information throughout the research process. 

Clear Language: Use plain language as much as possible to get your point across. Jargon is inevitable when writing academic nursing papers, but keep it to a minimum.

Cite Properly: Accurately cite all sources using the appropriate citation style. Nursing research papers will almost always implement APA style. Check out the resources below for some excellent reference management options.

Revise and Edit: Once you finish your first draft, put it away for one to two hours or, preferably, a whole day. Once you've placed some space between you and your paper, read through and edit for clarity, coherence, and grammatical errors. Reading your essay out loud is an excellent way to check for the 'flow' of the paper.

Helpful Nursing Research Writing Resources:

Purdue OWL (Online writing lab) has a robust APA guide covering everything you need about APA style and rules.

Grammarly helps you edit grammar, spelling, and punctuation. Upgrading to a paid plan will get you plagiarism detection, formatting, and engagement suggestions. This tool is excellent to help you simplify complicated sentences.

Mendeley is a free reference management software. It stores, organizes, and cites references. It has a Microsoft plug-in that inserts and correctly formats APA citations.

Don't let nursing research papers scare you away from starting nursing school or furthering your education. Their purpose is to develop skills you'll need to be an effective nurse: critical thinking, communication, and the ability to review published information critically.

Choose a great topic and follow your teacher's instructions; you'll finish that paper in no time.

Joleen Sams is a certified Family Nurse Practitioner based in the Kansas City metro area. During her 10-year RN career, Joleen worked in NICU, inpatient pediatrics, and regulatory compliance. Since graduating with her MSN-FNP in 2019, she has worked in urgent care and nursing administration. Connect with Joleen on LinkedIn or see more of her writing on her website.

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Planning Assignments in Nursing Courses: Be Strategic

Oermann, Marilyn H. PhD, RN, ANEF, FAAN

Author Affiliation: Editor-in-Chief, Nurse Educator , and Thelma M. Ingles Professor of Nursing and Director of Evaluation and Educational Research, Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, North Carolina.

The author declares no conflicts of interest.

Correspondence: Dr Oermann, Duke University School of Nursing, DUMC 3322, 307 Trent Dr, Durham, NC 27710 ( [email protected] ).

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Strategies for sustaining and enhancing nursing students’ engagement in academic and clinical settings: a narrative review

Mohammad reza ghasemi.

1 Nursing and Midwifery Care Research Center, School of Nursing and Midwifery, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Iran

Hossein Karimi Moonaghi

2 Department of Medical Education, Faculty of Medicine, Mashhad University of Medical Sciences, Mashhad, Iran

Abbas Heydari

Students’ engagement in academic-related learning activities is one of the important determinants of students’ success. Identifying the best teaching strategies to sustain and promote nursing students’ engagement in academic and clinical settings has always been a challenge for nurse educators. Hence, it is essential to provide a set of strategies for maintaining and enhancing the academic engagement of nursing students. The purpose of this review was to explore and summarize the strategies that nurse educators use to sustain and promote nursing students’ engagement in academic and clinical settings. A narrative literature review was conducted. CINAHL (nursing content), ProQuest, Medline, the Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Scopus were searched. Of 1,185 retrieved articles, 32 teaching strategies were identified and extracted from the nursing literature. We used thematic analysis approach to organize these strategies into five main categories as follows: technology-based strategies (15 articles), collaborative strategies (10 articles), simulation-based strategies (two articles), research-based strategies (two articles), and miscellanea learning strategies (three articles). As a general comment, these strategies have the potential to promote nursing students’ engagement. Among the strategies discussed in this review, the use of technology, particularly the response system and online learning, was more common among nursing educators, which is in line with today’s advances in smart technologies. The collection presented in this review can be used as a starting point for future research to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the academic engagement of nursing students. Nevertheless, due to the lack of experimental studies, the optimal strategies remain to be elucidated through future high-quality experimental study.

Introduction

One of the essential requirements of healthcare systems to meet the broad needs of patients is the employment of well-qualified nurses [ 1 ]. In this respect, one of the important responsibilities of nursing education systems is providing high-quality education to nursing students and preparing competent nurses so that they can provide patients with safe and high-quality care in the future [ 2 - 4 ]. As a step toward that end, nursing educators need to use new educational strategies to actively engage nursing students in learning activities in academic and clinical settings [ 5 , 6 ]. Previous studies have shown that increasing academic engagement of students could increase their desirable academic performance and success [ 7 ]. Recent evidence indicates that engagement in academic-related learning activities is one of the important determinants of students’ success in university [ 8 - 10 ]. As a result, identifying the best teaching strategies to sustain and promote nursing students’ engagement in academic and clinical settings has always been a challenge for nursing educators. Hence, it is essential to provide a set of strategies for maintaining and enhancing the academic engagement of nursing students.

In educational literature, the concepts of academic engagement, student engagement (SE), educational engagement, student involvement, and school engagement have often been used interchangeably [ 11 ]. In this study, the term ‘SE’ was used. The concept of SE has been extensively studied in educational literature as an important determinant of quality in academic education. Several definitions of this concept have been proposed; however, one of the most widespread definitions of SE is provided by the prolific author, Kuh [ 12 ]. Kuh [ 12 ] defined SE as “the time and effort students devote to activities that are empirically linked to desired outcomes of college and what institutions do to induce students to participate in these activities.” However, several authors argue that this concept is more than student involvement in school-related activities. It is rather a multidimensional concept, whose dimensions include behavioral, emotional, cognitive, and motivational [ 11 , 13 , 14 ]. SE, also, refers to the quality of the effort that learners spend on the targeted educational activities such as attending classrooms, studying, doing practical work, and engaging with professors or other students to reach the desired outcomes [ 15 ]. In the most recent definition of SE proposed by Kahu [ 13 ], the amount of time students spend on learning-related activities is considered as one of the main components of SE. In clinical disciplines such as nursing, many educational activities are accomplished in clinical settings. Hence, it is expected that the concept of SE in nursing education includes at least two concepts of “academic engagement” and “clinical engagement [ 16 ].” However, a search of the literature revealed small number of studies regarding clinical engagement, and this concept has recently become an important issue in nursing students’ education. In addition, most nursing researchers have not provided a unique definition for the concept of SE [ 11 , 16 ]. Recently, Bernard [ 14 ] using concept analysis, theoretically defined SE as “a dynamic process marked by a positive behavioral, cognitive, and affective state exhibited in the pursuit of deep learning.” This definition included the previously discussed dimensions and focused on deep learning; however, this definition lacks practical and measurable characteristics of SE, particularly time spent to engage with educational activities. Given the lack of an operational definition of SE in nursing education, based on the literature, we used the following working definition for conducting the current review. SE is “the investment of time, effort, and other relevant resources by both students and their institutions intended to optimize the student experience and enhance the learning outcomes and development of students, and the performance and reputation of the institution [ 11 ].”

In the last decade, many nurse researchers have investigated various educational strategies to explore and develop the best ways to increase nursing students’ academic engagement. The result of these efforts has led to the creation of new teaching strategies or modification of the techniques used by other disciplines. However, the lack of a study that reviews these strategies and techniques as a collection is felt. Previously, Crookes et al. [ 17 ] explored the strategies and techniques that nurse educators have employed to help nursing students to contextualize theory learned in the classroom to their practice. However, most of those techniques borrowed from other disciplines. Therefore, the ultimate purpose of this review was to explore and summarize the strategies that nursing educators use to sustain and promote nursing students’ engagement so that we can provide a set of these educational strategies to nursing educators and researchers. This review has been carried out as part of a nursing doctorate dissertation attempting to assess the lived experiences of nursing students on academic engagement activities.

The following question was used to guide this non-systematic narrative literature review: What strategies or techniques have nursing educators used to sustain and promote nursing students’ academic or clinical engagement? To answer this question, we reviewed the literature to identify the most significant studies and theoretical foundations regarding the academic and clinical engagement strategies used by nursing educators.

1. Sources of information and search strategy

The following databases were searched for peer-reviewed scholarly articles: CINAHL (nursing content), ProQuest, Medline, the Cochrane, Google Scholar, and Scopus. Two authors (G.M.R. and K.M.H.) with the assistance of one librarian searched the databases using predefined search strategies. They individually screened the titles and abstracts of retrieved studies against the inclusion criteria for choosing relevant articles. We used several combinations of the following search terms ‘engagement, nurse, student’ and their related concepts by using the Boolean operator, “AND”, to obtain any link between them. The scope of the search was limited to English-language written international articles and publication dates were limited from January 2000 to June 2019. To find additional articles, we manually examined the reference sections of the retrieved studies and relevant review.

2. Selection criteria

To keep the focus directly on nursing students, the inclusion criteria for selecting articles were as follows: The sample should be nursing students and the used strategies must be done by nursing educators. As well, we included original articles, reviews, innovative papers, discussion papers, learning projects, and theoretical frameworks. We excluded the dissertations and articles related to the other professions. Duplicate articles were also excluded. Given that we intended to provide a comprehensive set of educational strategies for sustaining and promoting nursing students’ engagement, we did not appraise the quality of included studies and did not remove any studies due to the low quality.

Of 1,185 retrieved articles, 32 articles have met the selection criteria. Fig. 1 shows the process of study selection for inclusion in review.

PRISMA: Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses.

Nursing researchers have explored and applied several strategies/techniques for sustaining and promoting nursing students’ engagement. Given the heterogeneity of the educational methods, we used a thematic analysis approach to collate, summarize, and map the literature to identify themes across the retrieved studies based on the similarities of concepts and teaching techniques that educators had used. The second author reviewed each paper and data was coded to describe the main teaching methods. Similar codes were grouped together into categories to organize the main teaching strategies/techniques. New categories were developed or modified as analysis continued. At the end of analysis, we organized these strategies into five main categories as follows: technology-based strategies (15 articles), collaborative strategies (10 articles), active learning strategies (three articles), simulation-based strategies (two articles), and research-based strategies (two articles). It should be noted that there are some similarities between and within categories. Table 1 summarizes the students’ engagement strategies. Regarding the methodology of retrieved studies, five were innovative, 10 were discussion paper, six were quasi- experimental, five were descriptive, and six were qualitative studies.

Summary of Students’ Engagement Strategies

1. Technology-based strategies

There is growing evidence that shows the value of technology for engaging students in academic learning activities [ 18 ]. We found 15 articles discussing the importance of using online and offline technologies in promoting nursing students’ engagement.

1) Online technologies

a. Kahoot in the classroom: Kahoot is a free web-based technology that incorporates a quizzing program to increase the participation of learners during the lecture. As well, it can be used as a mean for formative assessment of students. It is believed that the learners’ attention is reduced in the first minutes after the beginning of the lecture and educators need to alter the situation and engage the learners to regain their attention [ 19 ]. The underlying assumption of Kahoot method is that an interesting program could increase students’ participation during the lecture. Barnes [ 20 ] introduced this technique as an innovative tool for nurse educators for engaging students during the lecture. However, the effectiveness of Kahoot to increase the engagement of nurse students is under research and currently, there is no experimental research that examined the effectiveness of this method.

b. Online teaching techniques: Along with advances in technology and the Internet, many traditional teaching methods have been transformed into interactive web-based educational methods [ 21 ]. In recent years, web-based courses provide many opportunities for actively engaging nursing students in learning activities [ 22 - 24 ]. Nursing education experts believe that online forum courses can bridge the gap between theory and practice in nursing discipline as well as it can facilitate the process of nursing students’ engagement [ 17 ].

c. Asynchronous discussion boards: These boards enable multiple learners to engage in discussion with each other. All discussions of the learners are collected on a board and the members contribute their comments by responding to the initial discussion question or by responding to each other. It is believed that asynchronous discussion boards, by use of the Web and other Internet technologies, encourage deeper learning and help students to be more engaged in learning activities related to analysis, synthesis, decision-making, and the use of knowledge [ 25 ]. In nursing education, Dickson [ 26 ], proposed the basic structure of asynchronous discussion boards for enhancing the engagement of nurse students. The foundation of the technology is that educators can enhance students’ engagement by posting a series of questions on the discussion board and then encourage those students to reflect and respond actively to those questions. At present, no experimental research has evaluated the effectiveness of this technology in terms of SE.

d. Posting videos on YouTube: Johnston et al. [ 27 ] incorporated a collection of YouTube videos into the bioscience course to support nursing students’ engagement. The total number of views, comments, and subscriptions from students were collected directly from the Biological Sciences YouTube channel over four semesters. The videos are highly successful; with more than 300,000 views, 1.5 million minutes of viewing and more than 5,000 international subscribers during the study. More than 90% agreed that watching videos increased their engagement time in learning. Authors concluded that posting educational videos on YouTube can significantly engage students in learning activities and enrich the student experience and performance [ 27 ].

e. Virtual Community: Giddens et al. [ 28 ] designed and implemented an intervention called “the neighborhood virtual community (VC)” to assist first-semester baccalaureate nursing students (n=350 participants) in learning complex, health-related content. They described VC as an online teaching application presenting an imaginary community with multiple interconnecting character stories. VC included households’ and health care nurses’ characters. Students should follow the character stories each week during the semester by logging on to the Website. Using a two-group quasi-experimental study, they found that engagement in learning activities were significantly higher in the experimental group than those of the control group (analysis of variance, F=2.40, p<0.05). In addition, a significantly positive relationship (r=0.416, p<0.001) between the frequency of VC use and perceived benefits among students was found [ 29 ]. In another study, using VC in nursing education leading to the improvement of students learning through emotional connectedness to families and engagement of characters into learning activities [ 30 ].

2) Offline technologies

a. Response systems (clickers): Response systems are a set of software and hardware that educators have used to attract learners’ attention and increase their engagement during the class lecture. By asking questions in the classroom, the educator encourages the students to respond to these questions through a technology-based response pad called “clickers”. Using this system, students can get instant feedback from the educator regarding the asked questions. In this way, clickers actively engage students during the lecture. Recently, several nursing schools across the world used this technology [ 31 - 34 ]. Filer [ 35 ] in a pilot quasi-experimental study with 90 nursing students assessed the impact of an audience response system (clickers) on students’ engagement and participation in the classroom. The control group responded verbally, while the intervention group responded anonymously using the clickers to questions posed during the lecture. The author found that students in the intervention group reported a greater level of motivation (p<0.001); were more comfortable in the classroom (p=0.00); and expressed a higher level of participation (p<0.001) than students in the control group. In addition, almost all students indicated the clickers were easy to use and they would like to use it in future classes [ 35 ]. In another quasi-experimental study, Revell and McCurry [ 36 ] compared the effectiveness of a personal response system with didactic presentations. These interventions were incorporated within two undergraduate courses, nursing research (n=33) and junior medical-surgical nursing (n=116). The efficacy of each intervention was evaluated by multiple-choice, true-false, and quiz questions. Authors found that using a personal response system could significantly increase faculty-student participation and enhance active learning (p<0.001) compared with the lecture [ 36 ]. In a study with 47 first-year nursing students, Fifer [ 33 ] evaluated the perceptions of first-year nursing students regarding the use of student response system technology. A 14-item Likert scale survey was used to collect students’ perceptions. More than 80% of the student had a positive perception regarding the strengths of this technology for increasing SE. Many students expressed that this method maintained their focus during the lecture [ 33 ]. Berry [ 32 ] incorporated clickers to enhance student interaction and learning in a didactic pediatric nursing course. Exam grades and level of participation were monitored and exam scores and final scores were compared between two groups of ‘with clickers’ (n=65) and ‘without clickers’ (n=61). Student t-tests demonstrated that one of the three-course exams and final course grades were significantly higher for the students who used clickers (mean±standard deviation, 93.33±1.99 versus 95.03±1.64; p<0.001). Satisfaction feedback also supported the use of clickers as a tool to engage students and enhance learning outcomes [ 32 ].

b. Barcode scanning: Quick response (QR) code is a specific two-dimensional code that are used to encode and decode information such as text, Uniform Resource Locator links, Short Message Service messages with a mobile device that is equipped with a camera and QR reader software. QR codes can be integrated with learning activities such as linking a specific topic to information on the Internet, reviewing information, or evaluating classroom assignments. As an interactive technology-based approach, many health care systems incorporate barcode scanning or QR codes into nursing students’ clinical rotations to ensure patient safety. In addition, many educators incorporate this approach into the classroom activities to enhance students’ engagement. In this regard, Aul and Johnston [ 37 ] explored the experiences of undergraduate nursing students during the oncology course. The authors created barcodes consisted of one review question using a web-based, QR code generator tool. The authors printed the barcodes on an index card and then the cards were strategically taped throughout the classroom and the hallways outside of the classroom. Sixty-seven students were instructed to circulate around the room to scan the codes with their smartphones to find a range of oncology review questions. Afterward, the students should present and discuss the answer to the scanned questions. The authors found that barcode scanning is an attractive method for increasing SE and performance of nursing students. At present, the efficacy of barcode scanning to increase the engagement of nurse students is under research and currently, there is no experimental research that examined the effectiveness of this method.

2. Collaborative strategies

Collaborative learning is defined as a set of instructional methods to encourage students to work together to achieve a common learning goal. It involves mutual intellectual works by students themselves or students and educators. In this approach, students themselves are responsible for group governance and education output [ 38 ]. We found 10 articles discussing the importance of using collaborative strategies in promoting nursing students’ engagement.

1) Team-based strategies

a. Team-based learning: Team-based learning (TBL) is a shared learning and teaching approach, which is frequently used by health sciences educators in their preclinical and clinical programs to foster self-directed learning [ 39 ]. In nursing education, Dearnley et al. [ 40 ] reviewed the outcomes of TBL in nursing education programs to explore the experiences of nursing students regarding the TBL. They discussed that there is a great body of evidence, which supports TBL, as collaborative teaching and learning strategy, for sustaining and enhancing students’ engagement [ 40 ]. In an exploratory, descriptive study, Oldland et al. [ 41 ] explored the perceptions of nursing students regarding the role of TBL in shaping their professional clinical behaviors. Authors found that TBL can maximize students’ participation in the learning activities, develop active and deep learning, and raise teamwork performance, which in turn can enhance the students’ engagement in both academic and clinical settings [ 41 ].

b. Interdisciplinary partnership: Many schools across the world have been implementing partnership projects between students and the school’s staff in order to increase students’ engagement in academic learning activities. Bramble et al. [ 42 ] implemented a participatory action research to develop a “3-month mentorship partnership intervention” between nursing students and a group of academics as a mentor. They found that interdisciplinary partnership could increase students’ academic engagement and success; however, the acquisition of mutual trust and security were the main issues for developing mentorship capacity [ 42 ].

c. Collaborative testing: Quizzing has become a popular method of assessing learning and retention of knowledge as well as a mean of engaging students. In collaborative testing, students work together in small groups to complete quizzes before they select their final answer. Therefore, an important aspect of collaborative testing is the peer interaction, education, and collaboration during discussing each question. In nursing, Burgess and Medina-Smuck [ 43 ] used a collaborative testing approach using quizzes during maternal-infant course in the undergraduate nursing program. During this course, four multiple-choice quizzes were electronically administered. The outcomes were perception and attitude of students regarding collaborative testing strategy. Seventy-eight percent of students described this method as helpful and enjoyable in supporting their learning of the course material. Authors concluded that this strategy provided a structured method to enhance students learning and retention of course contents [ 43 ]. At present, no experimental research has evaluated the effectiveness of this technology in terms of SE.

d. Faculty-student interaction: D’Souza et al. [ 44 ] highlighted and summarized the important roles of nursing educators to promote nursing students’ engagement in the clinical environment. The suggested that to increase students’ academic engagement, nursing educators should: (1) involve students in teaching strategies, (2) balance student’s clinical activities with clinical assignments, (3) provide wide range of clinical activities, (4) appreciate the individual difference, (5) provide them with multidimensional resources, (6) group students for reflective activities, (7) create an atmosphere to enable students to learn, and (8) continuously supervise their activities. Authors found that when students and faculty actively share learning opportunities with each other, students are motivated to be more engaged in the new clinical learning environment.

e. Crossword puzzles solving: Raines [ 45 ] incorporated two models of crossword puzzles, as a cooperative learning activity, into nursing courses to promote students’ engagement and their critical thinking. Students worked in two phases of individually and in a small group. In the first model, which was designed for simple courses, students should solve the clues and in the second one, they should construct the content for the crossword puzzle (advanced courses). This process forces the students to actively engage and share their thinking and reasoning process with each other. The author found that these methods can actively engage students, promote their decision-making process, and help them to solve the problems [ 45 ].

2) Service-based strategies

Service-based learning involves learning that takes place outside the classroom in a structured way between the learner and a service, and seeks to achieve common goals. It is a kind of partnership that bridges academic and community needs. This type of learning is mostly done in the community, but it can also be used in clinical settings [ 46 ]. It is believed that service-based learning is one of the most effective strategies for students’ engagement because it has the potential to positively engage learners into the real-life situations and encourage the learner to be an active learner [ 46 , 47 ]. In this regard, Hart [ 46 ] provided a three-step framework, called “ABCs of service-learning,” that indicated the process of establishing and evaluating a service–learning project. The main components of this project are taken from the nursing process. In this project, A stands for “assessment and evaluation of community and educational needs,” B stands for “be flexible and engaging,” and C stands for “collaboration and celebration.” The authors claimed that service-learning project has the distinctive potential for engaging students because it can capture the learners’ attention, develop their partnerships and collaboration [ 46 ].

3) Peer-based strategies

Peer assessment (PA) refers to a process whereby students evaluate the learning or task performance of their peers and conversely, their learning are evaluated by their peers [ 48 ]. Although a few studies have focused on PA as a strategy for enhancing students’ engagement in academic learning, some nursing authors agree that PA can actively engage nursing students in their learning activities by enhancing the confidence of students in judging about their own work/performance. In addition, PA can encourage them to reread their own assignment in light of their peers’ feedback [ 49 , 50 ].

3. Simulation-based techniques

This category includes two strategies of “Simulation with Manikins and Tag” team simulation.

1) Simulation with manikins

Manikins have been long used in nursing education since they can provide safe and repeatable conditions for practicing. In this regard, Power et al. [ 51 ] simulated five separate case studies during ten teaching weeks. They aimed to explore student perspectives (n=9) of the use of vignettes to increase engagement with manikins. Authors through thematic analysis and group discussion found that manikins are an effective procedure for increasing SE. Authors believed that if the appropriate educational scenario is selected in this learning method, the instructors will be able to actively engage nursing students in the learning process and to promote their decision-making skills [ 51 ].

2) Tag team simulation

The word “tag team” refers to a combination of two or more people who have formed a team to meet similar goals. The tag team is a small group, so the participation of the members in that team is maximal and active. In nursing programs, simulations are regularly led in large groups, with few students playing an active role and most observing. In contrast, tag team simulation (TTS) as an innovative educational strategy emphasizes the active engagement of both participants and observers in the simulation scenario. This method is inspired by the principles of theater and allows learners, as actors, to take responsibility for the actions and outcomes in a real context. Levett-Jones et al. [ 52 ] provided a TTS with pain scenario for 444 second-year nursing students. Satisfaction with Simulation Experience Scale was used to evaluate the active engagement and satisfaction of observers and participants. The mean satisfaction score was not different between participants and observers (4.63 versus 4.56, p=0.16). This indicated that TTS is an effective approach for ensuring observers’ and participants’ active involvement during group-based simulations. Authors showed that TTS could promote the active engagement of learners and enhance their satisfaction with the simulation experience [ 52 ].

4. Research-based strategies: Q methodology

Q methodology is a mixed-method approach for conducting research that focuses on individuals’ preferences and subjective attitudes. Participants can express and share their viewpoints within the group [ 53 ]. In nursing, Judge et al. [ 54 ] incorporated Q methodology into a nursing education course about “substance abuse in school.” The basis for using this method was that if students’ attitudes and preferences are recognized and fulfilled, their participation and engagement in educational activities will be enhanced. The authors aimed to promote students’ engagement and enhance their learning of evidence-based practice. Nursing students (n=35) participated in a 2.5-hour session to create a mock Q study on their opinions about substance abuse education. The outcome was the overall opinions of students regarding the characteristic of Q methodology and the class format. At the end of the study, most students expressed favorable opinions. Authors found that Q methodology can provide a means to extract the participants’ opinion around a given topic and thus provide a way to keep students as active and engaged learners [ 54 ].

5. Miscellanea learning strategies

We found three articles discussing uncategorized learning strategies in promoting nursing students’ engagement.

1) Active learning

Undoubtedly, active learning is one of the key strategies for enhancing students’ engagement within the nursing educational programs. Active learning is a student-centered approach in which requires students to participate and cooperate in the teaching and learning process [ 55 ]. Many of the discussed educational strategies in the current review can be classified as an active learning strategy. In general, the available evidence about the effectiveness of active learning in nursing education shows that this cooperative educational strategy has a potential to promote nursing students’ engagement in the academic and clinical learning activities [ 9 , 55 ]. In contrast, some studies have shown that in the absence of active learning, academic engagement is not created. Popkess and McDaniel [ 9 ] examined the relationship between pre-college students’ inputs and academic engagement levels among baccalaureate students in nursing (n=1,000) and non-nursing professions (n=2,000). The National Survey of Student Engagement instrument was used to measure engagement on five subscales with a total of 41 items. Their findings showed that nursing students scored significantly higher (mean=58.71) on some aspects of academic engagement than other professions (mean=55.22 or 56.14). However, they were less engaged in active and collaborative learning than other majors [ 9 ].

2) Homework completion

Although many studies have shown that homework, as an active learning approach, can increase the academic performance of students, this learning activities has received little attention in nursing education [ 56 ]. Salamonson et al. [ 56 ] described the relationship between academic engagement (homework completion, lecture attendance) and academic performance in nursing students (n=126) who were enrolled in a pathophysiology subject. Students spent about 6 hours per week studying. The mean percentages of lecture attendance and homework completion were 67.5% and 48.9%, respectively. Authors found that active learning activities such as homework completion are one of the best way to engage students. As well, it is a strong positive predictor of academic performance and success for nursing students [ 56 ].

Engaging nursing students in academic environments and clinical settings is a challenging issue for nursing educators, worldwide. In recent years, many nurse researchers have investigated various educational strategies to explore and develop the best ways to increase nursing students’ academic engagement. Results of these efforts are the creation of new teaching strategies or modification of the techniques used by other disciplines. Accordingly, our main goal of this review study was to provide a set of useful tools for promoting nursing students’ academic engagement. In this review, we summarized the teaching strategies that nursing educators used to sustain or enhance the academic and clinical engagement of nursing students and eventually, we highlighted the gap for further research. We organized the teaching strategies into five categories based on the similarities of concepts and teaching techniques that educators had used: the main categories were technology-based strategies, collaborative strategies, simulation based strategies, research based strategies, and miscellanea learning strategies. Many of the training strategies had been created innovatively or derived from other disciplines such as management, technology, art, and theater. But the role of today technologies such as Internet in creating educational strategies was more prominent than the other [ 57 ]. Generally, in many of the strategies used, students’ academic engagement increased, but the main problem was that the tools used to measure the degree of engagement were mostly self-reported or subjective. In other words, due to the lack of experimental educational studies in nursing regarding the SE (only 6 quasi-experimental studies), we could not judge the strengths and weaknesses of the extracted strategies. Therefore, regarding the optimal strategy to sustain and promote nursing SE, further experimental study is needed. Moreover, given that the effectiveness of these techniques has been evaluated in the small number of studies, more experimental research is recommended.

Another important point is that educational strategies were mostly used in the classroom, and few were able to be transferred to clinical settings. Therefore, because more than half of nursing education takes place in clinical settings, the findings of these studies do not support the role of these strategies in increasing the academic engagement of nursing students in clinical education. In contrast, previous studies have shown that nursing students have greater motivation, both internally and externally, to learn clinical activities; therefore, they are more engaged in these activities [ 44 , 58 ]. However, there are limited studies on the clinical engagement of nursing students and there is a need for further research in this area. It is necessary that nursing instructors sustain and enhance the academic and clinical engagement of nursing students using innovative educational strategies in order to increase the level of students’ knowledge and abilities and improve the quality of clinical services provided.

Based on the results of this review, among the strategies discussed in this review, the use of technology, particularly the response system and online learning, was more common among nursing educators, which is in line with today advances in smart technologies. Students of new technologies’ era (‘digital native’ learners) are constantly engaged with the updated smart technologies [ 57 ]. In addition, online learning has witnessed a noticeable growth within healthcare education, nowadays [ 18 , 25 , 36 , 57 ]. Accordingly, if nursing educators want to maintain and enhance the students’ academic and clinical engagement, they should equip themselves more with innovative technologically-driven learning techniques.

Active learning was the foundation of most educational strategies used to enhance students’ academic engagement. In this regard, several studies in different fields of study have shown that any teaching method that can actively engage the student in learning process, can promote academic engagement and ultimately academic achievement of students [ 55 , 59 ]. Among the educational strategies reviewed in this study, strategies based on online technologies and simulation were more attractive to students and made their participation more active in the learning process. Accordingly, as a practical point of this study, if nursing teachers want to improve students’ academic engagement, they need to use attractive teaching methods that are based on the latest technologies of today world, such as smartphones and online discussion systems; however, at present little is known about the methods of promoting academic engagement in clinical activities.

1. Limitations and strengths

Our main limitation was that the number of experimental studies that accurately assessed the effectiveness of a particular teaching strategy on students’ engagement was limited. Some educators evaluated an innovative method in a limited group of nursing students without using a particular research plan and some others discussed the advantages and disadvantages of particular teaching strategies. These factors limited our conclusion about the effectiveness of a particular technique. Notwithstanding, the collection presented in this review can be used as a starting point for future research that to evaluate the effectiveness of an educational intervention on the academic engagement of nursing students. One of the strengths of our study is that we only considered the studies that were conducted in the field of nursing.

2. Conclusion and directions for future research

The main goal of this review study was to provide a set of useful tools for promoting nursing students’ academic engagement. In this review, we organized the teaching strategies into five categories based on the similarities of concepts and teaching techniques that educators had used. The main categories were technology-based strategies, collaborative strategies, simulation-based strategies, research-based strategies, and miscellanea learning strategies. Among these educational strategies, technologies- and simulation-based strategies were more attractive to students and made their participation more active in the learning process. At present, little is known about the methods of promoting academic engagement in clinical activities. Further experimental research is needed to confirm or disprove the effectiveness of the methods discussed in this paper. We did not find a unique strategy to enhance academic engagement in clinical education activities. One of the possible reasons for this is that learning in clinical settings particularly requires maximum engagement in clinical learning activities. It is recommended that future researchers design and test unique strategies for improving academic engagement in clinical settings.

Acknowledgments

This review was not funded by any companies, research grants, or funds.

Conflicts of interest

No potential conflict of interest relevant to this article was reported.

Author contributions

Study conception and design: MGH, HKM; data analysis and interpretation: MGH, HKM, AH; drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content revisions for important intellectual content: MGH, HKM, AH; and final approval of the version to be published: MGH, HKM, AH.

Student’s Guide to Surviving Nursing Clinicals

• What To Expect
• Most Common Mistakes
• Conquering Your Clinicals

Are you ready to earn your online nursing degree?

What are clinicals in nursing school? Nursing clinicals are where you learn the important hands-on skills that you’ll need to provide safe, effective, high-quality patient care for the rest of your career. It’s also an opportunity to learn how to communicate and collaborate with patients, their families, and other members of the healthcare team.

Many students find nursing clinicals intimidating. It’s never easy to be the novice on the unit, and fear about making mistakes as a new nursing student is normal. However, you can overcome these feelings and have great learning experiences.

Review what to expect during nursing clinicals, nurses’ real-life tips for surviving them (and maybe even thriving), and how to conquer this all-important experience with confidence.

What to Expect During Nursing Clinicals

The purpose of nursing clinicals is to give nursing students the chance and confidence to practice skills in real-life situations. These skills may include:

Nursing students also need to get used to speaking with doctors and other healthcare professionals. Likewise, they may feel shy about talking with patients and their families. One way to learn how to educate and coach patients is through direct experience.

Critical thinking for registered nurses (RNs) and decision-making are two other areas where student nurses can sharpen their skills.

A clinical instructor is always on hand during clinical assignments, and each student nurse is paired with a nurse preceptor who works in that setting.

Some nursing clinicals such as the operating room, involve more observation than actual skill building. But these experiences are still great exposure to what can happen during patient care.

Having a preconference with the clinical instructor and fellow students provides time to plan for the day, review patient assignments, and answer questions. Postconferences are a chance to discuss what went well and what could have been better.

When Do Nursing Clinicals Take Place?

Student nurse clinicals begin during the first or second semester of the first year of nursing school, depending on the program.

Where Do Nursing Clinicals Take Place?

Student nursing clinicals can take place in many settings to provide a variety of experience. Clinical sites may include hospitals, clinics, home health agencies, community health centers, assisted living facilities, and nursing homes.

How Are Nursing Clinicals Assessed?

Nursing clinicals are usually assessed in terms of:

The Most Common Mistakes Nursing Students Make During Clinicals

There are common mistakes that many nursing students can avoid, and there is plenty of advice for students who want to put their best foot forward.

Beth Hawkes, nurse author of the book “Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job,” is a true expert. Hawkes shares that medication errors by nurses , giving incomplete reports, and falling prey to stress are three of the most common mistakes made by nursing students during clinical assignments.

Jenna Liphart Rhoads, Ph.D., is a nurse educator, author, and editor. She shares that not getting enough sleep is a big problem for many nursing students. Keeping “under the radar” and “hiding” from clinical instructors is also common. Finally, not asking for help can also have a negative impact on nursing students’ clinical experiences and learning.

Medication Errors

“Medication errors have been linked to nursing fatigue in addition to mistakes made by nursing students,” shares Hawkes. “By checking medications five times before delivering them, you can reduce the risk of medication mistakes. Don’t haste while giving medications. Check the chart and see the doctor if you have any questions.”

Giving incomplete reports

“In nursing school, you were taught how to present information, but guess what? Once you are on the floor, reporting is not the same thing,” cautions Hawkes. “A well-thought-out nursing report is one that you properly communicated to the patient’s doctors and other team members. Watching and learning from experience as they present their reports can help you get the swing of it.”

Falling prey to stress

Hawkes advises, “One of the most stressful professions in the world is nursing, and you must develop coping mechanisms to be ready for daily crises, even death. You need to find a good stress management strategy right now or you’ll burn out far earlier than necessary.”

“Healthy stress management strategies for nurses include eating well, exercising frequently, and practicing meditation,” continues Hawkes.

Avoiding the clinical instructor

Rhoads describes a common but unfortunate scenario: “Some nursing students think that if they avoid being seen by the clinical instructor they can simply slide under the radar and won’t have to work as hard. Clinical instructors can very easily see through this tactic and do not look kindly upon it. Instead, try to stay busy by answering call lights and asking questions.”

Not asking for help

“Nothing is scarier than a nursing student (or nurse!) who doesn’t ask for help when they truly need it, or those who are scared to admit they don’t know the answer to something,” says Rhoads. “The ‘fake it until you make it’ mentality is dangerous.”

Rhoads continues, “Please always ask for help from the clinical instructor, fellow student, or assigned RN when you need it or don’t know the answer. Clinical instructors love to answer questions and would much rather help you find the answer than have a dangerous situation occur.”

Not getting enough sleep

Rhoads shares, “Clinicals can be a nerve-wracking experience and many nursing students stay up late the night before clinical trying to ‘cram.’ However, because nursing clinicals are much more than simply rote memorization, ‘cramming’ before clinical does not help, and getting more sleep would be more beneficial.”

Is It Normal to Feel Anxious About Nursing Clinicals?

Rhoads’ advice is straightforward: “Be kind to yourself, and remember that it is impossible to know everything and that you are still learning! Also, find a clinical buddy to help be your support system during clinical and have an open dialogue with your clinical instructor about your feelings.””Clinical instructors were nursing students once too, and they will likely understand and have their own tips,” adds Rhoads.

Conquering Your Nursing Clinicals

Nursing clinicals are a key part of your nursing education, so giving clinical experiences your all is advisable. Be kind and helpful. Be prepared, enthusiastic, and curious. Remember that there are no stupid questions, except for the ones that never get asked. It’s all about learning, so absorb everything you can while you have the chance.

Advice shared by Rhoads applies to any student nurse seeking to conquer their nursing clinicals:

“Actively find new experiences and volunteer to help! Clinical instructors are spread very thin and do not always notice a great learning opportunity right away. If you note a procedure or test that is going to happen for a patient, don’t be shy to ask the RN and clinical instructor if you can observe. Also, if you have squared-away your patients, ask your fellow classmates if they need any help.”

Rhoads concludes, “Nursing school clinicals can be very stressful, but they really are where the ‘magic’ happens. Clinical is where all of the classroom and lab learning comes together to make you a nurse!”

Meet Our Contributors

Jenna Liphart Rhoads, Ph.D.

Jenna Liphart Rhoads is a nurse educator, freelance author, and editor. Her clinical background includes surgical-trauma adult critical care, interventional radiology procedures, and conscious sedation in adult and pediatric populations. Liphart Rhoads has taught in traditional BSN, RN-BSN, and graduate nursing programs in Illinois, Texas, and Wisconsin.

Beth Hawkes, MSN, RN-BC

As a speaker and writer, Beth Hawkes helps nurses at every step in their careers through her award-winning blog, Nurse Code , freelance writing, and as a career columnist at AllNurses.com. She authored the book “Your Last Nursing Class: How to Land Your First Nursing Job” to give nurses the ultimate insider guide to landing the job of their dreams.

She also has extensive experience developing content for organizations such as Lippincott, HealthStream, the American Nurses Credentialing Center, and others. She coauthored the Association of Nursing Professional Development’s Certification Preparation book and is an experienced certification review presenter and expert.

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What to Expect During Nursing Clinicals

3 min read • November, 15 2023

Although nursing clinicals are essential to your nursing curriculum, you might be hesitant to provide hands-on patient care, especially if you're unsure what to expect in clinical nursing rotations. Learn what's involved in the clinical process, how to prepare, and how you're measured.  

What Are Clinicals?

The nursing curriculum can vary in length and presentation depending on your school and state requirements. Educational content is generally divided into three presentation methods.

• Traditional didactic teaching  is presented in classroom or online lectures and provides a fundamental nursing knowledge base.
• The simulation lab  provides a no-risk environment to practice skills in a safe setting before caring for a patient.
• Nursing clinicals  offer opportunities to apply the skills you learn in classroom and laboratory settings. You'll better understand complex patient needs, the disease process, and treatment plans.

Although the time spent in a nursing clinical is unpaid, the knowledge you gain is invaluable. Besides applying your educational foundation in nursing, clinical experience allows you to discover what  type of nursing  you enjoy most, hone your skills with confidence, and network to build connections with potential future employers.

How Many Clinical Hours Are Needed for Nursing School?

Clinical rotations in nursing allow students to work on practical nursing skills in various health care settings under the supervision of an RN clinical instructor. Clinical rotations can span several semesters or years, depending on the length and structure of the nursing program.

Clinical hours vary from state to state, and each board of nursing determines the required hours and settings. Some states permit  simulated hours  online or in-person instruction in the lab to count toward the required clinical hours.

What Are Clinical Nursing Rotations?

The clinical nursing experience includes diverse clinical settings and specialties, which can help you narrow down the types of roles to pursue. You may even find you enjoy a specialty you hadn't considered before.

Most clinical rotations are several days a week during the semester and can range from four to six hours to an eight-to-twelve-hour shift.

Clinical Rotations for Nursing May Include:

• Long-term care
• Medical surgical clinics
• Labor and delivery
• Mental health facilities
• Community settings

How to Prepare for Clinicals

Your school will provide instructions regarding the appropriate attire for your clinical rotation. These guidelines typically include the following:

• Scrubs or school uniforms in the school color
• Comfortable closed-toe shoes
• Name badge from your nursing program
• Additional identification badge specific to the health care facility

Other tips on attire include:

• Wearing compression socks for long shifts
• Ensuring hair is neat and pulled back
• Presenting an overall professional appearance

Most importantly, nursing clinicals require a balance of confidence and curiosity. Don't worry about not having all the answers but be prepared to find out if you don't know.

Nursing Clinical Experience

Your clinical instructor will be on-site to support and monitor you and answer your questions. The number of students assigned to a clinical instructor is typically six to ten. That ratio depends on the school, clinical site, and state regulations.

Your First Day of Clinicals

During your first day of clinicals, you'll receive a tour of the facility and the floor to which you're assigned. You'll be introduced to staff members and shown the location of equipment, supplies, emergency exits, and patient and procedure rooms. Other topics reviewed may include policies and procedures, parking, and directions to areas like the cafeteria or break room.

Clinical Pre-Conference Meetings

This recurring team meeting with your clinical instructor and other students occurs before the start of each shift. Your clinical instructor will usually discuss plans for the day, go over patient assignments, and allow time for questions. They may also review classroom content that connects to the clinical experience.

Hands-on Patient Care

Assignments for clinical shifts may vary depending on where you are in the nursing program, the clinical setting, and the health care facility. You might start by caring for one patient, working with a student buddy, or being assigned to a nurse. Your clinical instructor will check in with you throughout the shift to answer questions and may offer opportunities for you to assist with or view a procedure.

Clinical Post-Conference Meetings

This debriefing with your clinical instructor occurs at the end of each shift. You'll have time to discuss the patients cared for that day, ask questions, and practice critical thinking by analyzing how you handled each situation.

What Do Nursing Students Do in Clinicals?

During nursing clinicals, you'll be responsible for various tasks depending on what stage you're at in the nursing program. You'll also be required to complete a nursing care plan utilizing the  nursing process .

Other General Nursing Tasks You May Perform:

• Taking a medical history
• Performing a head-to-toe assessment
• Obtaining vital signs
• Bathing or dressing patients
• Making beds
• Assisting patients to walk or toilet
• Assisting with procedures
• Administering medication

During these tasks, you'll practice communicating with patients and their families.

How Are Students Graded?

Each school has its specific grading system, but all must adhere to the guidelines of the accrediting bodies. Nursing students typically get graded on the following:

• Participation
• Preparedness

By the end of a clinical nursing rotation, you should be able to achieve more autonomy and the confidence to care for multiple patients independently. If you put in your best effort, are engaged, and act as a patient advocate, you can make the most of your clinical nursing rotations.

Images sourced from Getty Images

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• April 29, 2023

The 5 Best Planners for Nursing Students [BUYING GUIDE]

When juggling the demands of nursing school, it’s important to have one of the best planners for nursing students to stay on top of things.  Nursing students need to be able to organize their schedules, assignments, and goals for nursing school and beyond.  By having a solid nursing school planner, you take a lot of the hassle out of staying organized in your day-to-day life!

The top of our list is our very own TPN Nursing Student Planner for the upcoming academic school year from July 2023 – June 2024. With proven layouts for weekly organization and prioritization as well as monthly S.M.A.R.T. Goal tracking, you’re sure to reach your academic and personal goals.

Imagine a digital planner that keeps you organized, goal-setting, and mindful - now you can have it all - weekly and monthly spreads, SMART goal setting and reflection, and even affirmation and journaling to keep you grounded.

The Best Planners for Nursing Students

Digital nursing student planner.

The TPN Nursing student planner has been designed with proven layouts that will keep you organized for your nursing school classes as well as better plan and track your goals both in and outside of the classroom.

You’ll never miss a thing with the weekly spreads that include daily logs, priorities, habit tracking, and assignments.

On a monthly basis, you can benefit from SMART Goal setting, where you identify and track progress and perform an obstacle/solution analysis.

Being a great nursing student doesn’t just stop when you achieve academic success, however. Included are also guided journaling, where you have prompts for gratitude and affirmations. You can feel more grounded and confident as you gain a greater sense of being in the present.

Lastly, we understand stress and expectations can be high in school. You can enjoy the de-stressing benefit of beautiful anatomy coloring pages that feature intricate design patterns!

• Weekly spread includes prioritizing and habit tracking
• SMART Goal setting helps you to break down and achieve your goals
• Beautiful coloring pages help you to de-stress
• Guided journaling and affirmation setting keeps you grounded

Erin Condren 12-Month Academic Planner

This academic planner is our top pick for the best planner for nursing school .  It includes a sheet of nursing school planner stickers and dedicated pages to prepare for projects and exams.  You have your choice of eight gorgeous cover designs, while each notebook comes bound with strong metal and contains 234 pages.

The robust features are part of what make this such an excellent planner for any nursing student.  The pages allow you to create customized plans on a yearly, monthly, and weekly basis.  You can keep track of deadlines while tracking your goals.  In addition to the class schedules, you have 12 calendar spreads, 52 week spreads, customizable notes pages, and places to note your projects and exams.

• Sturdy metal binding, thick pages, and a choice of 8 different covers
• Monthly and weekly planning tools with customizable notes
• Sticker sheet and monthly tabs for easy organization
• Daily class scheduling pages and places to note projects and exams
• 12-month planning calendar

Imagine being able to stay organized for exams, projects, homework, and track your goals all in one place... well now you can with Erin Condren's 12-month academic planner.

Related: How To Write a Why I Want to Be a Nurse Essay

TheHappyPlannerCo Extended Planner for Nursing Student

This nursing student planner made our list of the best gifts for nursing students in 2024.

This planner is specifically designed for nursing students, including very specific tracking and organization systems.  It’s a great choice for nursing students who want a tool built for their specific needs, rather than a generic academic planner.  In addition to the planning tools for academic life, there are also diary tools to record home life , along with to-do lists for every area of study .

This flexible planner also includes a variety of important tools for managing your time and mental health.  You can plot your course details and assignments, set goals, record self-care strategies, track bibliography information, take notes, and even record your travel expenses and budget .

You can use this planner to help keep track of school as well as any part-time jobs. You can get side hustle ideas with our list of the best jobs for nursing students .

• 12-month academic planner specifically designed for nursing students
• Open diary format lets you track both school and home life
• Includes important help pages like self-care strategies, course trackers, and budgeting guides
• To-do lists make tracking assignments and keeping up with chores easy
• General notes pages can be customized to suit any of your needs

A perfect organization tool to keep your classes, assignments, and social needs in one spot!

Related: 20 Positive Nurse Affirmations & How to Use Them

The Complete Nursing School 18-month Planner

I’m a fan of the clean white and pale-blue aesthetic of this nursing student planner by NurseInTheMaking on Etsy. The 18-month tabbed nursing student planner is likely all that you’ll need to stay organized (though they do offer some fun add-ons including badge reels, stickers, and more at an additional cost).

In this nursing planner, you’ll have a weekly spread that includes space to keep track of your assignments and classwork as well as monthly spreads for important dates. For those who are looking to get organized down to the last hour, you have the ability to plan for each day in military time.

• Specific to nursing students
• Weekly nursing tips
• No-bleed through paper
• Black spiral bound
• Many add-on options including badge reels, buttons, stickers, etc.

An 18-month tabbed nursing student planner that helps you keep organized daily, weekly, and monthly.

The Nursing Student Planner by LuxBook

This digital planner is a great choice for students who prefer to minimize their paper load.  If you prefer to organize your academic life using tablet, computer, and smartphone apps like Goodnotes, the product was made for you.  It’s best for people who are already familiar with the functions of Goodnotes .

The planner is designed similarly to a paper planner, with different spreads, research templates, and section dividers.  In addition to the monthly, weekly, and daily spreads, the nursing planner includes trackers for habits, assignments, and annual income.  This can be a great way to track what you’re earning at your part-time job. Looking for work? Check our guide for the 17 best nursing student jobs .

Nursing-specific templates are included, such as medication study sheets, a master plan template, and a template for questions to ask in class.

• Digital planner and help guide compatible with notes apps including Goodnotes, Xodo, and Notability
• Monthly, weekly, and daily spreads
• Six divided sections with four customizable dividers
• Helpful tools including study tips, questions for class, and nursing-specific research templates
• Includes habit tracker, assignment tracker, and income tracker

Get organized.. instantly.. with this digital download academic planner by Luxbook.

Ultimate Nursing Student Planner Bundle

Rather than being shipped in printed form, this nursing student planner comes as a printable PDF .  There are two advantages to this: The format is much more affordable, and you get instant access after purchase instead of needing to wait.  You also receive three copies of the planner in standard letter, A4, and A5 paper sizing.

The planner comes with nursing notes on each weekly spread.  You have a place to plot your course schedule and course overviews, a goal planner, a project planner, and a study planner.  Assignment and grade tracking pages are included.  You’re given monthly, weekly, and daily spreads, along with three different styles of note-taking pages.

• Affordable PDF download with printable pages in 3 sizes
• Note-taking pages in Dot-Grid, Graph, and Cornell Method formats
• Monthly, weekly, and daily planner pages
• Study, project, and goal planning pages
• Assignment and grades tracking pages

A budget-friendly option for a nursing planner that can be downloaded digitally and printed at home.

Buying Guide for the Best Planners for Nursing Students

There are quite a few factors to keep in mind when choosing a nursing day planner.  The right planner for you depends mostly on your organizational style.  While all students need their planner to fill the same basic needs, the format can vary.

A planner needs to accomplish the following things:

• Keeping your daily schedule organized, so you know how to manage your time each day
• Allowing you to track your upcoming due dates, tests, and projects
• Helping you set goals and feel accomplished when you complete tasks
• Organizing your class materials, so it’s easier to take notes and study

We’ll take a look at how different planners are structured, along with some alternative potential options for organizing your things.

Digital or Printed Nursing School Planner 

One of the first decisions you’ll need to make is whether to buy a digital or printed planner.  Digital planners typically use phone or tablet apps (such as GoodNotes or Notability), while printed planners are bound more traditionally with paper. Our 2023-2024 school year nursing school planner works seamlessly on GoodNotes or Notability, depending on whether you have an Android or Apple device.

The right one for you will vary.  There are distinct advantages and disadvantages to both.  In fact, the academic community hotly debates whether digital or printed planners are better.

Advantages of Digital Nursing School Planners

Digital planners have become more and more popular in today’s smartphone age.  In the past, it was difficult to keep your notes and schedule online, since doing so required computer access.  But today, digital planning apps allow you to access your information wherever you have your phone and a 3G connection.

A digital planner is also more convenient and portable.  You can store a lot more information without taking up any extra room in your backpack.  With a digital planner, you can keep hundreds of pages of notes, dozens of to-do lists, daily schedules, weekly plans, and longer project plans, and you won’t have to worry about running out of space.

Some students may also find digital planners helpful because of their interactive tools.  Oftentimes you can set up alerts about impending due dates or reminders to study at a certain time.  The interactive level makes the apps a coveted time management tool.

Advantages of Printed Nursing School Planners

There are reasons that printed planners aren’t obsolete, even with the advent of such convenient smartphone technology.  In addition to being the preferred method of organization for many students, they also confer some scientific benefits.

Paper planners allow for a stronger level of focus.  If you find yourself desensitized to app reminders, a paper planner is a better way of tracking your due dates.  It forces your brain to engage and acknowledge the information, rather than swiping it away for later.  

In the same vein, taking notes by hand helps to encode them into your memory much more easily than typing them does .  You’re more likely to remember what you’ve written if you note it in your paper planner.  People with paper planners also tend to be more concise and self-directed, since there’s limited room to explain what’s important to you.

Paper planners have been shown to lower stress levels by helping people manage their tasks.  Even if you have an overwhelming amount of work to do, you can use a paper planner to prioritize.  With a digital app, the reminder notifications can quickly become too much to deal with.  And many experts recommend using paper to connect to your environment, rather than “zoning out” behind a smartphone screen.

Nursing Planners VS General Academic Planners

Planners like the Extended Planner for Nursing Students by TheHappyPlannerCo are specifically built for nurses.  Meanwhile, the Erin Condren Academic Planner is built with all types of students in mind.

Nursing students can use either type of planner to achieve their goals.  Academic planners tend to have strong scheduling and organizational tools.  They may also come with customizable dividers and notes sheets.  You’re more likely to find extra customization tools in generic academic planners, as the goal is for students to personalize the planner to their needs.

For those seeking general academic planners, you can see our list of the 5 Best Goodnotes Planners for 2024 and beyond.

Nursing planners have a focus on the specific demands of nursing school.  They understand the core components that nursing students need to learn.  It’s common for nursing planners to come with nursing facts, important details about standardized testing, and templates to track core class assignments.

When deciding which type of planner to get, the big question is how much customization you want to do yourself.  Would you prefer to have your templates already laid out, or do you want to create your own unique study system?

Binding a PDF Planner Yourself 

You can also bind a PDF planner yourself, with some of the costs covered here. You’ll need the PDF pages with the schedule, to-do lists, notes sheets, and any other included items.  Once you have the printed sheets, you can get to work.

Creating your own planner is a great choice if you like DIY projects, flexible customization, and money-saving tricks.  You can turn the planner into your own art project.  Many people also create planners with removable pages, allowing them to replace the information with new schedules every year.

Accessories 

Accessories are available for nursing school planners to offer better personalization, organization, and aesthetic appeal.

Nursing planner stickers are a popular option.  If your choice of planner doesn’t include any, you can purchase an extra sheet.  These funky stickers allow you to add visual organizational cues to your schedule, so you know exactly what you’re seeing at a glance.

You might also invest in writing utensils like colored markers.   As long as your planner paper is thick enough, markers and highlighters add beautiful pops of color while making it even easier to organize.  Like the stickers, they can serve as important visual cues.

Smart fine line coloring pens make for a great way to jazz up your planner and organizer.

Another helpful accessory is an organizational tool for your writing utensils.  You can keep track of your pencils, pens, markers, and highlighters.  Since they don’t get lost in your bag, you always have access to your full system of visual color coding.

Best Nursing Planner FAQ

Do you need a planner for nursing school.

Yes, you will need to use a planner to keep on-track for your assignments, coursework, tests, and important dates. Whether you opt for a nursing school-specific or general academic planner is up to you.

Do nurses use planners, too?

Of course! Nurses have to multitask a lot in their days, so staying organized is one of the best ways for nurses to manage their time. Planners are especially helpful for nurses who are working to reach a specific goal and need to track their SMART nursing goals .

Are there any free online nursing planners?

Most nursing planners charge a fee for their time and effort in creation, but you can try out Picmonic’s free nursing planner digital download before you decide on purchasing your own planner.

The best planner for nursing school is one that can keep you organized and on-schedule.  It should have ample room to track your assignments, write your testing information, view your upcoming events, and personalize your setup to meet your unique needs.  There are many different kinds of planners on the market, with some having stickers and movable dividers, while others are electronic-based.

If you’re still on the fence for the best planner for nursing students, then you can’t go wrong with the TPN Nursing Student Planner. This 12-month planner is available in a digital format, so that you can take it with you wherever you use your mobile devices. Keep track of your assignments, plan your goals, journal, and even de-stress with some beautiful coloring pages.

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Nursing Care Plans (NCP) Ultimate Guide and List

Writing the  best   nursing care plan  requires a step-by-step approach to complete the parts needed for a care plan correctly. This tutorial will walk you through developing a care plan. This guide has the ultimate database and list of nursing care plans (NCP) and nursing diagnosis samples  for our student nurses and professional nurses to use—all for free! Care plan components, examples, objectives, and purposes are included with a detailed guide on writing an excellent nursing care plan or a template for your unit. 

Table of Contents

Standardized care plans, individualized care plans, purposes of a nursing care plan, three-column format, four-column format, student care plans, step 1: data collection or assessment, step 2: data analysis and organization, step 3: formulating your nursing diagnoses, step 4: setting priorities, short-term and long-term goals, components of goals and desired outcomes, types of nursing interventions, step 7: providing rationale, step 8: evaluation, step 9: putting it on paper, basic nursing and general care plans, surgery and perioperative care plans, cardiac care plans, endocrine and metabolic care plans, gastrointestinal, hematologic and lymphatic, infectious diseases, integumentary, maternal and newborn care plans, mental health and psychiatric, musculoskeletal, neurological, pediatric nursing care plans, reproductive, respiratory, recommended resources, references and sources, what is a nursing care plan.

A  nursing care plan (NCP)  is a formal process that correctly identifies existing needs and recognizes a client’s potential needs or risks. Care plans provide a way of communication among nurses, their patients, and other healthcare providers to achieve healthcare outcomes. Without the nursing care planning process, the quality and consistency of patient care would be lost.

Nursing care planning begins when the client is admitted to the agency and is continuously updated throughout in response to the client’s changes in condition and evaluation of goal achievement. Planning and delivering individualized or patient-centered care is the basis for excellence in nursing practice .

Types of Nursing Care Plans

Care plans can be informal or formal: An informal nursing care plan is a strategy of action that exists in the nurse ‘s mind. A  formal nursing care plan is a written or computerized guide that organizes the client’s care information.

Formal care plans are further subdivided into standardized care plans and individualized care plans:  Standardized care plans specify the nursing care for groups of clients with everyday needs.  Individualized care plans are tailored to meet a specific client’s unique needs or needs that are not addressed by the standardized care plan.

Standardized care plans are pre-developed guides by the nursing staff and health care agencies to ensure that patients with a particular condition receive consistent care. These care plans are used to ensure that minimally acceptable criteria are met and to promote the efficient use of the nurse’s time by removing the need to develop common activities that are done repeatedly for many of the clients on a nursing unit.

Standardized care plans are not tailored to a patient’s specific needs and goals and can provide a starting point for developing an individualized care plan .

Care plans listed in this guide are standard care plans which can serve as a framework or direction to develop an individualized care plan.

An individualized care plan care plan involves tailoring a standardized care plan to meet the specific needs and goals of the individual client and use approaches shown to be effective for a particular client. This approach allows more personalized and holistic care better suited to the client’s unique needs, strengths, and goals.

Additionally, individualized care plans can improve patient satisfaction . When patients feel that their care is tailored to their specific needs, they are more likely to feel heard and valued, leading to increased satisfaction with their care. This is particularly important in today’s healthcare environment , where patient satisfaction is increasingly used as a quality measure.

Tips on how to individualize a nursing care plan:

• Perform a comprehensive assessment of the patient’s health, history, health status, and desired goals.
• Involve the patient in the care planning process by asking them about their health goals and preferences. By involving the client, nurses can ensure that the care plan is aligned with the patient’s goals and preferences which can improve patient engagement and compliance with the care plan.
• Perform an ongoing assessment and evaluation as the patient’s health and goals can change. Adjust the care plan accordingly.

The following are the goals and objectives of writing a nursing care plan:

• Promote evidence-based nursing care and render pleasant and familiar conditions in hospitals or health centers.
• Support holistic care , which involves the whole person, including physical, psychological, social, and spiritual, with the management and prevention of the disease.
• Establish programs such as care pathways and care bundles. Care pathways involve a team effort to reach a consensus regarding standards of care and expected outcomes. In contrast, care bundles are related to best practices concerning care for a specific disease.
• Identify and distinguish goals and expected outcomes.
• Review communication and documentation of the care plan.
• Measure nursing care.

The following are the purposes and importance of writing a nursing care plan:

• Defines nurse’s role. Care plans help identify nurses’ unique and independent role in attending to clients’ overall health and well-being without relying entirely on a physician’s orders or interventions.
• Provides direction for individualized care of the client.  It serves as a roadmap for the care that will be provided to the patient and allows the nurse to think critically in developing interventions directly tailored to the individual.
• Continuity of care. Nurses from different shifts or departments can use the data to render the same quality and type of interventions to care for clients, therefore allowing clients to receive the most benefit from treatment.
• Coordinate care. Ensures that all members of the healthcare team are aware of the patient’s care needs and the actions that need to be taken to meet those needs preventing gaps in care.
• Documentation . It should accurately outline which observations to make, what nursing actions to carry out, and what instructions the client or family members require. If nursing care is not documented correctly in the care plan, there is no evidence the care was provided.
• Serves as a guide for assigning a specific staff to a specific client.  There are instances when a client’s care needs to be assigned to staff with particular and precise skills.
• Monitor progress. To help track the patient’s progress and make necessary adjustments to the care plan as the patient’s health status and goals change.
• Serves as a guide for reimbursement.  The insurance companies use the medical record to determine what they will pay concerning the hospital care received by the client.
• Defines client’s goals. It benefits nurses and clients by involving them in their treatment and care.

A nursing care plan (NCP) usually includes nursing diagnoses , client problems, expected outcomes, nursing interventions , and rationales . These components are elaborated on below:

• Client health assessment , medical results, and diagnostic reports are the first steps to developing a care plan. In particular, client assessment relates to the following areas and abilities: physical, emotional, sexual, psychosocial, cultural, spiritual/transpersonal, cognitive, functional, age-related, economic, and environmental. Information in this area can be subjective and objective.
• Nursing diagnosis . A nursing diagnosis is a statement that describes the patient’s health issue or concern. It is based on the information gathered about the patient’s health status during the assessment.
• Expected client outcomes. These are specific goals that will be achieved through nursing interventions . These may be long and short-term.
• Nursing interventions . These are specific actions that will be taken to address the nursing diagnosis and achieve expected outcomes . They should be based on best practices and evidence-based guidelines.
• Rationales. These are evidence-based explanations for the nursing interventions specified.
• Evaluation . These includes plans for monitoring and evaluating a patient’s progress and making necessary adjustments to the care plan as the patient’s health status and goals change.

Care Plan Formats

Nursing care plan formats are usually categorized or organized into four columns: (1) nursing diagnoses, (2) desired outcomes and goals, (3) nursing interventions, and (4) evaluation. Some agencies use a three-column plan where goals and evaluation are in the same column. Other agencies have a five-column plan that includes a column for assessment cues.

The three-column plan has a column for nursing diagnosis, outcomes and evaluation, and interventions.

This format includes columns for nursing diagnosis, goals and outcomes, interventions, and evaluation.

Below is a document containing sample templates for the different nursing care plan formats. Please feel free to edit, modify, and share the template.

Download: Printable Nursing Care Plan Templates and Formats

Student care plans are more lengthy and detailed than care plans used by working nurses because they serve as a learning activity for the student nurse.

Care plans by student nurses are usually required to be handwritten and have an additional column for “Rationale” or “Scientific Explanation” after the nursing interventions column. Rationales are scientific principles that explain the reasons for selecting a particular nursing intervention.

Writing a Nursing Care Plan

How do you write a nursing care plan (NCP)? Just follow the steps below to develop a care plan for your client.

The first step in writing a nursing care plan is to create a client database using assessment techniques and data collection methods ( physical assessment , health history , interview, medical records review, and diagnostic studies). A client database includes all the health information gathered . In this step, the nurse can identify the related or risk factors and defining characteristics that can be used to formulate a nursing diagnosis. Some agencies or nursing schools have specific assessment formats you can use.

Critical thinking is key in patient assessment, integrating knowledge across sciences and professional guidelines to inform evaluations. This process, crucial for complex clinical decision-making , aims to identify patients’ healthcare needs effectively, leveraging a supportive environment and reliable information

Now that you have information about the client’s health, analyze, cluster, and organize the data to formulate your nursing diagnosis, priorities, and desired outcomes.

Nursing diagnoses are a uniform way of identifying, focusing on and dealing with specific client needs and responses to actual and high-risk problems. Actual or potential health problems that can be prevented or resolved by independent nursing intervention are termed nursing diagnoses.

We’ve detailed the steps on how to formulate your nursing diagnoses in this guide:  Nursing Diagnosis (NDx): Complete Guide and List .

Setting priorities involves establishing a preferential sequence for addressing nursing diagnoses and interventions. In this step, the nurse and the client begin planning which of the identified problems requires attention first. Diagnoses can be ranked and grouped as having a high, medium, or low priority. Life-threatening problems should be given high priority.

A nursing diagnosis encompasses Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs and helps to prioritize and plan care based on patient-centered outcomes. In 1943, Abraham Maslow developed a hierarchy based on basic fundamental needs innate to all individuals. Basic physiological needs/goals must be met before higher needs/goals can be achieved, such as self-esteem and self-actualization. Physiological and safety needs are the basis for implementing nursing care and interventions. Thus, they are at the base of Maslow’s pyramid, laying the foundation for physical and emotional health.

Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs

• Basic Physiological Needs: Nutrition (water and food), elimination (Toileting), airway (suction)-breathing (oxygen)-circulation (pulse, cardiac monitor, blood pressure ) (ABCs), sleep , sex, shelter, and exercise.
• Safety and Security: Injury prevention ( side rails , call lights, hand hygiene , isolation , suicide precautions, fall precautions, car seats, helmets, seat belts), fostering a climate of trust and safety ( therapeutic relationship ), patient education (modifiable risk factors for stroke , heart disease).
• Love and Belonging: Foster supportive relationships, methods to avoid social isolation ( bullying ), employ active listening techniques, therapeutic communication , and sexual intimacy.
• Self-Esteem: Acceptance in the community, workforce, personal achievement, sense of control or empowerment, accepting one’s physical appearance or body habitus.
• Self-Actualization: Empowering environment, spiritual growth, ability to recognize the point of view of others, reaching one’s maximum potential.

The client’s health values and beliefs, priorities, resources available, and urgency are factors the nurse must consider when assigning priorities. Involve the client in the process to enhance cooperation.

Step 5: Establishing Client Goals and Desired Outcomes

After assigning priorities for your nursing diagnosis, the nurse and the client set goals for each determined priority. Goals or desired outcomes describe what the nurse hopes to achieve by implementing the nursing interventions derived from the client’s nursing diagnoses. Goals provide direction for planning interventions, serve as criteria for evaluating client progress, enable the client and nurse to determine which problems have been resolved, and help motivate the client and nurse by providing a sense of achievement.

One overall goal is determined for each nursing diagnosis. The terms “ goal outcomes “ and “expected outcome s” are often used interchangeably.

According to Hamilton and Price (2013), goals should be SMART . SMART stands for specific, measurable, attainable, realistic, and time-oriented goals.

• Specific. It should be clear, significant, and sensible for a goal to be effective.
• Measurable or Meaningful. Making sure a goal is measurable makes it easier to monitor progress and know when it reaches the desired result.
• Attainable or Action-Oriented. Goals should be flexible but remain possible.
• Realistic or Results-Oriented. This is important to look forward to effective and successful outcomes by keeping in mind the available resources at hand.
• Timely or Time-Oriented. Every goal needs a designated time parameter, a deadline to focus on, and something to work toward.

Hogston (2011) suggests using the REEPIG standards to ensure that care is of the highest standards. By this means, nursing care plans should be:

• Realistic. Given available resources. 
• Explicitly stated. Be clear about precisely what must be done, so there is no room for misinterpretation of instructions.
• Evidence-based. That there is research that supports what is being proposed. 
• Prioritized. The most urgent problems are being dealt with first. 
• Involve. Involve both the patient and other members of the multidisciplinary team who are going to be involved in implementing the care.
• Goal-centered. That the care planned will meet and achieve the goal set.

Goals and expected outcomes must be measurable and client-centered.  Goals are constructed by focusing on problem prevention, resolution, and rehabilitation. Goals can be short-term or long-term . Most goals are short-term in an acute care setting since much of the nurse’s time is spent on the client’s immediate needs. Long-term goals are often used for clients who have chronic health problems or live at home, in nursing homes, or in extended-care facilities.

• Short-term goal . A statement distinguishing a shift in behavior that can be completed immediately, usually within a few hours or days.
• Long-term goal . Indicates an objective to be completed over a longer period, usually weeks or months.
• Discharge planning . Involves naming long-term goals, therefore promoting continued restorative care and problem resolution through home health, physical therapy, or various other referral sources.

Goals or desired outcome statements usually have four components: a subject, a verb, conditions or modifiers, and a criterion of desired performance.

• Subject. The subject is the client, any part of the client, or some attribute of the client (i.e., pulse, temperature, urinary output). That subject is often omitted in writing goals because it is assumed that the subject is the client unless indicated otherwise (family, significant other ).
• Verb. The verb specifies an action the client is to perform, for example, what the client is to do, learn, or experience.
• Conditions or modifiers. These are the “what, when, where, or how” that are added to the verb to explain the circumstances under which the behavior is to be performed.
• Criterion of desired performance. The criterion indicates the standard by which a performance is evaluated or the level at which the client will perform the specified behavior. These are optional.

When writing goals and desired outcomes, the nurse should follow these tips:

• Write goals and outcomes in terms of client responses and not as activities of the nurse. Begin each goal with “Client will […]” help focus the goal on client behavior and responses.
• Avoid writing goals on what the nurse hopes to accomplish, and focus on what the client will do.
• Use observable, measurable terms for outcomes. Avoid using vague words that require interpretation or judgment of the observer.
• Desired outcomes should be realistic for the client’s resources, capabilities, limitations, and on the designated time span of care.
• Ensure that goals are compatible with the therapies of other professionals.
• Ensure that each goal is derived from only one nursing diagnosis. Keeping it this way facilitates evaluation of care by ensuring that planned nursing interventions are clearly related to the diagnosis set.
• Lastly, make sure that the client considers the goals important and values them to ensure cooperation.

Step 6: Selecting Nursing Interventions

Nursing interventions are activities or actions that a nurse performs to achieve client goals. Interventions chosen should focus on eliminating or reducing the etiology of the priority nursing problem or diagnosis. As for risk nursing problems, interventions should focus on reducing the client’s risk factors. In this step, nursing interventions are identified and written during the planning step of the nursing process ; however, they are actually performed during the implementation step.

Nursing interventions can be independent, dependent, or collaborative:

• Independent nursing interventions are activities that nurses are licensed to initiate based on their sound judgement and skills. Includes: ongoing assessment, emotional support, providing comfort , teaching, physical care, and making referrals to other health care professionals.
• Dependent nursing interventions are activities carried out under the physician’s orders or supervision. Includes orders to direct the nurse to provide medications, intravenous therapy , diagnostic tests, treatments, diet, and activity or rest. Assessment and providing explanation while administering medical orders are also part of the dependent nursing interventions.
• Collaborative interventions are actions that the nurse carries out in collaboration with other health team members, such as physicians, social workers, dietitians, and therapists. These actions are developed in consultation with other health care professionals to gain their professional viewpoint.

Nursing interventions should be:

• Safe and appropriate for the client’s age, health, and condition.
• Achievable with the resources and time available.
• Inline with the client’s values, culture, and beliefs.
• Inline with other therapies.
• Based on nursing knowledge and experience or knowledge from relevant sciences.

When writing nursing interventions, follow these tips:

• Write the date and sign the plan. The date the plan is written is essential for evaluation, review, and future planning. The nurse’s signature demonstrates accountability.
• Nursing interventions should be specific and clearly stated, beginning with an action verb indicating what the nurse is expected to do. Action verb starts the intervention and must be precise. Qualifiers of how, when, where, time, frequency, and amount provide the content of the planned activity. For example: “ Educate parents on how to take temperature and notify of any changes,” or “ Assess urine for color, amount, odor, and turbidity.”
• Use only abbreviations accepted by the institution.

Rationales, also known as scientific explanations, explain why the nursing intervention was chosen for the NCP.

Rationales do not appear in regular care plans. They are included to assist nursing students in associating the pathophysiological and psychological principles with the selected nursing intervention.

Evaluation is a planned, ongoing, purposeful activity in which the client’s progress towards achieving goals or desired outcomes is assessed, and the effectiveness of the nursing care plan (NCP). Evaluation is an essential aspect of the nursing process because the conclusions drawn from this step determine whether the nursing intervention should be terminated, continued, or changed.

The client’s care plan is documented according to hospital policy and becomes part of the client’s permanent medical record, which may be reviewed by the oncoming nurse. Different nursing programs have different care plan formats. Most are designed so that the student systematically proceeds through the interrelated steps of the nursing process , and many use a five-column format.

Nursing Care Plan List

This section lists the sample nursing care plans (NCP) and nursing diagnoses for various diseases and health conditions. They are segmented into categories:

Miscellaneous nursing care plans examples that don’t fit other categories:

Care plans that involve surgical intervention .

Nursing care plans about the different diseases of the cardiovascular system :

Nursing care plans (NCP) related to the endocrine system and metabolism:

Care plans (NCP) covering the disorders of the gastrointestinal and digestive system :

Care plans related to the hematologic and lymphatic system:

NCPs for communicable and infectious diseases:

All about disorders and conditions affecting the integumentary system:

Nursing care plans about the care of the pregnant mother and her infant. See care plans for maternity and obstetric nursing:

Care plans for mental health and psychiatric nursing:

Care plans related to the musculoskeletal system:

Nursing care plans (NCP) for related to nervous system disorders:

Care plans relating to eye disorders:

Nursing care plans (NCP) for pediatric conditions and diseases:

Care plans related to the reproductive and sexual function disorders:

Care plans for respiratory system disorders:

Care plans related to the kidney and urinary system disorders:

Recommended nursing diagnosis and nursing care plan books and resources.

Disclosure: Included below are affiliate links from Amazon at no additional cost from you. We may earn a small commission from your purchase. For more information, check out our privacy policy .

Ackley and Ladwig’s Nursing Diagnosis Handbook: An Evidence-Based Guide to Planning Care We love this book because of its evidence-based approach to nursing interventions. This care plan handbook uses an easy, three-step system to guide you through client assessment, nursing diagnosis, and care planning. Includes step-by-step instructions showing how to implement care and evaluate outcomes, and help you build skills in diagnostic reasoning and critical thinking.

Nursing Care Plans – Nursing Diagnosis & Intervention (10th Edition) Includes over two hundred care plans that reflect the most recent evidence-based guidelines. New to this edition are ICNP diagnoses, care plans on LGBTQ health issues, and on electrolytes and acid-base balance.

Nurse’s Pocket Guide: Diagnoses, Prioritized Interventions, and Rationales Quick-reference tool includes all you need to identify the correct diagnoses for efficient patient care planning. The sixteenth edition includes the most recent nursing diagnoses and interventions and an alphabetized listing of nursing diagnoses covering more than 400 disorders.

Nursing Diagnosis Manual: Planning, Individualizing, and Documenting Client Care  Identify interventions to plan, individualize, and document care for more than 800 diseases and disorders. Only in the Nursing Diagnosis Manual will you find for each diagnosis subjectively and objectively – sample clinical applications, prioritized action/interventions with rationales – a documentation section, and much more!

All-in-One Nursing Care Planning Resource – E-Book: Medical-Surgical, Pediatric, Maternity, and Psychiatric-Mental Health   Includes over 100 care plans for medical-surgical, maternity/OB, pediatrics, and psychiatric and mental health. Interprofessional “patient problems” focus familiarizes you with how to speak to patients.

Recommended reading materials and sources for this NCP guide: 

• Björvell, C., Thorell-Ekstrand, I., & Wredling, R. (2000). Development of an audit instrument for nursing care plans in the patient record.   BMJ Quality & Safety ,  9 (1), 6-13. [ Link ]
• DeLaune, S. C., & Ladner, P. K. (2011).  Fundamentals of nursing: Standards and practice . Cengage learning .
• Freitas, F. A., & Leonard, L. J. (2011). Maslow’s hierarchy of needs and student academic success .  Teaching and learning in Nursing ,  6 (1), 9-13.
• Hamilton, P., & Price, T. (2007). The nursing process, holistic.  Foundations of Nursing Practice E-Book: Fundamentals of Holistic Care , 349.
• Lee, T. T. (2004). Evaluation of computerized nursing care plan: instrument development .  Journal of Professional Nursing ,  20 (4), 230-238.
• Lee, T. T. (2006). Nurses’ perceptions of their documentation experiences in a computerized nursing care planning system .  Journal of Clinical Nursing ,  15 (11), 1376-1382.
• Rn , B. O. C., Rn, H. M., Rn, D. T., & Rn, F. E. (2000). Documenting and communicating patient care : Are nursing care plans redundant?.  International Journal of Nursing Practice ,  6 (5), 276-280.
• Stonehouse, D. (2017). Understanding the nursing process .  British Journal of Healthcare Assistants ,  11 (8), 388-391.
• Yildirim, B., & Ozkahraman, S. (2011). Critical thinking in nursing process and education .  International journal of humanities and social science ,  1 (13), 257-262.

69 thoughts on “Nursing Care Plans (NCP) Ultimate Guide and List”

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What is a nursing care plan a mother in second stage of labour?

Please see: 36 Labor Stages, Induced and Augmented Labor Nursing Care Plans

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Hi Matt! I would like to purchase a textbook of your nursing care plan. Where I can purchase pls help!

Hi Criselda,

Sorry, we don’t have a textbook. All of our resources are here on the website and free to use.

Good day, I would like to know how can I use your website to help students with care plans.

Sincerely, Oscar A. Acosta DNP, RN

Oh I love your works. Your explanations

I’m glad I’ve met your website. It helps me a lot. Thank you

I love this, so helpful.

These care plans are great for using as a template. I don’t have to reinvent the wheel, and the information you provided will ensure that I include the important data without leaving things out. Thanks a million!

Hi, I have learnt a lot, this is a wonderful note you’ve prepared for all nurses thank you.

Matt, this page is very informative and I especially appreciate seeing care plans for patients with neurological disorders. I notice, though, that traumatic brain injury is not on your list. Might you add a care plan page for this?

Thanks alot I had gained much since these are detailed notes 🙏🙏

OMG, this is amazing!

Wow very helpful.thank you very much🙏🙏

Hi, is there a downloadable version of this, pdf or other files maybe this is awesome!

Hi Paul, on your browser go to File > Print > Save as PDF. Hope that helps and thanks for visiting Nurseslabs!

Matt, I’m a nursing instructor looking for tools to teach this. I am interested in where we can find “rules” for establishing “related to” sections…for example –not able to utilize medical diagnosis as a “related to” etc. Also, resources for nursing rationale.

Hello, please check out our guide on how to write nursing diagnoses here: https://nurseslabs.com/nursing-diagnosis/

Nursing care plan is very amazing

Thanks for your time. Nursing Care Plan looks great and helpful!

complete knowledge i get from here

great resource. puts it all together. Thank for making it free for all

Hello Ujunwa, Thanks a lot for the positive vibes! 🌟 It’s super important to us that everyone has access to quality resources. Just wondering, is there any specific topic or area you’d love to see more about? We’re always looking to improve and add value!

Great work.

Hi Abbas, Thank you so much! Really glad to hear you found the nursing care plans guide useful. If there’s a specific area or topic you’re keen on exploring more, or if you have any suggestions for improvement, feel free to share. Always aiming to make our resources as helpful as possible!

It has been good time me to use these nursing guides.

What is ncp for acute pain

For everything you need to know about managing acute pain, including a detailed nursing care plan (NCP), definitely check out our acute pain nursing care plan guide . It’s packed with insights on assessment, interventions, and patient education to effectively manage and alleviate acute pain.

Good morning. I love this website

what is working knowledge on nursing standard, and Basic Life Support documentation?

Thank you for the website, it is awesome. I just have one question about the 1st set of ABG (Practice Exam) – The following are the values: pH 7.3, PaCO2 68 mm Hg, HCO3 28 mmol/L, and PaO2 60 mm Hg…Definitely Respiratory Acidosis, but the HC03 is only 28 mmol/L..I thought HC03 of 28 mmol/L would be within the normal range and thus, no compensation, but the correct answer has partial compensation because of the HC03 value. What value ranges are you using for HC03. Thanks, EK Mickley, RN BSN

welcome to you can get the best way to days after the holiest month

Intra operative care ncp

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