Your assessment will take the form of an extended essay of 8000 words length which will meet all the learning outcomes for this module. It involves critically appraising the literature relating to an aspect of the professional role of the registered adult nurse; this will include the identification of an action plan to address your personal and professional development needs

Detailed assignment brief

• Undertake a SWOT/SLOT analysis of your current position in relation to your professional role- include this as an appendix to your work

• From the SWOT identify an area you feel requires development to enable you to function effectively as a registered nurse- for example being able to have confidence to challenge poor practice (This is NOT to be development of a clinical skills). Use the module content as a guide.

• Provide a rationale for the choice of topic within your introduction and support with reference to published literature. You may wish to use placement experiences to assist with this.

• You should provide a detailed discussion of transition from student nurse to qualified nurse including the relevant transition theory. Explore how understanding the concept of transition can assist you through the initial months of being a registered nurse.

• You will be expected to undertake a comprehensive review of literature relevant to your chosen topic. To do this you need to undertake a search for appropriate literature using relevant databases and key search terms, including a section within your assignment relating to the search strategy used. You may find it useful to develop a research question to aid your focus. To ensure you have a comprehensive range of literature your search strategy is key. There are many books available to assist you with developing your search strategy and undertaking a literature review.

• You need to ensure you have obtained research articles, although you may have retrieved other relevant supporting literature and guidelines. You need to determine the quality of the research that you have found by undertaking critical appraisal of the retrieved articles. You are not required to provide a detailed appraisal of the articles within your assignment but you do need to make reference to the strengths and weaknesses of the studies during the exploration of the literature you are using. This may include key concepts which relate to your chosen topic and the study design. Utilise specialist research literature e.g. Parahoo to help with this.

• You need to critically evaluate the findings of the retrieved literature to form a substantial part of your assignment. Reading books/articles on how to critically analyse with help with this. To help the structure of writing the literature review it is beneficial to have a look at some published literature reviews.

• After you have provided the critical evaluation you need to apply what you have learnt to how you can develop your professional role in the chosen area. This is done by compiling a detailed action plan that demonstrates how you will address your development needs to enhance transition to registered nurse, with clear rationale for including the areas you have identified ie how you will move forward professionally. This needs to be supported by reference to relevant literature. The action plan should NOT just be a bullet pointed list.

• It is essential you provide a full and accurate reference list which demonstrates a breadth and depth to your work.

You need to ensure your work meets both the module learning outcomes which can be found in the module handbook and module descriptor within the module information section and the grading criteria for level 6 academic writing available in this section.

Your assessment should be submitted electronically via Turnitin. Please keep a copy of your work (as it has been submitted) for your own reference and in case this is required by the Faculty.

To pass the module you must achieve at least 40% in the written assignment

Support and guidance relating to assessment is available through your course team as well as from university support services and the Students’ Union.  Please see your Course Handbook and the University’s on-line Student Guide for further contact details along with information on what to do if you can’t hand in work due to circumstances beyond your control.

Assignment suggested structure

This structure outline is intended for use in conjunction with the assessment brief, the marking criteria and the module outcomes which are available via the Blackboard module site.

Please discuss your suggested overarching topic with the module tutor to ensure its relevance.

We will have multiple group tutorials throughout the module to assist with the assignment development. If you have an LSA (learning support agreement) which stipulates you are entitled to additional subject specific support, please inform your module tutor in order you can arrange an additional 1-1 tutorial. Please plan this at least 2 weeks in advance due to limited tutor availability.

Approximate word count for each section:

Introduction

Transition theory

SWOT analysis discussion

Search strategy

Thematic Analysis

Action Plan

Conclusion