Writing a Nursing Essay Paper Outline

Writing a Nursing Essay Paper Outline

Strategies for Organizing Your Ideas

Organizing your initial draft by listing the main point of each paragraph can be a simple way to ensure that each paragraph has a specific purpose in your paper. You might discover opportunities to merge or remove certain paragraphs during this process, as initial drafts often contain redundant ideas or sections that hinder rather than enhance the paper’s central argument.

Furthermore, if you encounter difficulties while revising your paper, outlining each paragraph and its main point after you’ve written it can be an effective method for identifying the paper’s strengths and weaknesses.

Example Outline

The subsequent outline pertains to a 5-7 page paper discussing the connection between educational achievement and health. Refer to other sections on this page for more detailed information about each part of this outline.

1. Introduction

A. Present Issue: Declining educational achievement rates in the United States amid rising healthcare costs.
B. Target Audience: Unskilled or low-skilled adult workers.
C. Key Terms: Healthy, well-educated.

Thesis Statement: Due to their income deficiency (cite sources) and increased vulnerability to depression (cite sources), individuals who drop out of high school before graduation face a higher risk of physical and mental health issues later in life.

How to Write Nursing Essay Topic Sentences Overview

2. Background

A. Historical Employment Overview: In the past, unskilled laborers were frequently unionized and fairly compensated for their work (cite sources).
B. Historical Healthcare Overview: Unskilled laborers in the past often received adequate healthcare and benefits (cite sources).
C. Current Link between Education and Employment Type: Nowadays, uneducated workers are increasingly found in unskilled or low-skilled jobs (cite sources).
D. Research Gaps: There is limited information exploring the health implications of current conditions in low-skilled jobs.

3. Major Point 1: Employment conditions impact workers’ physical health.

A. Minor Point 1: Unskilled work environments are strongly associated with worker injuries (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Unskilled work environments typically lack healthcare coverage or sufficient recovery time for injuries (cite sources).

4. Major Point 2: Employment conditions affect workers’ mental health.

A. Minor Point 1: Working in a low-skilled position is highly correlated with elevated stress levels (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Stress is closely linked to mental health issues (cite sources).

5. Major Point 3: Physical health and mental health are directly interconnected.

A. Minor Point 1: Mental health problems and physical health problems are highly interconnected (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Stress manifests physically (cite sources).

6. Major Point 4: Individuals with financial concerns experience more stress and worse physical health.

A. Minor Point 1: Many high-school dropouts face financial issues (cite sources).
B. Minor Point 2: Financial problems are often linked to unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as poor dietary habits, excessive alcohol consumption, chain smoking, and abusive relationships (cite sources).

7. Conclusion

A. Restate Thesis: High school dropouts are at a heightened risk for both mental and physical health problems throughout their lives.
B. Next Steps: Society requires advocates for education; educators must be aware of this situation and strive to retain students to promote healthy lifestyles and educate them about the risks associated with dropping out of school.

Introduction/Context

Your introduction provides context to prepare your readers for your paper’s argument or purpose. It should begin by discussing your specific topic (not providing a broad background overview) and offering sufficient context, such as definitions of key terms, to orient your readers toward your thesis or purpose statement.

Sample Introduction/Context: If your paper focuses on the link between educational achievement and health, your introduction could (a) introduce the population under discussion, (b) define essential terms like “healthy” and “well-educated,” or (c) justify the topic’s relevance by connecting it to a current issue your paper addresses.

Thesis/Purpose Statement

A thesis or purpose statement, placed at the end of your introduction, should clearly and concisely state your paper’s purpose or central argument. The introduction sets the stage for this statement, and the rest of the paper provides support for it.

Sample Thesis Statement: Due to their income deficit (Smith, 2010) and susceptibility to depression (Jones, 2011), students who drop out of high school before graduation face a higher risk of physical and mental health problems later in life.

Background

Following the initial introduction, background information about your topic typically follows. This section might include a literature review summarizing the current state of knowledge or a historical overview of relevant information. The purpose is to justify your project or paper by highlighting a gap in current research that your work will address.

Sample Background: A background section for a paper on education and health could summarize recent research, such as studies on depression or declining high school graduation rates.

Major & Minor Points

Major points serve as the foundation of your paper, building upon each other to advance your central argument. Each major point should present a clear claim related to the paper’s central argument.

Sample Major Point: Employment conditions and physical health could be an initial major point in this sample paper. It might discuss how dropping out of high school often leads to fewer job opportunities, with available jobs often associated with poor working conditions and low pay.

Minor points expand on your major points, offering additional details but not warranting extended attention on their own. They may include statistics, examples from your sources, or supporting ideas.

Sample Minor Point: A minor point related to the previous major point (employment conditions and physical health) might address worker injuries or the lack of health insurance benefits often provided by low-paying employers.

The remainder of your paper will consist of more major and minor points. Each major point should advance the central argument, often building upon previous points, until you’ve presented enough evidence and analysis to support your paper’s conclusion.

Additional Major and Minor Points: This paper could explore topics such as the mental health of high school dropouts, healthcare access for dropouts, and the correlation between mental and physical health. Minor topics could include specific work environments, job satisfaction in various fields, and the connection between depression and chronic illness.

Conclusion

Your conclusion restates the main claim of your paper and connects it to a broader discussion. Rather than simply summarizing major and minor points, revisit your thesis statement and conclude by linking it to current research in your field, future directions for research, broader societal implications, or other potential consequences.

Sample Conclusion: For this paper, the conclusion might reiterate the central argument (the link between lack of education and health issues) and expand on its significance by connecting it to broader discussions of the U.S. healthcare and education systems.