BIG PICTURE:
You’re writing a paper about a main nursing concept (Perfusion) using two disease examples (exemplars):
- Myocardial infarction (discussed in class)
- Aortic stenosis or insufficiency (NOT discussed in class)
The goal is to show you understand how to apply conceptual nursing care across different diseases.
✍️ WHAT TO DO – BROKEN DOWN STEP-BY-STEP
✅ STEP 1: Choose and Introduce Your Concept
- ✅ You already did this: Perfusion
- In your introduction paragraph:
- Define perfusion in nursing.
- Mention why it’s important (ex: affects oxygen delivery, tissue health, survival).
- Briefly introduce your two exemplars: MI and Aortic stenosis/insufficiency.
- Write your thesis statement: You’ll be comparing these two diseases and how nurses can provide care under the concept of perfusion.
✅ STEP 2: Describe the Two Disease Exemplars
Do this in two separate sections (use headings!):
🔹 Section 1: Myocardial Infarction (MI)
- Pathophysiology: What happens in the body during an MI?
- Signs & symptoms
- Diagnostics: What tests are used?
- Treatments: Meds, procedures, surgery?
🔹 Section 2: Aortic Stenosis/Insufficiency (choose one)
- Pathophysiology
- Signs & symptoms
- Diagnostics
- Treatments
Use reliable sources (textbook, scholarly articles) and use APA in-text citations.
✅ STEP 3: Compare & Contrast Section
Make a new section: “Comparison of Myocardial Infarction and Aortic Valve Disease”
- Use a table or paragraph format.
- Point out:
- How are the two diseases similar (e.g., chest pain, decreased perfusion)?
- How are they different (e.g., causes, locations in the heart, treatments)?
✅ STEP 4: Introduce Interrelated Concepts
- In this section, explain that Perfusion overlaps with other nursing concepts.
- Choose 3 that make sense for both diseases. Good options include:
- Pain
- Oxygenation
- Mobility
- Cognition
- Fluid & Electrolyte Balance
✅ STEP 5: Nursing Care for Each Concept
For each of the 3 interrelated concepts:
- Assessments – List 3-4 things nurses should assess for. Example:
- For Pain: pain scale, heart rate, facial expression, restlessness
- Nursing Interventions – Choose 4–5 EBP interventions that are recent (within 5 years) and from nursing journals.
- Example for Pain: administer PRN meds, reposition, apply cold compress, reduce stimulation
💡 TIP: Use headings for each concept (e.g., “Pain Management in Perfusion Disorders”)
✅ STEP 6: Conclusion
- Restate your main point – that perfusion is a vital concept, and nurses can apply it across different conditions.
- Reaffirm the value of using conceptual models in nursing care.
✅ STEP 7: Reflection Paragraph
- This is personal! Add this at the very end.
- What challenged you while writing this paper? (Ex: finding good sources, understanding valve disease)
- What resources did you use? (Ex: textbooks, journal articles, tutoring, ChatGPT 😉)
✅ FORMATTING REMINDERS
- ✅ Use APA 7th edition:
- Title page (with running head, page number, centered title, name, etc.)
- Double-spaced, 12 pt Times New Roman
- Headings (Level 1, 2, etc.)
- In-text citations with author + year
- Reference page with at least 3–5 peer-reviewed sources
- ✅ Word count: Max 2800 words (include title, body, and reference page)