How to write a Nursing Thesis Statement
How to Write a Thesis Statement For Nursing School
If you pay attention to professors’ rubrics, you know that a thesis statement has a place of honor and draws particular attention regardless of the class or paper type, or assignment. Any paper you turn in without a thesis statement will never get the top grade, even if it’s perfect otherwise. To help you score top marks, we’ll share a few tried-and-true tips and tricks on crafting a solid thesis for your nursing essay, research paper, or capstone project and include plenty of strong thesis statement examples.
What Is a Thesis Statement?
A thesis statement is a one-sentence summary of the core idea of your paper. Think of it as a movie tagline or an ad slogan. For most professors, a thesis statement is what “sells” your piece, be it a short essay or a doctoral dissertation. So you can’t be sloppy or go without a thesis statement without losing points off your grade and your professor’s regard.
What is the Difference Between a Nursing Thesis Statement and a Capstone?
There’s a common misconception of thesis and thesis statements being the same thing. In truth, a thesis in Nursing is a long-form paper written by MSN or Ph.D. students. A thesis statement, meanwhile, is merely a small but important part of any written work, including a capstone project. So do not confuse the two.
What is the Difference Between a Nursing Thesis Statement and a Dissertation?
The same logic applies to the difference between thesis statements and dissertations. The latter are full written works by postgrad students, while the former is crucial but tiny parts of the same.
Can a Thesis Statement Be a Question?
In some cases, such as capstone projects or research papers, thesis statements can take on the form of a question. For example, PICO formulas (patient-intervention - comparator - outcome) are very popular across the nursing academic community and are often used in undergraduate and postgraduate writing process.
Compare the two nursing thesis statement examples below to see the differences between a statement and a question:
Nursing interventions should address the physical, mental, and social aspects of depression to ensure positive patient outcomes in a hospital environment.
Are our physical, mental, or social nursing interventions more effective for treating depression in admitted patients in hospital environments?
How Long Should a Thesis Statement Be?
Specific nursing thesis statement requirements depend on the type of paper you’re working on. For DNP theses or Ph.D. dissertations, a PICOT question may be more appropriate than a statement. The same can apply to research papers and BSN and MSN capstone projects. Essays or all types usually rely on traditional thesis statements. In most cases, the thesis is no longer than a single sentence, though in some cases, they may be as long as a paragraph. If you’re unsure which style and volume of a thesis statement are appropriate in your case, consult the TA or professor.
Some papers do not require a thesis statement. For example, a nursing care plan and an incident report may not include a thesis.
Elements of a Thesis Statement
Specificity
Unless you’re writing a nursing handbook, you will be working on a very narrow topic. And so, your thesis statement should be specific enough to highlight the particular focus of your study.
Instead of writing:
Nurses are prone to burnout.
Narrow down the scope of your research:
Experienced emergency department nurses suffer occupational fatigue and burnout.
Precision
To make your specific thesis statement even better, avoid generalizations. Facts, numbers, and statistics from your research will make your thesis more impactful and credible. Remember to cite the sources if you use any reference data. Let’s make the previous thesis statement example more precise:
According to several studies, 50% of emergency department nurses with five to ten years of practical experience suffer occupational fatigue and burnout.
Arguability
A thesis statement is not merely about making a claim; it’s about stating your position or opinion on the problem. After all, if your conclusion is self-evident, why would you write a paper about it? So your thesis needs to be controversial. Let’s add some arguability to the previous example:
Overtime is the main reason 50% of emergency department nurses with five to ten years of practical experience suffer occupational fatigue and burnout.
Demonstrability
Aside from focusing on the problem of your paper, the thesis statement must also prepare the reader for the rest of your paper. Ideally, a thesis should read like a one-sentence summary or outline of the piece. Let’s amend our example of thesis statement to meet this requirement:
Over time, staff shortages, and high-stress levels are the main reasons 50% of emergency department nurses with five to ten years of practical experience suffer occupational fatigue and burnout.
Confidence
Once you are satisfied with the thesis statement structure and message, it’s time to work on the wording. Reread your thesis and consider the most effective, powerful, and precise words to tighten your writing and make it more impactful and memorable. Our nursing thesis examples can use a few finishing touches:
Over time, staff shortages, and stressful work conditions result in 50% of emergency department nurses with five to ten years of clinical experience suffering occupational fatigue and burnout.
How to Write a Thesis Statement
Brainstorm Ideas
After you’ve settled on a topic for your paper, make a list of controlling ideas. These should answer the “How” and the “Why” questions:
Why does your paper matter?
Why should your readers care about it?
How do you plan on solving the problem?
How will your solution make things better?
Jot down the answers and any other points that seem important before moving to the next step.
Pick Your Thesis Type
The structure and focus of the Nursing thesis statement hinge on the type of paper or writing you choose. Analytical and expository research papers will have a different thesis from an argumentative or persuasive essay or speech. Check out the next section to learn more about shifting the focus of the thesis and pick the type that suits your paper best.
Draft a Working Thesis
Use the info from the previous two steps to create a working thesis. Use appropriate structure for the thesis type and include all pertinent information without making the statement too long or complex. Keep it concise and understandable for your readers.
Remember Your Thesis
Highlight the thesis statement in your file and come back to it if you don’t know what to write next. Remember that every paragraph or section of your paper should be connected to the thesis statement. If you are tempted to add a side note that doesn’t tie to the thesis, think carefully about whether it’s really necessary or just a way for you to reach the word count limit sooner.
Revise the Final Version
No paper survives the editing round unscathed, and the thesis statement is no exception. As you research, analyze, and write, you’ll gain a deeper understanding of the topic, so your thesis statement will need to change. It’s only natural. So don’t try to keep it static. Instead, allow for improvements as long as they do not ruin the logical flow of your paper.
Nursing Thesis Statement Examples & Templates
As you skim through explanations and good thesis statement examples below, notice how the same basic idea can be represented from different angles and with a different focus depending on the type of paper and thesis statement. Use this knowledge to try different approaches and find the best thesis outline for your paper.
Argumentative Thesis Statement
For argumentative writing, you need to choose a controversial issue and pick one side to build your paper around. You may not address the opposite side of the argument in the thesis statement, but remember to include a rebuttal in your paper.
Nursing schools should focus on building technological competencies in place of communication skills, as the hospitals are coming to rely heavily on MedTech software and hardware to ensure positive patient outcomes.
Analytical Thesis Statement
If you want your readers to be aware of the different elements of the problem, break them down and highlight connections between them in an analytical thesis statement. Include your assessment of the issue and its components in a clear and concise statement:
Nursing school graduates should possess various clinical competencies and soft skills, but technological awareness and proficiency are becoming more critical as medical facilities implement medical software and hardware solutions.
Expository Thesis Statement
The easiest of all thesis statement types, expository statements explain or describe the core idea to the reader in a single statement, condensing details and focusing on the critical data. This type works well for many Nursing thesis topics and classes.
The current nursing school curriculum includes classes for developing clinical competencies, building soft skills, and gaining technological proficiency.
Compare and Contrast Thesis Statement
In this case, a thesis statement must include the two (or more) subjects under comparison, as well as highlight the core similarities and differences you will include in the paper. For long pieces, you do not need to list all comparison parameters; two or three should be enough.
Whereas technological competencies enable nurses to work efficiently and operate cutting-edge equipment and software, communication skills are necessary to establish rapport with the patients and ensure their psychological wellbeing; however, both are instrumental in securing successful and speedy recovery.
Cause and Effect Thesis Statement
As the name implies, a cause and effect Nursing thesis example should focus on the outcomes and their potential causes, be it a treatment or an intervention. For complex cases, you may include several potential causes or a handful of possible effects using reference data to support your prognosis.
Failure to include technological competency development in the nursing school curriculum may result in the nurse’s inability to use electronic health records, develop digital care plans, and utilize modern medical equipment, increasing patient risks and reducing the chances of positive healthcare outcomes.
Things You Should Avoid in a Nursing Thesis Statement
Hopefully, you now know the answer to “What is a thesis statement?” and how to write it. But to make it stick, let’s review a few common mistakes that will ruin your paper.
Know you made the wrong turn if your thesis statement is:
- Too broad. You can’t state that medicine cures diseases and consider it a thesis statement. The more precise your thesis statement is, the easier it will be for the readers to grasp the core idea of your paper.
- So obvious, no one would disagree with it. You don’t need to state that healthcare facilities need nurses and doctors. Instead, look for controversies and points that might cause discussion and arguments. These will make for a better thesis statement.
- Outrageous or unreasonable. It would be nice if the government had the money to double medical expenses per capita, but that will hardly happen on your say-so. Instead, consider realistic solutions to nursing problems, financial and otherwise.
- Declarative or descriptive. You don’t need to repeat what your paper is about. Instead of recycling the same facts or results, highlight the core idea you wish the reader to take away from your paper.