Challenges Nursing Students Face in Academic Writing
Challenges nursing students encounter with academic writing are not unique to nursing students. While many nursing students excel in the clinical aspects of the program, many struggle with the writing of essays, reports, and research papers. They struggle with writing in a formal academic style. They also find translating real life nursing experiences into formal writing difficult.
Assignments in nursing require students to use logic and evidence. They also require students to pay attention to and follow the rules of formal style and nurse writing. Academic writing can be difficult because of style and structural requirements. This is especially true for students at the beginning of their academic careers or students who have little writing practice.
This paper identifies existing challenges nursing students encounter and describes practical steps for improving writing.
Why Academic Writing Is Important in Nursing
Writing does not only have the purpose of achieving a grade. Writing also supports the development of important nursing skills.
Nurses must:
Be able to write notes on a patient
Be able to document and explain the rationale behind the patient’s care
Be able to coherently explain and document the care delivered to the patient
Be able to communicate with the other staff in the health care team
Be able to write with clarity and construct notes based on evidence to support and justify the care delivered to the patient.
Writing in Real Nursing Work
Nurses are able to practice and integrate the concept of evidence-based practice. The foundational skill in nursing practice is the ability to use writing to document care.
Why Nursing Students Struggle With Writing
As a nurse, writing is a considerable part of the practice. Care plans, patient records, incident reports, and clinical notes are all written. Writing that lacks clarity can lead to mistakes in the care of the patient. This is why universities emphasize teaching writing that is clear, simple, and accurate.
Clinical Knowledge Is Not Enough
One of the challenges nursing students encounter with writing is the inability to convert their practical experiences to writing.
Students have the potential to learn about the care of patients; however, many students are unable to substantiate their decisions theoretically or with research.
There are major distinctions between academic writing and clinical practice; the former requires order, evidence, and reasoning.
Description vs Critical Thinking
Of the actions that individuals describe, many students only present a mere description; however, the goal of a good academic writing is to present a critical assessment.
Description: What technique was performed?
Critical Description: Justification for the technique performed, assessment of the clinical judgment utilized, and the consequences that stemmed from the clinical practice.
For instance, in the case a student wants to say that a certain treatment proves to be effective, the student should consider writing:
Provide justification for the treatment
Cite supporting research
Describe limitations (if applicable)
Describe which patients (if applicable)
Weakness in clinical critical assessment remains one of the pervasive and prevalent issues present within the nursing writing.
Limited Academic Skills
Diverse educational systems and a lack of exposure to nursing writing are reasons for the writing issues nursing students are having.
Some students are entering from different educational systems and some are new to university writing. International students may have language challenges.
Academic Language and Tone
Formal and Simple Language
Nursing writing must be simple, but it should also be formal.
Good writing is demonstrably Better writing is evidenced based:
Communication is clearer
Grammar is simpler
Direct and professional
Complicated writing is the worst type of writing. It's preferred to use simple, straightforward writing.
Things to avoid:
Grammar Issues
Grammar and Sentence Problems
For many and especially English language learners, grammar and writing in cohesive sentences is a big struggle.
Some common issues include:
Missing punctuation
Repeated words
Long sentences
Confusing ideas
Weak links between paragraphs
Reading published works may assist in learning better sentence structures.
Planning and Essay Structure
Another issue for nursing students is a lack of planning. Some begin writing without fully comprehending the prompt, resulting in poor structure with skipped key ideas.
Understanding the Question
Some of the words used in a prompt that give writing instructions include:
Assess
Discuss
Differ
Justify
Interpret
Think about
These words require answering in different ways.
For example:
“Justify” means giving evidence and reasoning for an answer.
"Assess" means listing the advantages and disadvantages.
Comprehending the prompt is most important for writing.
Basic Essay Structure
An essay of this type is comprised of:
Introduction
An introduction that states the topic, it’s purpose, and your stance
Body Paragraphs
Subsequent body paragraphs that include a singular key idea, and supportive evidence with analysis
Conclusion
A concluding paragraph that restates the key ideas without leaving any new ideas.
Using Evidence in Nursing Writing
Within the discipline of nursing, writing must include supportive evidence from research.
Good sources include:
- Journal Articles
- Clinical Guidelines
- Nursing Textbooks
- Government Health Websites
Blogs and websites are lower quality and less reliable.
How to Use Evidence Properly
Students are expected to do more than just insert quotes in their writing. Well-structured paragraphs consist of:
- an argument
- evidence
- explanation of the evidence
- application of the evidence to nursing practice
The structure above demonstrates critical thinking.
Referencing and Plagiarism
Referencing is a major area where students struggle because they are unable to:
give credit to the authors
follow the citation style
properly list all the sources
Paraphrasing
Paraphrasing means writing ideas in your own words. It is not enough to change a few words.
Students must fully understand the idea before rewriting it.
Avoiding Plagiarism
- do not copy text
- remember to cite
- do not use unpublished notes
- do not submit previously submitted work
Note-taking is key in preventing plagiarism.
Time Constraints
Workload and Time Pressure
Nursing students have very busy and tiring schedules. Due to the time and energy demand of clinical practice, students find it difficult to write, causing additional stress and fatigue.
Managing Time Better
Students can manage their time better by breaking their work into the following steps:
- read the question
- plan the structure
- find the research
- write a draft
- edit and proofread
This step can be done in isolation to the quality of the writing. It is very important to simply start in order to reduce stress.
Writing Anxiety
Writing is a skill, and the more students practice writing, the better their writing will become. Students should not give up and should continue writing, and should reach out for assistance when needed.
Reflective Writing Challenges
Although writing reflectively is a common task in nursing courses and requires students to examine and contemplate experiences, the most difficult part is simply writing the first.
However, students tend to describe events without incorporating their analytical skills.
Good reflections answer the following questions:
What happened?
What was learned?
What could’ve improved?
How will the practice change?
The reflection enables the students to build skills required for their future role as a nurse.
Research Writing Difficulties
Selection of a topic
Review of several studies
Review and synthesis of findings
Writing a conclusion
This can become very difficult for students who are new to academic writing.
How to Improve Academic Writing
Reading academic articles
Writing frequently, and
Implementing tutor feedback, and
Creating a plan prior to writing.
Use University Support
Universities offer several types of support that include:
Writing support
Library support
Tutors, and
Online resources
These services should be utilized frequently.
Learn From Feedback
Implementing feedback leads to improvement. If the same issue is pointed out several times by the tutor, that should be the students’ main focus.
Proofreading Tips
Students should attempt to:
Ensure the main question has been answered
Structure has been repaired
Proofread for grammar mistakes
Proofread for mistakes with referencing
Ensure all references are complete, and
Read this work aloud as it helps with finding mistakes.
How Workplace Pressure Affects Nursing Students
Staff shortages and the wider nursing shortage can create a demanding working environment for students entering the nursing profession. During clinical placement, nurses work long hours while managing complex patient care, and students may also observe how registered nursing staff, mental health nursing teams and each care support worker provide nursing care under pressure. These conditions can affect people both physically and mentally, while nurses experience stress that may continue over the long term. A well-designed nursing programme should prepare students for the mental and physical demands of health care, promote avoiding burnout and teach safe ways to manage pressure. Better staffing, practical support and healthy workplace policies can improve patient outcomes and help nursing teams continue delivering high-quality care.
Conclusion
Nursing students face several challenges with academic writing that include structural writing, weak critical thinking, language issues, referencing challenges, and time issues.
All of these challenges are writing-related and can be improved.
Realizing the challenges of nursing students with academic writing can help educators support students in refining their writing skills, which is a crucial aspect for a safe and skilled graduate nurse.
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