How to Write an Explanatory Nursing Essay

Explanatory essays are a common writing assignment in nursing school. These essays require you to objectively explain a concept, process, or issue relevant to nursing practice. This article will explain what an explanatory nursing essay is, provide an essay outline and structure, give step-by-step writing instructions, and include essay examples to help guide your explanatory writing.

What Is an Explanatory Nursing Essay

An explanatory nursing essay objectively elucidates a nursing-related topic without arguing a specific point of view. The aim is to educate readers on the essay topic by making complex health concepts, processes, or issues clear and easy to understand.

What is the Purpose of Writing Explanatory Nursing Essays?

Nursing professors assign explanatory essays to:

• Evaluate your ability to comprehend nursing concepts
• Assess your nursing knowledge and critical thinking
• Improve your skills in clarifying complex health topics
• Enhance your scientific and professional communication skills

In short, explanatory nursing essays assess and strengthen your expertise in translating complicated nursing phenomena into clear, layperson-friendly explanations.

Explanatory Essay Nursing Outline

Before writing, create an essay outline organizing your content into sections:

• Introduction
  • Hook
  • Background context
  • Thesis stating topic
• Body
  • Main point 1
  • Supporting evidence
  • Main point 2
  • Supporting evidence
• Conclusion
  • Restate thesis
  • Takeaways

Explanatory Nursing Essay Structure

The structure of an explanatory nursing essay is designed to present information and explanations clearly and logically. Here’s an overview of the typical structure:

Explanatory Nursing Essay Introduction

Crafting the introduction for an explanatory essay involves initially engaging your reader’s interest with a compelling opening, such as a thought-provoking question or a relevant anecdote. Following this, you introduce the topic at hand, providing a clear and concise overview that sets the stage for the issue or concept you will explore. It’s important to convey the significance of this topic within the nursing field, highlighting its relevance to current healthcare practices or its impact on patient care.

This introduction culminates in a well-defined thesis statement, which succinctly outlines the main point or argument your essay will develop, setting a clear direction for your analysis and discussion. Such an approach ensures that your introduction lays a solid foundation for the essay, guiding the reader into the heart of your topic with clarity and purpose.

Explanatory Nursing Essay Thesis Statement

In an explanatory nursing essay, the thesis statement plays a crucial role in guiding the focus and direction of your analysis. It should succinctly articulate the main idea or concept you aim to explain, providing a clear roadmap for your essay. A well-crafted thesis for this type of essay typically addresses a specific aspect of nursing, offering insight or clarification on it.

It’s important that the thesis be specific enough to give your essay direction, yet broad enough to allow for comprehensive exploration within the essay. The goal is to inform and clarify, so the thesis should reflect a clear and focused line of explanatory inquiry.

Explanatory Nursing Essay Body

The body of an explanatory nursing essay is where you develop your thesis, explaining and elaborating on the topic in detail. This section is structured into multiple paragraphs, each focusing on a specific aspect or point that relates to your main thesis. In an explanatory nursing essay, these paragraphs would typically cover different facets of the nursing concept or practice you’re discussing.

For instance, if your essay is about a particular nursing model, each body paragraph might explore different elements of that model, such as its historical development, key components, application in clinical settings, and its impact on patient care. It’s important to ensure that each paragraph has a clear focus and contributes to the overall understanding of the topic.

Use evidence, such as data, case studies, or literature from nursing and healthcare fields, to support your points. This not only strengthens your arguments but also shows the depth of your research and understanding. Moreover, explanations should be clear and detailed, aimed at elucidating the topic for readers who may not have a background in nursing.

Transitions between paragraphs are essential to guide the reader smoothly from one point to the next, maintaining a cohesive flow of ideas throughout the essay.

Explanatory Nursing Essay Conclusion

In the conclusion of an explanatory nursing essay, your primary goal is to succinctly wrap up your discussion, reinforcing the key points you have made and reaffirming the significance of your topic. This section is not just a summary but an opportunity to leave a lasting impression on the reader regarding the importance and implications of the nursing concept or practice you have explored.

Begin by briefly recapping the main arguments or insights presented in the body of your essay, highlighting how they collectively support your thesis. This recap should not introduce new information but rather synthesize what has been discussed in a way that underlines the coherence and depth of your analysis.

Then, reflect on the broader implications of your topic. Discuss the relevance of the nursing concept or practice to current healthcare challenges, its potential impact on patient outcomes, or its significance in the advancement of nursing knowledge and practice. This is where you can emphasize the real-world applicability and importance of the subject matter.

Lastly, you might wish to leave the reader with a final thought or a call to action. This could be a suggestion for further research, a question that encourages deeper consideration of the topic, or a statement about the future direction of nursing practice as it relates to your topic. The conclusion should close your essay on a thoughtful note, reinforcing the value of your work and its contribution to understanding a key aspect of nursing.

How to Write an Explanatory Nursing Essay Step-by-Step?

Follow these steps:

1. Produce an Idea

• Understand your prompt thoroughly.
• Choose a focused nursing topic to explain.

2. Make a Detailed Research

• Find sources like nursing journals to support explanations.

3. Use Appropriate Examples

• Include concrete examples and scenarios to illustrate points.

4. Create an Explanatory Essay Outline

• Organize sections and main points in logical flow.

5. Write an Outstanding Beginning

Grab attention with a surprising fact, story, or question. Provide necessary context about the nursing concept you’ll explain.

Explanatory Nursing Essay Introduction Example

Hook: Around 20% of adults experience chronic insomnia that negatively impacts health. Context: Sleep is a biological necessity, but many fail to understand the stages and mechanisms of normal sleep cycles…

6. Come Up With an Explanatory Nursing Essay Thesis Statement

State the specific nursing phenomenon to explain objectively.

Explanation Nursing Essay Thesis Statement Example

This essay will explain the stages of the human sleep cycle that occur during a normal night’s rest.

7. Support Your Ideas With Evidence

Explain each main point thoroughly. Use credible sources to lend authority and support to your explanations.

Example of an Explanatory Nursing Essay Body Paragraph

Topic Sentence: The first stage of sleep is known as non-rapid eye movement or NREM sleep. Explanation: NREM sleep is divided into three progressive stages ranging from light to deep sleep (cite source). Stage one marks the transition from wakefulness with slowed eye movements and reduced muscle activity (cite source). Stage two exhibits further brain wave slowing without eye movements (cite evidence). Stage three displays extremely slow brain waves signaling deep sleep (cite sources).

8. Summarize Your Explanatory Paper

Close by recapping key points and underscoring the importance of clearly understanding the nursing concept.

Example of Explanatory Nursing Essay Conclusion

In review, this essay explained the three stages of NREM sleep: light transition, true sleep, and deep sleep. Comprehending the full human sleep cycle is foundational knowledge nurses need to provide quality care related to sleep issues.

9. Proofread an Explanatory Nursing Essay

Revise for technical errors. Check for clear, cohesive language and smooth organization.

Explanatory Nursing Essay Format

• Double-spaced with 1-inch margins
• 12-point professional font
• APA formatted citations and references
• Page numbers and student name in header

Explanation Nursing Essay Examples

Explanatory essay prompts may include:

• Explain the mechanisms of acute inflammatory response.
• Explain how nursing leadership styles influence patient outcomes.

Explanatory Nursing Essay Writing Tips

• Stick to a neutral, objective tone without opinions.
• Define unfamiliar technical terms.
• Use headings and bullet points to organize details.
• Include educational diagrams if allowed.

Explanatory Nursing Essay Checklist

•  Objective explanation without argument or bias
•  Thesis identifies specific nursing concept
•  Organized structure and smooth flow of ideas
•  Content supported by credible nursing sources
•  Clear definitions of technical language
•  Objective tone maintained throughout

Final Thoughts on How to Write an Explanatory Nursing Essay

Writing concise, authoritative explanations of complex nursing concepts is an ability required continually throughout a nurse’s education and career. Use explanatory essay assignments to strengthen this essential competency. Explanatory writing can greatly enrich nursing knowledge and communication skills with the right approach.

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