Week 1 Underpinnings of Issues

Lesson 1a: Issues Analysis

Introduction

The purpose of the executive summary is to hone skills in reflection and evaluation related to issues in nursing and healthcare, apply supporting literature, synthesize and summarizing readings in a clear concise manner. These skills are important qualities of nurse leaders, who frequently encounter recurring issues in nursing and healthcare.
 
Lesson 1a Activities:
  1. Read Cowen and Moorhead (2011) (W1O2?)
  2. Complete an executive summary on your assigned chapter, as posted under Syllabus and Handouts on the Course Home page. There is an Executive Summary example below; use the same format for your Executive Summary. Executive summary is due per calendar date at 11:55 PM. Click here to submit your Executive Summary to the Discussion Forum. 
 
Next: After completing your Executive Summary, continue to Lesson 1b. Notice that the Lesson 1a and 1b assignments are within the same forum, with two different discussion threads.

Executive Summary - Websites, Examples, & Rubric

Overview:
Notice these executive summary guidelines recommend an executive summary be brief and capture key ideas . We are going to use the guideline of two double spaced pages in this course. The web sites refer to an executive summary of a report; substitute the word 'chapter' for 'report' when reviewing the information. If you have difficulty with the link, google with the information provided to locate the web site and also email faculty. The college web site addresses seem to change frequently. Thank you!

Websites:

Writing Guide: Executive Summaries

Colorado State University. (2011). Writing @ CSU. Writing Guide: Executive summaries. Retrieved from http://writing.colostate.edu/guides/documents/execsum/
 
Handout on Report Formats
This executive summary is a little longer, though provides an example on page two with recommendations for action at the end. Your executive summaries should be a maximum of two pages and the "Now What" should provide recommendations related to current and future issues.   
Purdue University. (2011). The OWL at Purdue Writing Lab. Handout on report formats. _Scroll down for information on writing an Executive Summary. Retrieved from http://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/owlprint/726/ 
 
Executive Summary Rubric and Example:
Click here to view an example of an Executive Summary.
 
This Rubric for the Executive Summary will help you to know what to expect.