Written Qualifying Examination - UCLA School of Nursing

UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA, LOS ANGELESSchool of NursingDOCTORAL PROGRAMWRITTEN QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONSUMMER 2013TABLE OF CONTENTSPageInstructions for Preparing the Examination 2Format and Evaluation Criteria of the Written Qualifying Examination Paper 3‐5Sample Cover Sheet 6Sample Table of Evidence 7Exam is due no later thanThursday, June 27, 2013 at 12:00PM (Noon)Exam Code: ____________UCLA SON PhD Written Qualifying Exam Instructions: Summer 2013 1

INSTRUCTIONS FOR PREPARING THE EXAMINATIONPrepare an original scholarly paper in which you: (1) identify a researchable problem and/orphenomena of study, (2) discuss the philosophical underpinnings that shape your view of the problemor phenomena, (3) discuss and appropriately apply a conceptual or theoretical framework, (4) providea thorough review of the literature, and (5) provide a discussion and summary that describes thesignificance of your contribution to nursing science and how your research will shape nursing practiceand the delivery of health care. You have until Thursday June, 27 th at noon to prepare your paperconforming to the required examination paper format (see page 5) and the guidelines below.All exams will be judged as PASSED or NOT PASSED. The written qualifying examination will be gradedby at least two readers. Two passing scores must be achieved. If one reader passes the exam and onereader fails it, the exam will go to a third reader whose score will be the deciding factor. Thosestudents who do not pass the exam the first time are permitted to re‐take the exam one time. In thiscase, students will be given two weeks to review the comments of the faculty evaluating their examand resubmit their revised examination before the beginning of the Fall Quarter. If a student fails theexam a second time, he/she will be terminated from the program.Examination Preparation Guidelines1. Once the exam is received, it is expected that you will not discuss the exam with your advisoror seek consultation from other faculty, students or staff about the exam. It is expected thatyou comply with the UCLA Code of Academic Integrity and Honesty.2. Your paper will be identified by an assigned number (Exam Code). Your name should not beincluded anywhere in paper. An electronic copy of the exam (Word Doc or PDF format) is dueto the Director of Academic Affairs Post‐Licensure (Jay True jtrue@sonnet.ucla.edu) no laterthan 12:00PM (noon) on Thursday, June 27th, 2013. Title the email subject line “QualifyingExam Code # (inserting your code number)”. Failure to email and submit your paper by thedeadline will result in non‐conformance to exam guidelines and a fail grade.Your exam will be submitted to turnitin.com to detect possible plagiarism.3. If you have questions about the written qualifying exam, please email the CurriculumCommittee Chair Eunice Lee, Ph.D., GNP (eclee@sonnet.ucla.edu).4. One retake is allowed. Retakes will be scheduled during the Summer. There is at least onemonth between when you are informed of your exam grade and when a retake would be due.A similar process as described for Summer Quarter will be followed.5. Your exam results will be emailed to your official UCLA email account. All examination resultsare sent on the same day. Do not contact faculty or staff members for your results; they willbe emailed as soon as all scores are available.6. Examinations are randomly assigned and blindly reviewed by two faculty members, and in theevent of a Pass and a Fail grade, a third faculty member will evaluate the examination. If thestudent's paper receives a failing grade from two readers, the student will have to retake theexamination.UCLA SON PhD Written Qualifying Exam Instructions: Summer 2013 2

7. Your paper will be identified by the Exam Code assigned by the Academic Affairs Office. Yourname must not be included anywhere in your paper. If you lose your exam code, pleasecontact Jay True (jtrue@sonnet.ucla.edu).8. The paper must be your independent work. You must adhere to the Academic Integrityand Honesty pledge. No discussion, consultation or sharing of information regarding thepaper will be allowed. Your paper may not be a duplication of a paper written duringgraduate school. You may not discuss the examination with faculty, preceptors or fellowstudents. Any questions about this policy should be directed to Committee Chair EuniceLee, Ph.D., GNP (eclee@sonnet.ucla.edu).9. Editorial assistance may be requested but the student must provide a strong case forrequesting assistance. Requests for editorial assistance must be submitted in writing bythe student on or before Friday June 14, 2013 and approved by the Faculty CurriculumCommittee Chair. Email your request to Jay True (jtrue@sonnet.ucla.edu). All requestsmust include a written statement of your rationale for the request and must indicate thename and contact information for the editor selected and a brief summary of theirqualifications should be included. Alternatively, students with approved requests foreditorial assistance may also elect to see writing consultants at the Graduate WritingCenter (part of the Graduate Student Resource Center), which is a free service. In thatcase, you may identify your editor as: Marilyn Gray, PhD, the Coordinator of the GraduateWriting Center, who will serve as the point person and liaison with the Center’s writingconsultants. When approved, you may contact her by email: mgray@saonet.ucla.eduCAVEAT: The Graduate Writing Center only allows weekly meetings with consultants,scheduled in advance electronically. The Center is closed during all University holidays.10. Special accommodations through the OSD (Office for Students with Disabilities) willrequire previous registration and authorization from that office by Friday June 14, 2013and will need formal approval by the Associate Dean of Academic Affairs. Email yourrequest to Jay True (jtrue@sonnet.ucla.edu).11. Grading will be Pass‐Fail. Please review the specific writing criteria located on page 5.12. Evidence of plagiarism will result in a failing grade. You are strongly urged to visit the followingwebsite for directions on accurate citation and paraphrasing in research papers:http://owl.english.purdue.edu.a) Click on the link for Non‐Purdue Instructors and Studentsb) Click on the link for Research and Citationc) Click on the following links: Avoiding Plagiarism and Quoting, paraphrasing andsummarizing.UCLA SON PhD Written Qualifying Exam Instructions: Summer 2013 3

WRITTEN QUALIFYING EXAMINATION PAPER FORMAT1. Create a Cover Sheet to accompany each copy of your paper (see Sample on p. 6). TheCover Sheet should include:a. The quarter you take the exam, e.g., Summer 2013;b. Exam Code numberc. Indicate whether you received approved editorial assistance.2. 20 page minimum, 30 page maximum (excluding references, tables‐including TOE, andfigures which should be included at the end of the text).3. Typed: 12 point font size (Times New Roman), double‐spaced, one‐inch margins on allsides.Note: This is an example of the minimum type-size font to use when typing your paper.You may use an equivalent font to that used in this example, which is:Times New Roman 11 pt.4. A sample Table of Evidence is provided (Page 7) to assist you with formatting. You mustuse the same column headings as the sample provided and include DOIs when available.5. Adhere to Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) (5 th or 6 thedition) for further guidance.6. Use your exam code number in place of your name at the bottom of each page.7. Paginate your document at the top.UCLA SON PhD Written Qualifying Exam Instructions: Summer 2013 4

CRITERIA FOR PASSING THE WRITTEN QUALIFYING EXAMINATIONA passing exam is one that provides answers which are complete, logical and responsive. All crucialaspects of the exam must be answered accurately and in detail. The examination should address each ofthe following criteria:Problem definition (25%) Describing the problem and/or phenomena of study Describing the philosophical underpinnings that influence your view of the researchproblem and/or phenomena of studyTheoretical Framework (20%) Describe and appropriately apply your selected theoretical or conceptual frameworkto the phenomena of studyLiterature Review (25%) Write a thorough review of the literature that uses primary data resources andclassical papers from peer reviewed journals Summarize what is known and what gaps exist in the literature—Table of EvidenceSignificance (20%) Show evidence that you understand the strengths and weaknesses of the statisticalmethods used and the author’s statement of findings and implications for futurestudies. Your summary and discussion clearly articulate how your research will contribute tonursing science and how it might shape nursing practice and delivery of health careFormat (10%) A minimum of 20 pages and maximum of 30 pages excluding table and references A table listing the main studies in the review of literature with details about focus,sample methods, results with statistical tests, and conclusions ( Table of Evidence,TOE) A reference list of literature cited in the exam using APA format Spelling, grammar, clarity, organization appropriate for graduate‐level scholarly paper.UCLA SON PhD Written Qualifying Exam Instructions: Summer 2013 5

UCLASchool of NursingWritten Qualifying ExaminationCover SheetQuarter: Summer 2013Exam Code:__________Please check one of the following:I did not receive editorial assistance:I received approved editorial assistance:____________By submitting my comprehensive exam, I acknowledge all work as my own independent effort. I alsoagree to adhere to the University’s policies regarding academic integrity. This paper is my ownindependent effort. In effect, I did not consult with fellow students, professional colleagues or others towrite this examination. This is not a paper prepared for another course. If I used editorial assistance, Ihave received approval from the School of Nursing Curriculum Committee Chair.UCLA SON PhD Written Qualifying Exam Instructions: Summer 2013 6

CITATION PURPOSE SAMPLE/SETTINGKelly A.M., Retrospective n= 157 visits of 126Brumby, C., study to find patients to theBarnes, C. (2005). the impact of emergencyNurse-initiated, Nurse-initiated department of thetitrated IV opioid protocol on Western hospital atanalgesia reduces time to first Melbourne, Australia.time to analgesia opioid dose. with diagnosis offor selected painfulrenal or biliary colic.conditions. Can JEmerg Med,7(3):149-54Fry, R., Ryan, J.,Alexander, N.(2004). Aprospective studyof nurse initiatedpanadeine forte:Expanding painmanagement.Accident andEmergencyNursing, 12 (3),136-140. doi:10.1016/j.aaen.2004.02.006Muntlin, A.,Carlsson, M.,Safwenberg, U.,Gunningberg, L.Prospectiveexploratorystudy toevaluate theeffectiveness ofusing a specificdrug just aftertriage by RNQuasiexperimentalstudy tocompareN = 202. 96% ofpatients n= 195 metcriteria and receivedthe drug. n = 7 (3%)received PanadeineForte without meetingcriteria. Conductedin a referral hospital'sED in Australia in2003 for 12 weeksABA phase Quasiexperimentalstudywith n = 50 for A1, n= 100 for B and n =METHODS RESULTS DISCUSSION &LIMITATIONSMedical records of the 37% of samples received Generalizability maypatients were NI and 63% by non NI; not be possible asreviewed using a data Inter-rater reliability of NI study includes nursingcollection tool by two or non NI was measured on staff with training,researchers.82% of records with Kappa Nurse patient ratios,Demographics and analysis yielding 0.92. legal and politicalwhether analgesia was Median time to first dose issues may be differentNurse initiated (NI) or was 37 min for the NI in hospital setting.doctor initiated were analgesia group and 57 min The groups were notidentified from August for the second group randomized; treatment1, 2002 - January 31, (Mann-Whitney U test). group were identified2003. Data analysis No respiratory depression post hoc by chartwas done using Chi were identifiedreview.square and DescriptiveDocumentation errorsstatisticsand omissions possibleAnalogue scale wasused to measure pain.Data tool developedfor the study collectedadherence to theprotocol. Data wasanalyzed using theSPSS package.Nurses were educatedto assess pain and useof pain protocol.Questionnaire for ED202 patients received thedrug with an average timeof 23 min; median timewas 6 min. Average painscore prior to receiving thedrug was 68 mm and afterthe drug administration was38 mm on the analoguevisual scale of 100 mm.Wilcoxon signed rank testwith p < 0.001 showedstatistically significantlower pain scores after thedrug was given.Pain managementimproved along withpatients perception of pain.Intervention phase showedStudy cannot beconducted in ED's withinexperienced nurses.Convenience samplemakes generalizabilitydifficult. Outcomeunknown regardingpatients left withoutphysician evaluation.Study had a vastexclusion criteria.Questionnaire notfilled out by allpatients resulting indrop outs. SomeUCLA SON PhD Written Qualifying Exam Instructions: Summer 2013 7

(2011) Outcomes ofa nurse-initiatedintravenousanalgesic protocolfor abdominal painin an emergencydepartment: Aquasi-experimentalstudy. InternationalJournal of NursingStudies, 48(1), 13 -23. doi:10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2010.06.003betweenstandard caregiven in the EDas opposed tousing nurseinitiatedopioidanalgesic50 A2 at a Swedishuniversity hospitalED.patients wasdeveloped to find outperceptions of painmanagement. Medicalrecords reviewed tocollect data on painassessment, time toanalgesic, transit timein the ED, frequencyof analgesicadministration.a significant reduction inreceiving analgesic.patients refusedanalgesic during theintervention phase anddid not completequestions.Generalizability stillshould be only toEmergencydepartments with sametype setting andpatients.UCLA SON PhD Written Qualifying Exam Instructions: Summer 2013 8