Library Research Guides for Nursing Students:
Nursing as a Profession paper (NUR 254)
The MEC Library has many resources to help you write your Nursing as a Profession paper. Besides those listed on this page, the library offers 1-hour classes to help you do your research for this paper. Attendance is strongly encouraged!
In this assignment, students are asked to write a professional academic paper on nursing as a profession. Using specific lists of professional criteria and characteristics, students must determine how well nursing measures up.
1) First Step: Prepare
Thoroughly read the assignment in your syllabus to be sure you understand what's expected. Then read the assigned chapter in your textbook.
2) Locate Books, E-books, & Videos
Books:
There are many ways to search the library catalog for books on nursing as a profession. Here is one way to search:
- Under Choose Search Type, select Subject (LC) begins with...
- In the search box, type nursing-social aspects
- You can also try a Keywords Anywhere search for nursing and profession.
In addition to what you can find in the catalog, the MEC Library has some books on reserve that may be helpful to you for this assignment. Reserve items are kept behind the front desk. Please note that you must have your NOVA Card to check out reserve items, and those items must stay in the library while you are using them:
- Hood, L., & Leddy, S. (2006). Conceptual bases of professional nursing. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
- Tappen, R., Weiss, S., & Whitehead, D. (3rd ed., 2004). Essentials of Nuring Leadership and Management. Philadelphia: F.A.Davis.
- Zerwkh, J., & Claborn, J.C. (5th ed., 2006). Nursing today: Transition and trends. Philadelphia: Elsevier.
E-Books:
The best way to search for e-books is to use the library catalog. In order to use e-books from off campus, you will need to log in with your VCCS/myNOVA username and password.
After you do a search in the catalog, anything that says Internet - Books - Online access in the Call Number column is an e-book that you can read online.
Videos
The best way to search for online videos is to use the library catalog. In order to use e-books from off campus, you will need to log in with your VCCS/myNOVA username and password.
Anything that says Internet - Videos - Online access in the Call Number column is a video that you can view online.
3) Find Peer-Reviewed Journal Articles
Below are suggested databases for locating peer-reviewed journal articles on nursing as a profession.
To access the specialized Nursing & Allied Health library databases:
- Visit the Libraries web site at www.nvcc.edu/library
- In the middle of the screen, click on the link for Articles & More
- Scroll down past the section titled "General Databases" to "Subject Specific Databases"
- Click on Allied Health and Nursing
- Select your database. If you are off campus, you will need to enter your myNOVA username and password.
To limit your search to peer-reviewed articles:
Many databases contain a mix of resources, and not all of them are peer-reviewed. In each database, look for an option to limit your search to peer-reviewed publications (sometimes under Search Options, Advanced Search, or Limits).
Suggested databases:
3) Find Web Sites
Focus on .edu (education) and .gov (government) sites. When using most Internet search engines, you can limit your search to just .edu or just .gov sites by adding site:.edu OR site:.gov to the end of your search string. When in doubt, check with your professor to make sure the web sites you have chosen are acceptable.
Here are a few to get you started:
- Center for Nursing Advocacy: Increasing Public Understanding of Nursing
Q&A: Are you sure nurses are autonomous?
- Maryland Department of Health and Mental Hygiene: Health Professional Licensing in Maryland
Scroll down to Board of Nursing/Electrology Committee.
- NurseWeek
Editor's Note: Profession or trade? It's up to nurses to answer the age-old question.
- Occupational Outlook Handbook: Registered Nurses
published by the US Department of Labor's Bureau of Labor Statistics, the Occupational Outlook Handbook provides information on many occupations, including training/education needed for each.
- Virginia Department of Health Professions
Mission: "To enhance the delivery of safe and competent health care by licensing qualified health care professionals, enforcing standards of practice, and providing information to both practitioners and consumers of health care services."
Created by Beth DeAngelo. Last updated January, 2012.