Illness Narrative Paper: Total possible points: 20
The purpose of the illness narrative is to interview a person living with a chronic illness, research the illness, and compare the individual’s perspective of living with their chronic illness to research of the pathophysiology.
Paper Directions & Requirements:
Section 1: Introduction (1 paragraph)
• Introduce the client with basic demographics, i.e. age, gender, race. (Use initials to protect the identity of the client.)
• Identify the chronic disease the client is living with.
• Include a purpose statement that explains what the paper will cover.
Section 2: Research
• Succinctly and accurately describe the following topics related to the chronic illness using research: pathophysiology of your client’s chronic illness (1 page or less.) Etiology, pathogenesis, morphologic changes, clinical manifestations, diagnosis, and clinical course of their illness (approximately 1 paragraph each).
• Cite and paraphrase all research. Paraphrasing means rephrasing the words of an author, putting their thoughts in your own words. Paraphrased material must be cited.
! Choose a person to interview: Each student will interview a person of their choosing, who has a chronic illness, such a genetic disorder, cancer, diabetes, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, chronic kidney disease, or heart problems. The client you chose to interview may NOT be a client in your clinical practicum or a classmate. You are expected to interview consenting adult friends, relatives, or neighbors.
! Answer the prompt completely:
Section 3: Compare/Contrast client illness to pathophysiology research
• Using information from your interview, compare/contrast the individual’s perspective of living with their chronic illness with your descriiption of the pathophysiology from your research.
• The narrative should seek to capture the individual’s perspective of living with their illness, with all of its emotional, psychological, spiritual, and physical components
Paper Directions & Requirements:
! Language Use: Good writing is important. APA style values writing that is clear and concise. Choose your words deliberately and precisely, construct your sentences carefully to eliminate unneeded words, and use grammar properly.
! References/Sources: Use two to three references which include your textbook as well as medical and/or nursing articles. Make sure to included ALL the sources that you cite within your paper on your reference page, but only sources that you have cited in the text of the paper.
! APA Formatting: Paper should be formatted in APA 7 Student edition. (See APA basics handout for detailed formatting information)
o BasicFormatting:Double-spacedocument,useTimesNewRoman12,place page numbers in the upper right corner indent the first line of each paragraph .5 inch
o Headings:Includethefollowinglevel1headingscenteredinbold: Pathophysiology, Etiology, Pathogenesis, Morphologic changes, Clinical manifestations, Diagnosis, Clinical course, Narrative Comparison
o IntextCitations:Citesourceswithinthebodyofyourpaper.
o Titlepage:Includeatitlepagewithalltherequiredinformation
o ReferencePage:Includeareferencepagewiththearticlereference
! Paper length: The paper should be 4-5 full pages (not including the title or reference pages).
! Submit your final paper: Submit hard copy of the paper stapled (do not use a binder clip) and also upload a copy to Blackboard. Due Date See syllabus
Resources for Support:
Grading:
! Tutoring: Utilize the tutors from the Writing House online (WHO) to review your publish prior to final submission as needed. Schedule a live tutoring session or request asynchronous written feedback on your paper via WHO’s scheduling system: www.mywco.com/WHO
! APA Formatting: Link to APA formatting on the WHO homepage. https://www.umb.edu/editor_uploads/files/cnhs_files/APA_7_Student_Edition.pdf
Papers will be graded on the quality of the writing, the salience of the interviewee’s story, accurate descriiptions of the pathophysiology of the interviewee’s chronic disease, your analysis of the interviewee’s story compared to what you expected it to be, and the scientific integrity of the content. Please see rubric on next page.
Illness Narrative Rubric
Section/ Points Criteria/ Points
Score Comments
Introduction
0-2 pts
Introduction of the patient and the illness
o Introduces client with clear and complete demographic information.
o Identifies and defines the illness the client is living with
o Presents clear purpose statement
Research
0-9 pts
Research topic areas
Research is accurate and succinct; paraphrased cited correctly in APA; and covers all the following topic areas:
o Pathophysiology
o Etiology
o Morphological changes o Clinical manifestations o Diagnosis
o Clinical course
o Pathogenesis
Narrative
0-5 pts
Descriiption of the individual’s perspective and comparison of pathophysiology
o Narrative compare/contrasts the individual’s perspective of living with their chronic illness to the descriiption of the pathophysiology from your research.
o The narrative captures the individual’s perspective of living with their illness, with all of its emotional, psychological, spiritual, and physical components
APA/Language
0-4
Grammar, sentence structure, and language use. APA formatting use.
o Sentences are clear, concise and error free.
o Information is paraphrased.
o APA format is followed.
o Uses designated headings.
o Title and references pages included
Total Points