A review of the literature (literature review) is an overview of the past research works on a topic that a researcher intends to study. It critically evaluates compares and evaluates the published information on a particular topic. It allows an author to synthesize the research, put it into context as well as the relevant scholarly literature to the subject.

A literature review helps to map different the different approaches to a particular question while revealing the patterns. It forms a foundation for the subsequent research that an author of nursing research work will perform to bolster on the existing and justifies the importance of the new study. A literature review is a short introductory section of the research report, article or policy paper focusing on the recent research. A review can be extensive of the relevant research if the research is for theses, dissertations and review articles.

Sections of a review of literature for nursing research

All literature reviews have these major sections.

Introduction: indicates the general state of the literature in a topic

Methodology: An overview of the method of searching, the precise sources and subject terms to enable others access and reproduce this scholarly work.

Findings: A summary of significant findings in the field

Discussion: The general progression from the wider to smaller studies with a specific focus

Conclusion: Conclusion is at the end of every major section b of nursing research. It notes an overall state of research focusing on the significant synthesized conclusions, problems in research and possible avenues for further studies on the subject.

Writing the Review of Literature for Nursing Research

Writing a literature review should be in bibliographic essay format. The writer should briefly cite with the body, but the full bibliographic citations should be at the end. A good review of literature should be well organized in this format.

1.Start with an introductory paragraph

The first paragraph is the introduction of a literature review. It should clearly define the research topic, the scope of the paper (even the material that is not included) and writing style in which the writer will organize the review. The writer should outline the critical debates and trends within the literature concisely. An introduction should provide the author's point of view or perspective on the topic. The writer can use the opening to point out the general trends, conflicts in conclusions or methodology and gaps in research.

2. Organize major topic and subtopic in the body

Organizing topics and subtopic in a review of literature should be organized in groupings. The groupings can be by subject (e.g., globalization of preventive care), type of research (e.g., case study), genre, methodology (e.g., quantitative or qualitative), chronology or the other common characteristics. The author is free to discuss the merits of the items within the groupings, analyze as well as compare the importance of each.

A writer should organize the body into various paragraphs corresponding to the field of nursing, different themes or the time periods in literature to increase readability. A few paragraphs should highlight the outstanding gaps in the literature and propose the directions for future researches. When appropriate, the writer can explain the relevance of the sources.

3.Summarize the ideas and themes in the conclusion

The concluding paragraph should summarize the ideas and themes of a review of literature but only the most significant. The conclusion should not introduce new material. A proper conclusion summarizes the key findings and makes it clear how the review of the literature supports (or disputes) the research. It should also provide an insight into the way a topic fits in the nursing research and profession.

A literature review should have proper referencing in the format the nursing school or faculty requires. It will be incomplete without a list of references or a bibliography in the needed format after the conclusion. I the list of sources am a standalone section that includes full citations for all the items in the literature review. The frequent formats for a nursing list of references include APA, MLA, APA and Chicago style.

The best review of literature evaluates the quality and current sources that are less than ten years unless the analysis is historical or are widely cited. It is essential to search for literature from various types of publications such as books, government documents, nursing databases, and journals. References on articles and books can help to find additional sources.

Some nurses might feel that their job restricts them at a low cadre of healthcare and want to try entrepreneurship to gain more independence, pursue their passions and enjoy flexible working hours. A nurse entrepreneur is that who uses knowledge, training and medical expertise to create and develop an own business within the healthcare field. The creation of business is through the use of creativity, investigating strategies, problem-solving and creating business systems.

1.Tips to become a nurse entrepreneur

Maybe you feel that after offering care to patients in employment, it is time to start a business. These tips will help you to start and follow your interest.

2.Identify a problem in healthcare

Businesses start and thrive because they solve specific issues that have made people yearn for solutions. It means that a business idea by a nurse will not grow if it does not address specific problems but satisfies the personal needs of a nurse. Nurses who want to get into entrepreneurship should think critically and determine if a healthcare problem exists in the community and needs a solution that they can provide. A good starting point is to begin is to list down all potential issues including those that people take for granted such as few nurses with nursing informatics, patient education skills or lack of nurses' training centers. The business that fits tightly to the nursing skills that a potential possesses should be the first choice for a nurse to begin if it does not have other hindrance that world prevents a smooth take off.

3.Choose a business idea relating to a nurse’s passion and skills

Self-assessment is an important `consideration before starting a business. Self-assessment helps to identify your strengths and weaknesses. Self-assessment helps to identify the business ideas that suit your passion, skills, and personality. For instance, you can start a nursing staffing agency to train aspiring caregivers or nurses if you love teaching. If you love writing, you can delve into blogging or medical copywriting because your passion will give you head start in the freelance business that you will feel as if it’s a way of pursuing a hobby.

4.Identify the target market

A business idea is a baby step on a slow path towards becoming a nurse entrepreneur. A new business will flourish if you identify a specific market that has a will to buy or hire your service. These approaches enable you to determine if there is a demand for products or services.

1.Start by asking around a particular community if they need the type of service you want o read or read forums on your business idea

2.Find and discuss your business idea with other nurses who offer similar services or products to those you have in mind

The chances are that your business idea is feasible if there is a demand for your service or product.

5.Study the competition carefully

A thorough study of the competitors before starting a business increases chances of its success. It is crucial to study the competitors because some markets are saturated. It is essential to determine the strategies that competitors use and define better business ideas that will help you to offer something new to clients.

6.Act quickly

Postponing implementation of business ideas is a reason why many nurses who desire to offer something in the healthcare market fail to break the ground. It is impossible to know if a business idea can work out unless you launch it. You should start by offering the service and adjust the way of running it once you identify weaknesses.

The market dictates the fate of a business, and it is impossible to learn these insights by delaying the launch. Understanding the market enables you to get the bearing right by identifying the strengths and weaknesses. You might even change, reduce or expand the target market.

Planning is the first step to become a nurse entrepreneur. The second step is starting it without waiting for long. It might be tough in the first days, but you will learn about the right services or products for the target market.

Nurses and other caregivers spend more time with patients than doctors or even their families. Doctors might get most of the glory for treatment, but caregivers perform the essential tasks including giving medication, feeding, cleaning, helping with exercises and any other thing that contributes to recovery by patients.

Nurses command respect and trust, but this begins by striking a rapport with the patients. Making a positive connection with the patients is essential for fulfilling nursing practice. The patients also benefit because they experience safer care and will probably feel better about the work and this is the thing that makes a nurse happy. Here are great ways of establishing a rapport with patients

1.Start conversation with an introduction

It is friendly to begin attending to a patient before an introduction. The patient can identify a nurse due to scrubs and roles but will not appreciate someone who starts performing tasks without introduction about his or her role in the clinical team. First words play a significant role in building a positive relationship with patients. It shows patients about the desire by the nurse to let patients know the purpose of the visit and duties to perform when taking care of them.

Nurses attend to patients in a personal space and walking in on them without an introduction might feel like an invasion of their privacy. They will feel odd if someone, for instance, starts taking their temperature or heart rate without explaining the purpose. A time when nurses can work without an introduction is when a patient is asleep or during an emergency that requires helping a doctor to perform the fast treatment or evacuation.

2.Communicate well and frequently

Effective communication is the foundation of establishing trust with patients. A nurse can go through an introduction phase with a patient effortlessly, but it will work better with an attempt to develop a snapshot of other life. A conversation after a "know you phase" can focus on learning about hobbies, family, friends their usual daily activities and working environment.

Communicating frequently makes nurses to become a party of patients’ lives. They can take advantage of the moment to communicate issues that can help a patient such educating them about their health challenges and provide them hope that they will heal.

Communication is a two-way process. It is essential that nurses also listen to the thoughts, comments, and concerns by the patients as well as ask to follow up questions before a conclusion.

3.Keeping promises

Doing things that nurses say is a highly efficient way to build a strong rapport with the patients. Patients trust nurses who return to do the things that they promise. It is the reason why it is wrong for nurses to promise things that they are unable to perform because the patient will see it as n underperformance. Waiting can be stressful for nurse’s patients and make them vulnerable to other conditions.

Nurses should inform the patient if the ability to perform a task changes. They must avoid being defensive if the reason for failing to fulfill something is because of another person. A complaint about staffing issues is a preserve of the supervisor but not the patients.

4.Personalize the conversations

Patients especially those in inpatient care are scared of their condition or feel uneasy about the environment. You can ease their stay by determining and discussing the things that they like. Discussions revolving about aspects they hold in high regard make a patient notice that a nurse desires to understand them as a person and not just their illness. Nurses can build a trusting relationship by taking extra time to connect with patients after attending to their care duties as they feel the appreciation. A patient stops seeing nurses who go beyond treating them as "in-patient number 1000 in room 10" as any caregiver. They appreciate that someone first sees him or her as a human being.

Nurses ill strike a rapport and maintain a relationship by actively listening to their patients. It seems callous when the nurse listens while charting, writing or working, entering data on the computer or performing other tasks without responding. It would be wrong to interrupt the patient but nodding, repeating something he says, acknowledging words and eye contact shows that a nurse is taking comprehending.

A hospice nursing job is one of the extremely sensitive but fulfilling healthcare roles. Working at a hospice provides a chance of taking care of critically ill patients at their last moments of life.

Providing hospice care focuses on palliative that aims at providing the best comfort to the patients at their critical moments no matter the stage of their illness. Becoming a hospice nurse requires a nurse to gain a unique set of qualifications. These are the essential steps towards becoming a hospice nurse who can provide palliative care.

1. Get a degree or diploma

The first thing that a nurse would do in preparation for becoming a hospice nurse is to complete a degree course and obtain a Bachelor of Science Degree in Nursing (BSN) degree. It is the common pathway for many although some enter into the practice through and ASN (Associate of Science in Nursing) Diploma. The difference between BSN and ASN lies in the number of years. A degree program takes four years to complete at a university or tertiary education school. ASN program takes 2-3 years at a community college or nursing school. Completing a BSN and ASN program makes graduate nurses eligible for NCLEX-RN.

Nurses studying to become an RN learn in a classroom and clinical setting. You should request for placement on hospice setting for clinical and rotations if you plan to pursue a hospice nursing career. Working in such a setting provides an insight into the character and environment it takes to provide palliative care.

2.Pass licensure examination

Newly graduated nurses must obtain a license before they can start practice. For instance, you need to pass a National Council Licensure Examination (NCLEX-RN) exam to earn a license for working as a registered nurse.

3.Pass a hospice and palliative nurse certification exam

Some hospice care facilities hire nurses without demanding certification of hospice and palliative nurses. The best preparation is to acquire appropriate certification even when already working in a hospice care facility because the next one or the current employer might ask for it.

Certification comes from a national board. The United States has a strict certification system which leads to a high quality of nursing care. National Board for Certification of Hospice and Palliative Nurses is the only board of nursing with authority to certify hospice care nurses in the US.

The board recommends that applicants should have a valid RN license and have experience of at least two years in hospice and palliative care nursing. Nurses who secure an application should pass an examination consisting of 150 itemized questions. Successful applicants get a credential after passing the exam as the certification to become a certified Hospice and Palliative Nurse.

4.Garner experience by working in hospice care facilities

Certified hospice and palliative nurses have more chance to find work at hospice care facilities. Certification provides an opportunity to be more knowledgeable in the chosen field of nursing. It gives a certified nurse more edge in finding the best option for hospice jobs and participates even more effectively in interdisciplinary care of hospice patients.

A Hospice and Palliative Nurses Certification does not mean that it is the peak of becoming a full-fledged hospice nurse. Certification should be the beginning of engagement in continuing education program and professional activities relating to hospice care. These activities enrich the experience and competence to be a hospice nurse and are helpful when renewing certification.

5.Renewing Hospice and Palliative Nurses Certification

Renewing licensure should take place every four hours through RN hospice and palliative accrual for recertification. The recertification assimilates points for a continuing education program and other professional activities relating to hospice care to enable renewing of certification without a need to take another test.

Hospice nurses can work in facilities that provide palliative care or home settings. It is essential to start by becoming familiar with the qualities that recruiters require in applicants. Ability to cope with emotional stress and excellent communication skills are essential qualities in addition to academic qualifications for those wraith ambitions to be a hospice nurse.