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Assessment 2: Essay Posting date: Length: Friday, 16 September 2011 (Week 8)

3000 words

Weighting: 50% Learning outcomes: 1, 2 and 3

The written assignment will be an academic essay. The essay must adopt a critical approach. You may like to refer to the following detailed guidelines to assist you in undertaking a critical approach to your assignment. You must answer the following question: Continuous renal replacement therapy (CRRT) has significantly improved outcomes for patients in intensive care with acute kidney injury/acute renal failure. Critically discuss this statement from the perspective of the management of the patient with acute kidney injury/in acute renal failure in intensive care. You may like to consider the points on the following page in your assignment (please note these points are a guide only): What is your position to the statement? Identify modes of CRRT. Consider intermittent haemodialysis. Justify your position through discussion of clinical studies undertaken in the following possible areas: Current modes and dosage of CRRT: evidence-based practice approach impact on patient outcomes. Future research perspectives. The essay must adopt a critical approach. This means you must provide a critique of current clinical studies as the basis of your discussion. You may like to refer to the guidelines detailed below to assist you in undertaking a critical approach to your assignment.

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What is a critical discussion?

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A critical discussion/analysis is an approach that you should take to reading, writing and clinical practice. It should take you past the level of accepting everything that is written. In a clinical setting, critical analysis should assist you to find the best solution to a problem by exploring all the options logically and in depth. Applied to your writing, it means that you should analyse rather than describe. Therefore, you do not repeat or reproduce a collection of facts. The goal of writing a critical analysis is to take a position (either agree or disagree) based on a thorough assessment of an issue, not your personal opinion. This assessment should highlight factors such as the differences between two or more approaches to a problem, and the benefits and drawbacks of two or more options or positions on a problem or issue of concern. Most importantly, you should provide strong evidence to support your position. Evidence is, of course, appropriate literature support and logical explanation/argument. Criticism does not have the same negative connotation as in an appraisal, where the critic may criticise or decry work. Criticism carries with it the broader connotations of discernment. This includes all the interpretations that a number of different writers have contributed to the debate around the particular issue that you are discussing. Some notes on writing a critical discussion 1. Read widely (that is, from a variety of sources and authors) around your chosen topic. You need to be well informed before you can move into writing a critical discussion. Ensure that you present your position in a logical, organised manner and that there is: Adequate evidence to support your claim/both logical explanation and literature support. Examination of arguments and/or counter-arguments and conflicting viewpoints. In evaluating various viewpoints ensure that you: Identify each authors perspective. Identify assumptions the author/s makes that arent supported. Note where an author appears to be contradictory. Use relevant, scholarly and recent literature: Recent papers (usually within 510 years) are acceptable; however earlier papers will be considered on a case-by-case basis. For example, those looking at a historical topic will necessarily have to use older references. Use rigorous primary sources, such as research papers and articles from referred journals. Hospital manuals, because the doctor says, policy statements, etc. are not acceptable sources of academic writing. The reader should be able to identify from your paper or presentation the following aspects: The objectives of the paper, for example, this paper will critically explore the assumptions underlying the belief that nurses are dedicated to their profession or this paper will critically appraise the literature surrounding ... and in so doing will distinguish rhetoric from rational argument. The most significant conclusions to be drawn from your paper.

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The major arguments (and, therefore, literature references) that support those conclusions.

Marking criteria for Assessment 2 The written essay will be marked using a criterion referenced assessment (CRA) rubric. The CRA document will be posted on the Blackboard site. Please read the marking criteria carefully prior to submission of your assignment so that you are clear as to the criteria you must meet.