How and why writing skills in nursing must be improved

The Ph.D. is the highest degree in the land. To achieve a doctorate degree not only shows your skills and prowess in the field, it also shows your smarts and dedication, and this is the most important thing. This is one of the main reasons as to why people get degrees. Your title has an effect and command that draws attention and commands respect. Many would want the title Dr. but the work that goes into it is what often puts people off. The kind of tenacity needed to complete a doctorate degree is what separates the dreamers from the doors, and it is what gets you recognized as a par above the rest.

Ph.D. students choose to study for one or two reasons. One is because they love the field they are in. They want to know more to contribute so that they can make the world a better place. They want their contributions to make a positive change if even a small one. The second reason is to gain prestige and recognition. It is true that people who have more knowledge about a topic well studied receive more respect and attention. People want to receive knowledge from the best. Your doctorate degree says, ‘expert’, ‘specialist’, ‘the best in my field’, and people treat you as such.

The Ph.D. experience is often long and strenuous because it involves focusing for long periods of time on one thing. In one area of study, and doing continuous research coupled with long hours of study. This is why, to do a doctorate degree and complete it, you must know why you are doing it, and one must select a subject they love. It is an arduous endeavor that requires spending a long amount of time on one thing; which automatically requires you to have a passion and a dedication that is envious. A Ph.D. journey requires a lot of motivation for the long days that drag when you are buried under a mountain of work to do.

To finish your doctorate successfully, it means you must stick to a schedule. You must be active, and do the actual work required of you. This means students have to stop procrastinating, and set goals like 500 words a day for their thesis. It helps when you make progress because it feels like your work is actually amounting to something. You are getting closer day by day, by working on your goals. While working on meaningful work, it is easy to get carried away with perfectionist feelings. You write and re-write. You change the structure, the phrase then the whole paragraph.

While it is good to proofread and edit your work, striving for something that does not exist is a waste of time, and utterly stressful. Aim for progress, not perfection. After all, your professor may simply return your submitted work with several red lines, therefore do not be discouraged. You learned something new today and made some progress.

Doing a Ph.D. can be overwhelming when you think of it in its entirety. All the research you need to do, the writing and editing can seem like it has no end. At this point, students want to give up. You wonder why we decided to do a Ph.D. in the first place. While doctorate students may love the mental stimulation it also gets tiring and it is worth it to remind yourself, why you are doing it in the first place. As mentioned before, your reasoning has to go beyond other people’s wishes for you. It must stem from your own ambition and interest. To get through the day, set out a plan for yourself and execute tasks one at a time. Before you know it, you are setting a graduation date!

To stay inspired, seek out the people you admire and the things you hope to accomplish at after you acquire your Ph.D. Start working on those goals now, and while doing research, stay ambitious by working towards life after graduation; and not just what is within the four walls of the library.