NURS 3100 – Issues and Trends in Nursing
Week 2 Assignment 1: Time Management (Observe, Process, Reflect) Journal

Course and Assessment Overview

Course: NURS 3100 – Issues and Trends in Nursing (RN–BSN)
Institutional context: Online undergraduate nursing program (U.S. model)
Assessment type: Individual reflective journal (graded)
Suggested placement: Week 2, Assignment 1
Length: Minimum 150 words of focused reflection (many students will write 250–400 words)
Weighting: 5–10% of course grade (configurable by program)

This assignment is designed to help you recognize how your current routines, roles, and study behaviors affect your success in NURS 3100 and in your RN–BSN program overall, then use that insight to build a realistic time‑management plan for the coming weeks.

Assignment Title and Rationale

Title: Time Management Journal: Observe, Process, Reflect

The journal uses a three‑step structure that is consistent with existing Walden‑style assignment language (observe, process, reflect) and supports the transition from practicing nurse to online scholar‑practitioner. It also aligns with the course focus on contemporary nursing issues, including workload, role strain, and professional responsibility for self‑management.

Assignment Instructions Overview

Returning to school while balancing work, family, and personal commitments creates predictable pressures on your time. The purpose of this journal is to help you make those pressures visible, analyze what they mean for your learning, and commit to one or two concrete adjustments that you will trial over the next week.

You will first track how you actually use your time over several days, then examine patterns and distractions, and finally write a brief reflective journal entry that connects your findings to your goals as a professional nurse and RN–BSN student.

Learning Outcomes Assessed

• • Identify personal and professional factors that influence time available for academic work.
  • Analyze patterns of time use and common distractions that affect study effectiveness.

• • Develop at least one realistic, evidence‑informed strategy to improve time management for online learning.
  • Reflect on the relationship between self‑management, professional accountability, and contemporary issues in nursing practice.

Preparation

1. 1. Review the Time Management resources provided in your course shell or toolkit (e.g., Time Management Tracking Table, short readings or videos on effective study habits).

1. 1. Access or recreate a simple 24‑hour tracking table for at least three consecutive days (include work shifts, sleep, commuting, caregiving, study time, and leisure).
   2. Read the NURS 3100 course description to reconnect with the expectations of the nurse as a scholar‑practitioner and the emphasis on quality, safety, and professional responsibility.

Task Description

Step 1 – Observe

Over a period of at least three consecutive days, complete a time‑tracking table that captures how you actually spend your time in 30–60 minute blocks.

• Include work (paid and unpaid), sleep, commuting, household responsibilities, caregiving, personal time, and study‑related activities.
• Label blocks where you intended to study but did not, and note what replaced that planned study time.

Step 2 – Process

Once your tracking is complete, review the table and identify patterns.

• • Highlight times of day when you are most alert and productive.
  • Note recurring distractions (for example, social media use, overtime shifts, family interruptions, fatigue).
• Identify any mismatches between when you planned to study and when study actually occurred.

Step 3 – Reflect (Journal Submission)

Write a minimum 150‑word journal entry that addresses the prompts below in a single, cohesive narrative rather than bullet‑point answers.

1. 1. Briefly describe one key pattern you noticed in how you currently manage your time as a working nurse enrolled in an online program.
   2. Explain how this pattern supports or threatens your ability to meet the expectations of NURS 3100 and progress toward your RN–BSN goals.
   3. Identify at least one specific distraction or barrier that interferes with your study time and describe how it shows up in your week.
   4. Propose one or two concrete, realistic changes you will implement over the next week to improve your study routine (for example, setting a protected study block at a particular time of day, negotiating household support, or adjusting your work schedule where possible).
   5. Connect your time‑management plan to your professional responsibilities as a nurse (for example, safe practice, reducing fatigue, and preparing for future roles in leadership or education).

Keep the tone personal, honest, and focused on your own context. The goal is insight and a practical plan, not perfection.

Submission Requirements

• • Format: Informal reflective journal in paragraph form; no title page required unless specified by your program.
  • Length: Minimum 150 words; most students will need 250–400 words to address all prompts thoroughly.

• • Citations: Formal referencing is optional for this reflective task; however, if you refer to specific course readings or tools, cite them in a simple academic style according to program expectations.
  • File type / platform: Submit via the designated assignment link or journal tool in your learning management system.
  • Deadline: By Day 7 of Week 2 (or as specified in your course calendar).

Academic Integrity

Your journal must represent your own experience and ideas. You may draw on course resources and general time‑management advice, but do not copy wording from sample papers or online sites. Use your own language to describe your schedule, challenges, and plans. Reflective work that closely mirrors online examples or peers’ submissions raises integrity concerns.

Marking Criteria (Analytic Rubric)

Grading Scale

The rubric below is structured for a 0–100% scale and can be mapped to institutional grade bands (for example, A–F, HD–P–F) as needed.

Criterion	Excellent (85–100%)	Proficient (70–84%)	Developing (55–69%)	Needs Improvement (0–54%)	Weighting
Depth of Observation and Description	Provides a clear, specific, and detailed description of time‑use patterns grounded in the tracking exercise; convincingly conveys the realities of work, family, and study roles.	Describes main time‑use patterns with adequate detail; reference to tracking is evident though some aspects remain general.	Offers a basic description of time use with limited reference to tracking; detail is minimal or relies on vague statements.	Little or no evidence of genuine observation; description is superficial, incomplete, or inconsistent with the task.	25%
Analysis of Challenges and Distractions	Thoughtfully analyzes at least one key distraction or barrier; clearly explains how it affects study effectiveness and academic progress.	Identifies at least one distraction or barrier and offers a reasonable explanation of its impact.	Mentions distractions or barriers but provides minimal or overly general analysis of their impact.	Distractions or barriers are unclear, not discussed, or disconnected from academic performance.	25%
Realism and Specificity of Time‑Management Plan	Proposes one or two concrete, feasible strategies that clearly align with observed patterns and professional responsibilities; actions are realistic for the student’s context.	Proposes specific strategies that are generally realistic though not fully aligned with observed patterns or may lack minor details.	Strategies are present but vague, overly ambitious, or only loosely connected to the student’s observations.	No clear strategies are proposed or suggestions are impractical and disconnected from the student’s situation.	25%
Professional Reflection and Course Connection	Clearly connects time management to professional identity, safe practice, and long‑term RN–BSN goals; explicitly links insights to the aims of NURS 3100.	Makes a reasonable connection between time management, professional role, and course expectations, though links could be more fully developed.	Provides limited or generic comments about professionalism or course expectations with weak connections to time management.	No meaningful connection to professional responsibilities or course goals is evident.	15%
Clarity, Coherence, and Adherence to Guidelines	Writing is clear, organized, and coherent with minimal language or grammar errors; meets or exceeds length and submission requirements.	Writing is generally clear and organized with minor errors that do not impede understanding; meets essential length and submission requirements.	Writing shows issues with organization or clarity; some errors may distract the reader; length may be marginal.	Writing is disorganized, difficult to follow, or significantly under length; directions are not followed.	10%

Marker Guidance

• Accept a range of formats and narrative styles as long as the core prompts are addressed.
• Focus feedback on the quality of insight and the practicality of the student’s plan rather than on polished academic prose.
• Encourage students who demonstrate significant strain or unmanageable patterns to connect with academic skills or student support services.

Many working nurses underestimate how often fatigue and unexpected overtime erode planned study time, yet a simple review of a three‑day schedule usually shows that late‑evening reading blocks are being sacrificed to recovery rather than learning. A more sustainable plan involves protecting one or two shorter, earlier study sessions each week and pairing them with basic sleep‑hygiene strategies so that cognitive effort is not competing with exhaustion, which is consistent with evidence that adequate rest and structured routines support academic performance in adult learners (Ofosu et al., 2021). https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2020.08.008

Resources References

Use or adapt as learning resources or optional reading.

• Ofosu, N. N., LaGumina, D., Kim, H. S., & Jean-Louis, G. (2021) ‘Sleep and academic performance: Considering amount, quality and timing’, Sleep Health, 7(1), pp. 21–28. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sleh.2020.08.008.
• Oducado, R. M. F. and Estoque, H. (2019) ‘Predictors of academic performance in professional nursing courses’, International Journal of Nursing Education Scholarship, 16(1), pp. 1–9. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1515/ijnes-2018-0032.
• Cleary, M., Visentin, D. and West, S. (2018) ‘Nursing students, stress and support’, Nurse Education Today, 68, pp. 4–5. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nedt.2018.05.012.
• Salmela-Aro, K., Moeller, J. and Schneider, B. (2021) ‘Balanced time perspectives, time use, and well-being in students’, Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 50(3), pp. 459–471. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10964-020-01363-2.
• Hernández-Martínez, A. and Ariza, T. (2020) ‘Academic self-regulation and time management among university students’, Educational Studies, 46(5), pp. 591–606. Available at: https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2019.1602756.

Submit a 150‑word minimum reflective journal for NURS 3100 that analyzes your weekly time‑use patterns, identifies key distractions, and outlines one or two realistic strategies to manage study time while working as a registered nurse. The brief includes clear Week 2 assignment instructions, a structured observe–process–reflect framework, detailed grading rubric, and recent evidence‑based references to support time‑management planning in an online RN–BSN program. Use the prompts to connect your schedule, academic goals, and professional responsibilities in Issues and Trends in Nursing, and demonstrate how improved time management supports safe practice, reduced fatigue, and your development as a scholar‑practitioner.

Write a concise ½–1 page NURS 3100 Time Management Journal that draws on three days of tracked activities to describe how you currently balance nursing shifts, family life, and online study. Complete the observe–process–reflect steps, then submit your Week 2 assignment with one or two specific, practical changes you will make to protect focused study time. Follow the included rubric and sample prompts so your reflection clearly links time‑management strategies with course expectations in Issues and Trends in Nursing and with your professional role as an RN in an RN–BSN program.