OBJECTIVE: Demonstrate mastery of information resources available to you as a
healthcare professional.
Students will use the same health-related issue you chose for Part 1.
For this section, focus on information that will help your patients and support personnel
(assistants, nurses, office staff, whatever may be appropriate), to understand the issue
you have chosen.
Semester Project – Part 2.
Continue your project with the same topic you used in Part 1.
Part 2 of your semester project you must choose 3 elective sections to complete out of
5 options (listed below). (65 points possible).
Re-introduce your topic and describe how you hope this information packet will
benefit your patients and/or staff. Remember you are not writing to me about a college
assignment. This is you, in your future role as a medical professional, explaining the
value of the information sources you have chosen to your patients and staff.
After your brief introduction, proceed to complete your 3 elective sections.
Elective sections: choose any three of the following…
o Reference Sources (20 pts)
o Books (20 pts)
o Statistics and Government Sources (20 pts)
o Video Resources (20 pts)
o Consumer Health Information Sources (20 pts)
o Organization & Communication: Your information must be presented in a
clear and professional manner that is easy for readers to navigate and should
be free of grammar and spelling errors. (5 pts)
Specific and detailed instructions will be provided for each elective section.
One additional elective section (for a total of four sections) can be completed for extra
credit, for another 20 points added to your final grade.
Semester Project – Part 2
Elective Section: Reference Sources (20 pts)
Use reference sources such as dictionaries, encyclopedias, drug manuals, or indexes to
find five reference entries (Definitions, charts, illustrations, drug profiles, etc.) that
could be used to help patients or healthcare professionals to understand your chosen
health issue.
For the purposes of this section, your reference source must target health professionals
or patients seeking health information: for example, Mosby’s Medical Dictionary is
fine, Dictionary.com is not.
You can include up to two entries from the same reference source.
For each reference entry, include…
• A complete citation in APA format.
o Citation must include a DOI, stable URL, or permalink to the resource
in the UTD library.
• A summary or description of the entry.
o This does not mean you just copy/paste the entry. You must use your
own words to describe or summarize the information given.
• Why the reference entry relates to your topic.
• Why your colleagues and/or patients may find it useful.
Elective Section: Books (20 pts)
Use the UTD library to find three books or e-books that relate to your health issue. One
should be appropriate to share with a patient or client. Try to locate books published
within the last 15 years. If the book was published more than 15 years ago, address
why you would still recommend this book.
For each book, provide a brief summary of the book in your own words. It is not
necessary to read the book cover to cover, but you do need to read more than just the
book jacket summary or publisher’s blurb. Use the introduction or first chapter to get
an idea of what the book is like. Read at least several pages for each book.
The summary for each book should include…
• Authority & Credibility: Give information about the qualifications of the authors
(or editors) and the publisher. Are they faculty, researchers, scientists, etc.? How
does their authority make the book a credible source? What are other indications
that the book is credible?
• Contents: Review the table of contents. Identify 1 or 2 chapters that would be
particularly interesting to your colleagues or your patients and explain why.
• Audience: Is this book for medical professionals or patient education? Explain
how you know.
• A complete citation in APA format. Citation must include a DOI or a permalink to
the resource in the UTD library.
Elective Section: Statistics and Government Sources (20 pts)
Find two sets of statistics that relate to your topic and write a brief response.
In your response, include the following…
• Give a complete citation in APA format. Also include a URL to your source.
• Describe how the statistics could help a professional understand the issue.
• Would these stats be meaningful to patients?
• What population do the statistics focus on or is most affected?
• Do these stats suggest a particular focus for professionals in the field?
Note: a quoted statistic from a journal article or website is not sufficient. You must
use a full statistical report.
AND
Find a page containing information relating to your topic on two government websites.
For each:
• A complete citation in APA format and a URL to the source.
• Explain what agency is responsible for the information.
• Why does that agency relate to the topic?
• How does this information help your community understand or solve a
problem?
• Does the website give readers links to additional resources?
Elective Section: Video Resources (20 pts)
Use JoVE to find and view two video articles or clinical skills training videos that
relate to your chosen health issue and write a short review of each, as well as a
conclusion for the section.
In your reviews, include…
• A complete citation in APA format, including DOI.
• Purpose: What is the goal of the study or training that is being demonstrated?
Why is this relevant to medical professionals dealing with your topic?
• Contents: Look at the chapter marks within the video. Does the organization of
the bookmarks help you to understand what is happening? Do you think there are
any parts of the video that are especially useful?
• Format considerations: Why might the researchers have chosen to enhance their
article with video content? If you are looking at a clinical skills demonstration, are
there parts of the procedure that would have been more difficult to follow if you
only had text and pictures?
In your conclusion, discuss your thoughts about video references as training tools for
medical professionals. If you were leading a team, would you make use of these
resources? Why or why not? Elaborate on your reasoning.
