Topic:  Physician Therapist

Objective:  As an initial step in the writing process, the outline will help you organize your thoughts and determine the main points for your research paper, which is due Week 7.  In addition, a well-developed outline will help you construct the abstract of your paper.   

Assignment Instructions:

To prepare for this assignment, I recommend that you do the following:

• Read these directions carefully.
• Read the rubric. The rubric is a very detailed template that I will use to assess your performance.  It also will help you understand what is expected of you as you prepare your assignment.
• Message me with any questions!

The outline format:  Your outline must be formatted as indicated by the bullet points listed below, and this format will be assessed in your grade:

• Use an alphanumeric sequence.
• Sections should be properly indented and aligned. 
• Follow the suggested order of the required elements.
• Use brief but detailed and descriptive phrases.  This will allow you to more easily flush these points out into complete sentences when it comes time to write the research paper.

The required elements: Your outline should contain the following elements in this order:

1. Introduction - this section must contain the following:
   1. The name of the healthcare profession
   2. General description about the profession
2. Main Body - this section must contain the following, and each main topic/section should contain a minimum of two subsections::
   1. Background:
      1. History of the profession
      2. How this career has developed over the years
   2. Education and Training: 
      1. Type and amount of schooling, internships, residencies, etc.
      2.  State/national certification or exams required
      3.  Continuing education required
   3. Work Setting/Expectations:
      1. Types of settings (e.g. hospitals, clinics, private practice, pharmaceutical companies, etc.)
      2. Types of employment (e.g. employed, independent contractor, self-employed)
      3. Types of services, duties, and responsibilities of the job
      4. Types of patients/clients and/or types of conditions/disorders treated
      5. Working conditions of the job
   4. Pay/Benefits:
      1. Typical wages and benefits
      2. Employment opportunities
      3. Future outlook of this profession
   5. Additional Information:
      1. Any "specialty" areas of this profession
      2. How this career is perceived by other professionals and lay people
      3. Any other general "pros" or "cons" that you come across in your research that is pertinent to you
3. Conclusion - this section must contain four to six points from your paper that sum up the main topics of the paper.
   1. Start your conclusive section with one sentence summarizing some basic information about your chosen profession (name and general description)
   2. Continue with a brief note about the history of the profession.
   3. Include a brief note about the education/training.
   4. Include a brief summary (1-2 sentences) about the work setting/expectations and pay/benefits.
   5. Wrap up the conclusive section with a closing note that provides brief information about anything additional that stands out to you about the profession and its future in health care.
4. Reference Section - this section must contain the following:
   1. Be sure to cite internal to the outline.   Referencing should occur throughout the outline via parenthetical citations anytime you paraphrase or make direct quotes just as it should in your final paper.
   2. Your outline should also include a reference page listing 5-10 credible sources researched for your outline/paper.