| Course | NSG 126 Transition to Professional Nursing |
|---|---|
| Unit | Unit 4 |
| Paper type | Evidence-supported claim brief |
| Length | About 770 words, 5 pages |
| Format | APA 7 student paper |
| School | Herzing University |
| Program | BSN |
| Updated | October 2026 |
Free sample paper for NSG 126 Unit 4
One Claim, Four Sources, One Narrowing: Workplace Bullying and Emotional Exhaustion in Newly Graduated Hospital Nurses
Student Name
Department of Nursing, Herzing University
NSG 126: Transition to Professional Nursing
Instructor Name
February 4, 2026
One Claim, Four Sources, One Narrowing: Workplace Bullying and Emotional Exhaustion in Newly Graduated Hospital Nurses
The Claim
Newly graduated nurses in hospitals who experience workplace bullying are more likely to leave their jobs because bullying causes burnout.
The claim is stated broadly on purpose, so that the sources below can test it. It contains three links: bullying to burnout, burnout to leaving, and a causal word, "causes." Each source is read for what it actually found about each link.
Source 1: Bullying and Burnout
Laschinger et al. (2010) surveyed 415 nurses with less than three years of experience working in acute care hospitals in Ontario, Canada, using the first wave of a longitudinal study. They measured bullying with a standard questionnaire of negative acts and burnout with a standard burnout inventory, and tested a model in which access to empowering work structures related to bullying, and bullying related to burnout. Exposure to bullying was significantly related to all three parts of burnout: more emotional exhaustion, more cynicism, and less sense of effectiveness at work.
Connection to the claim: this supports the first link, between bullying and burnout. It does not test leaving, and because the analysis used a single wave of data, it shows association at one point in time rather than that bullying came first.
Source 2: The Path Toward Leaving
Spence Laschinger et al. (2012) surveyed 342 nurses with less than two years of experience in Ontario hospitals, again at one point in time. Their model found that bullying was directly related to emotional exhaustion, and that bullying and emotional exhaustion were each related to lower job satisfaction, which in turn was related to intention to leave. A leadership style perceived as authentic was related to less bullying.
Connection to the claim: this adds the second link, but it changes its shape. In this model, burnout does not lead straight to leaving; the path runs through job satisfaction, and the outcome measured was the intention to leave, not actual turnover.
Source 3: How Bullying Was Measured
Einarsen et al. (2009) describe the validation of the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised, the kind of instrument used in the studies above. It asks how often a person has experienced specific negative acts, such as being ignored, humiliated, or given unmanageable workloads, rather than asking whether they have been "bullied," and it performed well on tests of validity across a large sample of workers.
Connection to the claim: this strengthens confidence that the studies measured something real and consistent. It also qualifies the claim, since "bullying" in these studies means self-reported frequency of negative acts, which may differ from what a manager or a colleague would call bullying.
Source 4: Bullying Among Other Stressors
Duchscher (2009), in qualitative work with newly graduated nurses, gave the name "transition shock" to what new nurses go through early in their first job, a stretch marked by abruptly heavier responsibility, a mismatch between school and the realities of the ward, shifting relationships with colleagues, and fatigue.
Connection to the claim: this qualifies it from another side. Bullying is one stressor among several in the first year, so a new graduate's exhaustion and wish to leave cannot be attributed to bullying alone without considering the others.
The Claim, Narrowed
In surveys of newly graduated nurses in Canadian acute care hospitals, self-reported exposure to negative acts at work was associated with emotional exhaustion, and emotional exhaustion was associated, through lower job satisfaction, with intention to leave.
What was removed and why: "causes" became "was associated with," because both studies were cross-sectional. "More likely to leave" became "intention to leave," because no source measured actual departures. "Bullying" became "self-reported exposure to negative acts," because that is what the instrument measured. The setting was limited to Canadian acute care hospitals, where both studies were done. The narrower claim is less dramatic, but every part of it is supported by a source that says so.
What Would Test the Narrowed Claim Further
Two kinds of evidence would strengthen or overturn it. A longitudinal study that measured negative acts in the first months of practice and then recorded who actually left their position a year later would test both the order of events and the outcome that matters to employers. A study in United States hospitals, or in settings other than acute care, would test whether the pattern holds outside Ontario. Until then, the narrowed claim is useful for a specific purpose: it supports treating incivility toward new graduates as a retention issue worth measuring on a unit, without promising that preventing it will, on its own, keep nurses from leaving.
References
Duchscher, J. E. B. (2009). Transition shock: The initial stage of role adaptation for newly graduated registered nurses. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 65(5), 1103-1113. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2008.04898.x
Einarsen, S., Hoel, H., & Notelaers, G. (2009). Measuring exposure to bullying and harassment at work: Validity, factor structure and psychometric properties of the Negative Acts Questionnaire-Revised. Work & Stress, 23(1), 24-44. https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370902815673
Laschinger, H. K. S., Grau, A. L., Finegan, J., & Wilk, P. (2010). New graduate nurses' experiences of bullying and burnout in hospital settings. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 66(12), 2732-2742. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2010.05420.x
Spence Laschinger, H. K., Wong, C. A., & Grau, A. L. (2012). The influence of authentic leadership on newly graduated nurses' experiences of workplace bullying, burnout and retention outcomes: A cross-sectional study. International Journal of Nursing Studies, 49(10), 1266-1276. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijnurstu.2012.05.012
What the NSG 126 Unit 4 instructions ask for
Unit 4 asks you to evaluate a claim against several sources and narrow it to what they support. Expect to state the claim, summarize what each source contributes, note limits such as measurement and setting, rewrite the claim and say what would test it further. Many versions ask how many sources to use and whether to include qualitative work. Check whether your section requires peer-reviewed articles. Each source should change the claim in some way, by supporting, limiting or adding context. Note whether studies measured intent to leave or actual turnover, and where they were done. A narrowed claim is a sign of good reasoning, not a failure. Suggest a study design that would settle the question.
Inside the NSG 126 Unit 4 example
The brief opens with the claim in one sentence. Each source section summarizes the study's design, sample and finding, then says how it affects the claim. The first two sources support a link but rely on self-report surveys at one point in time. The measurement source explains what counted as bullying and how often negative acts had to occur. The qualitative source shows bullying sits among other stressors, such as heavy workloads and unclear expectations. The narrowed claim section rewrites the claim with each limit built in. The final section suggests a longitudinal study tracking actual departures. Each source visibly reshapes the claim rather than simply agreeing with it.
Reading the NSG 126 Unit 4 rubric
Herzing's rubric for an evidence-supported claim brief typically covers the original claim, summaries of sources, attention to limits, the narrowed claim and next steps. The rewritten claim is judged on whether every limit uncovered in the sources appears in its wording. Source points reward accurate summaries of design, sample and findings. Limit criteria look for measurement, setting, timing and outcome type. A distinction between intent to leave and actual turnover is often credited. Next step points go to a study design that would test the narrowed claim. Qualitative sources used to add context earn credit. Peer-reviewed sources are expected. A short, clear claim at the start and end helps the grader see the change. The brief draws on Laschinger and colleagues' surveys and Einarsen's measurement study.
Common NSG 126 Unit 4 mistakes, and how to avoid them
Claim briefs in Unit 4 tend to falter when sources that agree are listed without any look at their limits. Another frequent problem is treating intent to leave as actual turnover. Students often ignore where studies were done and assume results apply everywhere. The narrowed claim is missing or barely changed. Qualitative work is left out, though it explains why bullying matters. Measurement is not discussed, so the reader cannot tell what bullying meant in each study. Cross-sectional surveys are described as if they showed cause. Next steps are vague. Older sources are used without noting newer work. Finally, rewrite the claim with every limit built in, because graders reward a brief that ends with a claim the evidence can actually carry.
Get a NSG 126 Unit 4 example written to your instructions
Send the Unit 4 instructions and the rubric from your NSG 126 classroom, and tell us what the claim is meant to be about. We write a custom example that fixes a disputable claim first, gives every source its own paragraph, lets qualifying evidence narrow the claim and holds one citation style. First custom sample free, back in 24 to 48 hours.
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NSG 126 Unit 4 questions, answered
Why can I not use what I saw on placement?
Because the unit is teaching a different move. What you saw is real and it is not evidence anybody else can check, and this is where a program starts asking for support somebody could go and verify. Your observation is still useful: let it choose the claim, then find published work that speaks to the claim and build the brief on that.
How narrow does the claim have to be?
Narrow enough that a reasonable person could argue the other side. If you cannot imagine anybody disagreeing, the sentence is a sentiment rather than a claim, and no amount of good sourcing will rescue the brief. Adding a population, a setting or an outcome to a broad statement is usually what turns it into something a few sources can carry.
What if a source disagrees with my claim?
Put it in and let it do its work. A brief that narrows its claim in front of the reader reads as more controlled than one that never met an objection, and an instructor who knows the literature will notice what is missing. Say what the source found, say what part of your claim it limits, and restate the claim tighter.
Where can I find a free NSG 126 Unit 4 sample paper?
The complete NSG 126 Unit 4 bullying claim brief is posted here free, four sources and the narrowed claim. A brief testing your own claim can be prepared on request.
Does bullying make new nurses leave their jobs?
Survey studies of new nurses link bullying to burnout and intent to leave, mostly in Canadian hospitals. This sample narrows the claim to what those studies support and notes that actual turnover was not measured.