12 Jun How do inefficient digital workflow tools affect administrative burdens, job satisfaction, costs, and employee retention among clinical staff in hospitals and outpatient clinics?
ENC4313 Research Writing
Book: Palmquist, M. (2021). The Bedford Researcher (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Bedford/St. Martin’s.
Question:
How do inefficient digital workflow tools affect administrative burdens, job satisfaction, costs, and employee retention among clinical staff in hospitals and outpatient clinics?
Problem Statement:
Clinical staff in hospitals and outpatient clinics face significant administrative burdens due to inefficient digital workflow tools, which may lead to decreased job satisfaction, increased costs, and lower employee retention.
Each week, you will build towards the Formal Research Paper, a research paper exploring a problem and presenting a solution. You should review the requirements provided under the “Course Resources” so you can begin planning and developing your topic.
During Week 1, you will complete a proposal. As one of the main goals of this course is to develop an appropriate and organized research topic through all stages of the writing process, the proposal is a first step. While the proposal is meant to guide your exploration, it is not a final blueprint. Throughout the upcoming weeks, you will engage in the research process by evaluating sources, asking questions, applying the knowledge that you gather, and synthesizing evidence and ideas from various sources.
This is the beginning of an academic journey, and you are not expected to have all the answers. You are expected to embrace the path laid out before you by completing the assignments, discussions, and learning activities to the best of your abilities.
Directions:
Write a paragraph in which you describe your topic and proposed problem. Include how it relates to your career or field of study and why it is important to investigate. Then, clearly identify your Research Question(s).
In the second paragraph, provide a narrative of your research process (100-150 words). Explain what keywords you searched and why you selected the sources that you chose. How do you know these sources are valid?
Paste a screenshot of your database search (see example below). This can be included in your Word doc or uploaded separately.
Include at least three sources from the Keiser Online Library database. Use the database-exported APA citation, followed by an objective summary (~100 words each) of each source. Be sure to include the permalink as part of the citation.
Then, in your own words, explain how these sources add to your knowledge, what questions these sources raise, and what additional sources you still need to find. Also, explain where your topic fits in the existing “conversation” identified through your research (e.g., is there a gap that you will fill with your research?). (~150-200 words)
Writing Proposal As an education major, there are many topics of concern. However, since I am focused on the higher education sector, I will explore the issue of students who drop out of college. Students all come from diverse backgrounds, so there are many different reasons. Based on preliminary research, there is a significant issue with non-traditional students, that is, students who did not go straight to college from high school, leaving college before earning their degree. Dropping out of college makes a significant impact on students financially and emotionally and can ultimately change the course of their lives. Therefore, this is an important topic to research.
To begin researching this topic, I brainstormed keywords. In the Keiser Online library, I used the Gale One File database with the keywords: college student, dropout, attrition. Unfortunately, many of the resources that I found were either old or related to specific fields, such as nursing. I then searched in the ProQuest database using the same key words. I found many articles, and also used the “more like this” option to find additional sources. The criteria that I used to determine that they were valid sources was the date of publication and the publication source. I also used the “peer reviewed” checkbox in the search to limit the type of articles. I selected the article by Sihare (2025) because it focused on dropouts in higher education and it was a recent article. The other articles that I chose were also focused on higher education in the United States, considering various causes for student drop outs.
Sources Sihare, S. R. (2024). Student Dropout Analysis in Higher Education and Retention by Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning. SN Computer Science, 5(2), 202. https://0624785vv- mp01-y-https-doi-org.prx-keiser.lirn.net/10.1007/s42979-023-02458-w This study looked at student drops out in five different colleges. The researchers surveyed students to identify the reasons for their drop out and categorized the findings. The study also looked at the school administration and the steps that were taken to address student attrition. This study proposed an AI-based solution to make activities more engaging to help keep students enrolled and completing their degrees. This comprehensive analysis was studies over three academic years at five different colleges, providing diverse data. It concluded that AI has tremendous retention benefits.
(Repeat this format for all 3 sources). The Conversation
All three sources provided different perspectives on the issue of student attrition. While Sihare (2025) provided a study that incorporated both the student and school administrators perspective, Miller et al. (2026) was more focused on the school administrators perspective. Similarly, Howe & Rybicki (2025) addressed the issue primarily from the school administrators perspective. Cumulatively, these sources provide a well-rounded view of how the issue of student drop-outs at the college level are being addressed. One gap area in the research is understanding the issue from the student perspective. Sihare (2025) provided some research in this area, but before a clear solution can be suggested, the problem must fully be understood. To do that, more research is necessary from the student perspective. The preliminary research also raises questions about the motivations for students to complete their college degree, and how that motivation may be used to keep students enrolled.
