Patricia Schmidt

ENC 6421

Rhetoric & Technology

Fall 08, Week 9

Project Proposal Memo

My project on the Robinhood Medical Practice model started half-heartedly.  I was looking for someone to interview for the ethnography that was easily accessible, cooperative and interesting (in that order). I was rushed for time and foundering with my focus so I took the most expedient route to meeting the requirements at the time. I had little expectation for the outcome and certainly did not expect to become so emotionally invested in the subject. However, the more I was forced to uncover in the process, the more I wanted to learn about what Dr. Robinson was attempting to accomplish.  I became intrigued with her concept and gradually became convinced that her idea had real traction.  

As the course progressed and the interview turned into an exploratory case study, I found that I wanted to continue with the project and find a way to integrate my research into the remaining coursework requirements.  My section on recommendations outlines several avenues of investigation that are crucial to moving the project forward. At this particular stage of development, the most important aspect for moving the project forward is obtaining adequate funding for start-up costs. To obtain this funding, one obvious approach would be to research potential grants, identify the most attractive and develop a plan for applying for the funding.

I would like to propose that I use the balance of my coursework as a springboard for implementing this recommendation as outlined in my case study.  The targeted audience for this compilation of material would be Dr. Robinson and the other principals and stakeholders of the medical practice. This would require a) building upon the annotated bibliography of research literature germane to the project and b) providing an annotated list of potential grants researched for their application content and viability to the project.  I think the information uncovered in this research needs to be c) accompanied by a robust recommendation report. The ultimate goal (outside of the coursework) would be to actually write a grant, but I do not feel competent enough to suggest that this goal be included in my proposal for coursework.

I believe a reasonable timeline for the deliverables would require the two annotated lists to be available for review prior to week twelve. A rough draft of the recommendation report should be available by week fourteen and the final report by week fifteen. As for the “secondary investigator role” requirement, I would like the focus of attention to be primarily on the overall quality of the recommendation report.  

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