All nurses/intended nurses welcome!

[ECU17]

Hello everyone, I am a freshman at East Carolina University as well as an intended nursing major. Although I have yet to declare. Im doing an assignment in my writing composition course about various types of writing in the profession I'd like to pursue and was wondering if any of you guys would care to answer a few questions for me. Just to have some feedback and provide insight for the 2 things I enjoy most, nursing and writing. If you could also put some of your background or credentials that'd be awesome too. Like, for example. Jane Doe RN at Garden Memorial Hospital.

1) What are the most common and most important kinds of writing completed by nurses? Why are these common and important?

2) For what purposes and in what contexts will you need to do the most writing?

3) What kinds of topics and issues will you most often be dealing with in your writing?

4) What audiences will you be expected to address most often?

5) What the textual characteristics (length, style, tone, format, medium, etc) of the most common kinds of writing that you will need to complete?

6) In what ways is the writing done in the nursing profession similar to the writing done in nursing college and prerequisite classes preparing for the major?

7) In what ways is the writing different in the nursing profession from the writing done preparing for the major?

8) If any of you guys have been apart of the nursing profession for a long period of time, have you guys noticed a shift in the accuracy of writing since technology has become so advanced?

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

1) We don't do your homework for you. Even if it isn't nursing homework. It's in the terms of service. :)

2) It's not a very good idea --it's actually a pretty bad idea-- to post your real name and email on an anonymous internet forum.

3) Nobody is going to give you a real name, position, and employer. See "anonymous," supra.

What I recommend, as a nurse writer and editor, is that you go to the library and check out some of the many, many nursing journals. Almost all of the better ones give you contact information for the article authors. You can also contact or Google some past and present nursing editors, like Diana J. Mason, the Editor Emerita of the American Journal of Nursing; I think there's a very good chance that she would answer your questions. The rest of us are on the mastheads. :)

That way you will increase your chances of finding real writers (although I hasten to add that there are some truly excellent ones on AN), and you will know to whom you are speaking. On an anonymous forum like this, well, we could be lots of different people and not even nurses.

Hope that helps! At very least it will give you a leg up on learning how to do research on a writing topic beyond hitting "send." :)

We need good writers, so I hope you choose nursing over journalism. You can always be a nurse who writes well, but you can't be a journalist with a nursing hobby. :)

(oh, and a good writer doesn't call her correspondents "you guys.")

[ECU17]

Thanks for your insight sir/ma'am, but this isnt homework.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

Thanks for your insight sir/ma'am but this isnt homework.[/quote']

Then what do you call it?

[ECU17]

I'd call it a project in which I have to correlate my intended profession with writing for a writing composition course... Lay off.

[ChristineN, BSN, RN]

I'd call it a project in which I have to correlate my intended profession with writing for a writing composition course... Lay off.

So it is a requirement for your class. Which is also known as homework

[Esme12, ASN, BSN, RN]

thread moved to student assistance.

GrnTea is right.....We get these requests all the time. For the most part we seldom answer these homework/project questions. Here is the thing while this is for a writing class...you have chosen the profession to be a nurse. Nurses are always outside of our comfort zone. As a nurse you will be asked to go outside your comfort zone....go the extra mile. Nurses have to speak to complete strangers ALL the time, you will have to ask them very personal questions in a very short period of time and you need to be the one to instill confidence.

Our goal is to help you become the best nurse you can be. We will help you but we do not do homework for you. Our goal is to be supportive but help you become more and more independent. Think like a nurse...be a nurse. Many programs will not accept online interview with anonymous people on a social media website as fulling the assignment.

What you can do....call your local health department. Check with your PCP and see if they have a nurse employed. Call the local school system and ask for the school nurses. Go to CVS and talk to the nurse practitioners there. Find a flu clinic...find a blood drive. Go out side the box and grow towards being the nurse you want to be.

To answer to your last question

8) If any of you guys have been apart of the nursing profession for a long period of time, have you guys noticed a shift in the accuracy of writing since technology has become so advanced?

The answer would be yes. The quality and accuracy has diminished as the research into the subject is on anonymous social site.

[nurseprnRN, BSN, RN]

Thanks for your insight sir/ma'am, but this isnt homework.

:) It's ma'am, you're welcome, and my advice stands on how to get the information you need for this assignment, however you choose to characterize it.

[NRSKarenRN, BSN, RN]

Perform internet search using term "writing for nurses" produces 4 million hits. Meet with your colleges librarian to discuss resources, books, articles available at your school, giving you a leg up on other students.

Writing as a Professional Nurse

A Guide to Scholarly Writing in Nursing

Writing in Nursing - UCLA Graduate Writing Center

[psu_213, BSN, RN]

I'd call it a project in which I have to correlate my intended profession with writing for a writing composition course... Lay off.

Just a word to the wise...as a future professional, it is not in you best interest to tell you future (experienced) fellow professionals to "lay off." Especially when you are looking for help, whether or not this is actually "homework." Nursing may be your "intended" profession, but it is never going to come to fruition with this attitude.

I second the idea to start with journals...contact the authors. I can't speak for all of them, but the nurses that I know who have written articles for journals--they would be more than happy to help you if you contact them (with the appropriate attitude!).

[BusiestBSN]

Take the advice, ECU17. Even if they were members willing to answer, I doubt your instructor wants you to cite the AllNurses website (made up of anonymous posters) as your research source for a writing assignment.

And good luck trying to get the credible vet nurses to reveal their name/hospital on here. Privacy issues have been mightily discussed on this forum recently.

[ECU17]

I appreciate help like this. I may not be seasoned, but I never expected anyone to actually "do my homework". I guess people come on here with that intent so often that a lot of people cant categorize actually needing assistance and just wanting the answers handed to them.