How important is the ability to communicate via writing?

Epona · Jan 2, 2008

I say good writing makes an excellent nurse. I am a BSN nursing student and it made the difference from a B+ to an A+ in my clinical class. YES... clinical. I was not all that strong with the "hands-on", but was a strong writer and communicator. I used the medical and nursing lingo. I understood human processes and theory. My RN care plan at the end of the semester was 14 pages. Perhaps a bit much, but I wrote well and went into detail on my patient. I got a 100 percent on the paper. That pulled me WAY up and I ended the term with an A+, based solely on that paper. Writing and speaking well pays off. It really does. It gains you respect. Also, I wrote another paper in one of my other RN classes and got a 100 on that too. So anyway, not trying to toot my own horn, but just showing that yes, if you write and communicate well it can make a world of difference for you! Peace. :)

dria · Jan 3, 2008

i agree with the others...the ability to use the written word to communicate effectively is vital. it not only reflects the value of our post-secondary education (and we've all had one form or another,) it is a professional courtesy to those who will have the need to reivew those notes....not every area of nursing involves a verbal report on the client's status.

and, as mlos said, just wait until the first time you see those notes in a deposition..........years later..............

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 3, 2008

i am curious about what some of the seasoned nurses think about this topic. in my adn program, the instructors stress to us the ability to write using correct spelling, punctuation, and grammar. they say that this reflects upon us as professionals.
any thoughts you'd like to share?

i agree. this reflects upon us as professionals.

TazziRN, RN · Jan 3, 2008

i understand spelling errors. i don't like them, they drive me nuts, but i understand them. some people just can't spell if their lives depended on it.

grammar.......ohhhhh, that one gets me. my toes curl whenever i hear a grown adult say "i seen......" or (this is my favorite) "i took her a bath" or "i drank the pills."

Virgo_RN, BSN, RN · Jan 3, 2008

I know many nurses feel that physicians should talk to them when they round, but when I'm seeing upwards of 20 patients on different wards, this is rarely feasible. My substitute is to read nursing notes. And while I know that physician notes are often illegible, I have to say that a lot of nursing notes are pretty bad as well.
Sentence fragments, abbreviations I don't understand, chicken-scratch handwriting. Half the time I can't figure out if I'm reading the RNs note or the cardiologist's.
A good nursing note saves me precious minutes in the morning. A great nursing note makes my day.

At my facility, we chart by exception, so I only note specific things if they are out of the ordinary for that patient. Plus the charting is computerized, so that takes poor penmanship out of the equation, with the exception of the doctors' orders and progress notes, which are handwritten in the hard chart. All of the vitals, I&Os, assessments, labs and diagnostics, medications, etc. are under their own tabs in the computer. Some of the doctors have wonderful penmanship and it's a pleasure to read their notes, yet I still look forward to the day when the doctors will be typing their progress notes and orders.

As for the nurses' notes, while the penmanship isn't an issue since we type them, spelling and grammar can be. I cringe when I see words misspelled, since it's really quite a simple thing to look up the spelling in a dictionary if one is unsure.

The reason I asked my original question is that some of my fellow students really put up a stink about being expected to be proficient at writing. While I do agree that good writing skills are not the measure of a good nurse, I agree with the instructors that writing skills are important, and I get tired of the complaining. I'm glad to hear (or read, as it were) that it's not just me!

I'm far from a perfect writer myself. Run on sentences are my achilles heel.

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 3, 2008

i understand spelling errors. i don't like them, they drive me nuts, but i understand them. some people just can't spell if their lives depended on it.
grammar.......ohhhhh, that one gets me. my toes curl whenever i hear a grown adult say "i seen......" or (this is my favorite) "i took her a bath" or "i drank the pills."

or "i axed if i could have off".

Ruby Vee, BSN · Jan 3, 2008

at my facility, we chart by exception, so i only note specific things if they are out of the ordinary for that patient. plus the charting is computerized, so that takes poor penmanship out of the equation, with the exception of the doctors' orders and progress notes, which are handwritten in the hard chart. all of the vitals, i&os, assessments, labs and diagnostics, medications, etc. are under their own tabs in the computer. some of the doctors have wonderful penmanship and it's a pleasure to read their notes, yet i still look forward to the day when the doctors will be typing their progress notes and orders.
as for the nurses' notes, while the penmanship isn't an issue since we type them, spelling and grammar can be. i cringe when i see words misspelled, since it's really quite a simple thing to look up the spelling in a dictionary if one is unsure.
the reason i asked my original question is that some of my fellow students really put up a stink about being expected to be proficient at writing. while i do agree that good writing skills are not the measure of a good nurse, i agree with the instructors that writing skills are important, and i get tired of the complaining. i'm glad to hear (or read, as it were) that it's not just me!
i'm far from a perfect writer myself. run on sentences are my achilles heel.

some nurses express themselves so poorly in writing that you have no idea what they're actually trying to say. others get their point across, but in such away you'd swear they have no education. (one nurse wrote: "the patients balls are all swoll up.")

i have to say, when someone's grammar, spelling and punctuation are so atrocious that you wonder how they got out of third grade, i halfway expect their nursing care to be sloppy, too. and that isn't an impression your classmates would wish to give to any of their new co-workers!

kayel · Jan 3, 2008

Plus the charting is computerized, so that takes poor penmanship out of the equation, with the exception of the doctors' orders and progress notes, which are handwritten in the hard chart. All of the vitals, I&Os, assessments, labs and diagnostics, medications, etc. are under their own tabs in the computer. Some of the doctors have wonderful penmanship and it's a pleasure to read their notes, yet I still look forward to the day when the doctors will be typing their progress notes and orders.

Our facility is (slowwwwly) moving toward this as well and I can't wait until it actually completely takes effect! We computer chart things like BG and wound assessments but still writing in the pt charts. (and personally I like the chart by exception rule, although some of our instructors disagree.) There are still seemingly a LOT of bugs but hopefully they will continue to work it out .................... but it will be a long time I'm afraid! It's certainly not a seamless transition lol!!

pagandeva2000, LPN · Jan 3, 2008

I am HIGHLY embarassed to see nurses, physicians and others write illegibly or with poor grammar. It is a poor reflection on all of us. I think if the patients were really able to see how many of them document about their condition, they would be horrified and run for the hills.

Plagueis · Jan 3, 2008

I am HIGHLY embarassed to see nurses, physicians and others write illegibly or with poor grammar. It is a poor reflection on all of us. I think if the patients were really able to see how many of them document about their condition, they would be horrified and run for the hills.

I cringe when I hear nurses give report to us CNAs, and they have to stop suddenly because they say, "I can't read what she wrote," or "What does this say?", in reference to the awful handwriting of the previous shift's charge nurse. :uhoh3: Of course, this means I will have to clean up my own poor handwriting when I become a nurse. (I hope I will be able to use a computer for shift reports!)

banditrn · Jan 3, 2008

I agree completely. If your writing is filled with poor grammar, etc. it makes you appear uneducated and/or terribly sloppy. It makes you -- and the entire profession look bad.
I also emphathize with psychrn03. Some of the English language skills I see in my students (in a BSN completion program) are absolutely abysmal. It's embarassing to think that these students were ever given a high school diploma, much less an ADN or Diploma in nursing!

I very much agree with you. As an older person, and one who went to one room country schools until high school, it seemed like penmanship, spelling, and proper sentance construction were more highly emphasized.

But when my son's were in school, it appeared that wasn't the case. During one teachers conference, she showed me a paper that my son has composed. It was sloppy, filled with mis-spellings and bad grammer. Yet she gave him an A. I was disgusted, and asked her why she would ever accept something that looked like that. She told me that she didn't want to 'discourage his creativity'. :uhoh3:

banditrn · Jan 3, 2008

some nurses express themselves so poorly in writing that you have no idea what they're actually trying to say. others get their point across, but in such away you'd swear they have no education. (one nurse wrote: "the patients balls are all swoll up.")
i have to say, when someone's grammar, spelling and punctuation are so atrocious that you wonder how they got out of third grade, i halfway expect their nursing care to be sloppy, too. and that isn't an impression your classmates would wish to give to any of their new co-workers!

ruby - that's terrible!! i didn't realize that 'swoll up' was a proper medical term. tell me that someone had a talk with the writer?