Please forgive me as I'm certain this subject has been broached many times, yet I just can't stop myself from being completely put off and ashamed by some health care providers. When I come across in chart entries, orders, professional blogs... commonly used (simple) words that are misspelled or sentence structure and syntax more in line with a junior high school student, I am immediately embarrassed for the profession and quickly dismiss the author's credibility. Right or wrong, I feel that your spoken and written words are reflections of your intelligence, competence, and overall professionalism. While I get that not everyone possesses this innate ability, for goodness sake, use spell check or Google it if you have to! I don't mean to be harsh, but really?
Do you really want your charting with "text-speak" and misspelling used as evidence in a malpractice lawsuit? I can hear the prosecuting attorney now," if (he/she) is that careless in charting (a legal document,) is (he/she) going to be more careful passing medications/whatever?" That is always the standard I tend to chart by (having had to give a deposition once.)
I received cursive writing lessons during my second, third and fourth grade years (circa 1988 to 1991). I think the cohort with whom I attended grade school may be the last generation to have been taught cursive writing.
I concur with you. It is enormously sad...
Nope, we were taught in grade 3 and 4 which for me would've been around 1996/1997/1998 ish. Not only were we taught it, but we were required to use it on all assignments, reports, etc etc up until the end of grade 6, after which we could choose to write in cursive or print.
LOL. People in their 60s and 70s still say they are far from old, all a matter of perspective.
Sure analog clocks are still around but honestly I would put it down in the way low priority to learn bucket.
Sure the new digital communication methods are altering communication but I would not say it is distancing them each other, actually I would say the opposite is true. People now communicate more than ever! It used to be that you got a Christmas card from extended family once a year, now you get to see a video of them walking their dog in it's new sweater.
I think social communications are changing and it is important for young people to be given the skills they need to thrive in their society when they become adults and not focus on our society and the skills we used or the skills our predecessors used. Since things are moving to digitial faster than ever it is important that their skill set is focused on digital communication.
I have noticed that about texting as well, older people tend to use slang and abbreviations far more than young adults or children I find. I have a theory that they are using it as a method to compensate for their inabilty to type on a small buttonless digitial interface quickly.
Your points are well-taken, but communication in person is definitely hapening less.
You'd better get used to it because we now have a president who does not read,is a cable-news addict, and uses twitter as his primary means of communication.
Specializes in critical care, ER,ICU, CVSURG, CCU.
I'm sorry, but 'professionalism' connotes certain implied expectations and standards of educational preparedness and behavior. The fact that you're okay with the the 'dumbing down' of some professionals speaks volumes about you! Perhaps, come back with a wittier response when you've been in nursing longer than 1 year! I digress
I may not spell something correct, but trust me if you are dying, and you want to live, you want someone of my experience and abilities taking care of you....
As one of the people you complain about. I can tell you that not all people get the English Language, as for spell checking on has to get close to the spelling for it to work. Just because I can't write well does not mean I am dumb. I have a MSN in nursing and graduated with honors. To do this I had to have friends proof read my papers. At work I do not have the available.
I left the nursing profession to go back to school, to earn credentials in the field of counseling/therapy. Now, I am grateful to be working in a rewarding, and non-fear based, role.
I read these nursing forums out of curiosity, and out of concern for those of us who remain working in the nursing profession.
Please allow me to share my thoughts...I share my thoughts with the utmost respect, and with loving kindness.
I am wondering about your username, morelostthanfound. What does your username mean, please? What made you choose that username?
And, if you allow me, may I offer the idea that you are seeking a situation (in this case, substandard writing) on which to project the anger you have inside of you? The possibility exists that you (actually, we all) could learn how to process and express our anger in ways that end up putting us more on an equal footing with others, rather than in a position of superiority. Life is easier when we notice what we have in common with others, rather than what might set us apart.
While this may not be a grammar critique, it could provide food for thought:
When you say "please forgive me...yet," you negate your sentiment of forgiveness with the word "yet." You're asking to be forgiven for posting your distaste/disdain (i.e., your negative thoughts, feelings, beliefs) for those of us who do not possess the skills, or the interest, in submitting posts with writing that meets your standards. This is an example of how you create your own pain/anger/irritation (whatever you want to call it). And, this is an example of where your ego defends itself by saying (implicitly) that you are superior to people whose posts do not meet your standards. Lastly, this is an example of you lashing out to those whom you perceive as "less than" you.
Who made you feel "less than" in your past? In other words, where, or from whom, did you learn to criticize others?
Who benefitted from criticizing you? Where did you learn that criticizing others is a way to find relief?
I believe in good standards, in all things, including in writing. I have no disagreement with you that our writing, as a people, seems to be degrading over time. Simply, I'm highlighting that the content of your writing is resulting in a degree of distress for you, and perhaps for others.
People whose writing skills are above average likely join you in your distress, and people whose writing skills are substandard likely are distressed toward you. Can you see what I'm saying? You're creating negative emotions for yourself and others.
Your post says "Right or wrong,...." That sounds like you already realize, deep down, that the possibility exists, that your thoughts and beliefs could be...wrong. However, it's not you that's "wrong," it's your belief that people "should" write to your personal requirements that could be questioned. After all, many of us post from smartphones and iPads, devices that make writing properly tricky at times.
I may have made some errors in my writing with this post. I apologize for causing you distress if I have made mistakes. Like you morelostthanfound, I too am human. Forgive me, please?
When you say "I feel that your spoken and written words...," you leave out how you Feel. That sentence could sound more true if you said "I believe that your spoken and written words....". And/or "I feel ashamed, embarrassed, irritated, sad, angry, frustrated...".
We all could do better if we learn how to express ourselves more truly...to follow the words "I feel" with word(s) that describe a feeling, an emotion. After all, we did say "I feel."
And at the end you say, "I don't mean to be harsh, but...."
When we use the word "but," we are negating what precedes the word "but," implying that you do mean to be "harsh," or whatever comes after the word "but."
While your post may be well written to your writing standards, your message is that you are suffering somehow. I can imagine that you may be acting defensively as you read this, and that's the norm when we face ourselves as humans at times.
If you are interested in discovering ways that you could feel better about things, you (and we all) can check out support groups for nurses and/or for codependency, find and hopefully bond with a good counselor/therapist, and/or you can take a number of actions aimed towards achieving healing/finding relief from your apparent suffering.
You may be thinking "I'm not suffering! Who are you to say that?!"
I'm your peer. I'm your fellow nurse. I've lived in your shoes.
OP, I am right there with ya! (Or should I say "you" since we're getting on everyone's case about slang?) My sentence structure and grammar are far from perfect but I do take the time to try and google the correct format. When I was in nursing school, the professors taught us to proofread our charting because "messy charting can be seen as a messy nurse in court." I can see how this makes sense to some but I understand that English is not every nurse's primary language. Regardless, a quick proofread or google search can go a long way.
Side note: Did anyone notice this right above the comment box?
"Per our Terms of Service please post in English only; no text/chat speak."
My friend's 18 year old daughter is currently taking her prerequisites for an RN program. She's always been an A student but, can not read or write in cursive or read an analog clock, she was never taught it. She's said cursive looks foreign to her. I've never worked anywhere that uses computer charting and 90% of the nurses and 100% of the doctors I've worked with write in cursive. It's kind of worrying to me that a whole generation of new nurses is coming up that possibly can't read other nurses notes or written DR's orders.
Personally, I can say that years of charting has altered my writing style. When writing if I'm in a hurry or not thinking, I tend to omit some pronouns and write out long run on sentences composed of short statements separated by commas. I really have to put a lot of thought into my sentence structure now and I sometimes have to check my grammar online.
After reading many of the responses to this post, it seems to me many are missing the point here. Nursing is a profession. That implies that we conduct ourselves as professionals. Professionalism encompasses many areas: our appearance, our demeanor, our written or typed communication, and how we relate to one another. It is an unfortunate circumstance we find ourselves in when nurses cannot speak or write in an educated manner. Say what you will about how it doesn't matter, that there are more important things, etc. but it does matter. Inability to form a proper sentence or to spell words correctly is a handicap. It is disheartening to see how many people cannot distinguish between too, two and to ; or there ,their and they're. Double negatives are a way of life for some. Patients, families, physicians and fellow professionals expect a professional ,educated and well prepared nurse to care for themselves or their loved ones. Your charting and manner of speech is a reflection of yourself and of your profession. We have had to fight for years to even be recognized as a profession, so let's represent ourselves well. In a court of law, misspelled and grammatically incorrect charting is a poor reflection on the individual as well as our profession and it certainly does not add to our credibility. We are professionals! We want and deserve respect for what we do, so let's ensure that we are taken seriously and that we behave as professionals in all aspects of our duties. Not a rant, just an opinion.
Joelcairo-I for one, do not see this as a political forum. We've been saturated with negativity and hatred throughout the presidential campaign and it's exhausting. This is a forum for nurses to discuss nursing topics and to explore subjects related to our profession. Can we please not engage in political rhetoric?
Jedrnurse, BSN, RN
2,776 Posts
...then I believe you have set the bar low.