Studying to become a nurse demands lot of hard work. There is a lot of content that needs to be memorized regarding anatomy, biology, math, and chemistry, so writing often gets pushed to the back burner. And yet writing is such an essential skill that if not mastered, one can actually fail in their academic studies. It need not be intimidating to write; there are a few tips that if mastered, every nursing student can rest assured that poor writing does not become the focal point of student work. The following is a list of best writing practices that will serve nursing students long after graduation:
Know your audience
Make sure to clarify if the professor wants the work written in first, second, or third person. I guess this could also be titled, "Know your Professor".
Stop the Pressure
One of the biggest sources of writing block can be worrying that one's academic writing will be garbage. Remember not to write for the drawer. Get out that laptop and start typing. Writing done at the last minute, pulling an all-nighter is guaranteed to be worse than something that was prepared while the ideas are fresh and not forced.
Contain One's Self
A big mistake that is often made by students is to get caught up in vocabulary and using flowery phrasing. This is not something 99% of the professors are interested in. They want to train the nursing student to think quickly on their feet and communicate clearly in writing. So give the thesaurus a little break.
Get into the Reader's Shoes
It is important to be very clear when writing. This can be accomplished by thinking, 'if I were the audience reading this for the first time, would I understand what I am trying to convey'? Of course professors and doctors understand medical terminology, so no need to break down the jargon for them. But if you have to write a document for the general public, or the administrative staff, or a patient even, then the tone and language used should invariably change.
Use Passive Voice Sparingly
"The dog was walked today". "Mistakes were made". These type of sentences lack a crucial element- who to attribute these actions to. Instead, try to be more direct if possible. However, don't get caught up in making all the sentences active voice. That will give you a headache. Just try to keep this in mind because it is excellent academic writing practice.
Take a Writing Class in University
No, unfortunately all the best writing tips cannot be learned from one article (see, and here, goes the passive voice again. I will try to take a more direct approach). You will not learn everything you need to know about academic writing from this article. There, I said it. A class that contains an element of teaching academic writing will be an excellent choice for any nursing student to hone the particulars of sentence structure- such as grammar.
Be Persistent
As in anything, perseverance will pay off when it comes to mastering academic writing. Even nursing students can find their writing voice, and get into a rhythm of acceptable academic vernacular. Try to pay attention to feedback on anything when it comes to writing and then look at the tips above. What is the professor saying here? Maybe I need to use more active voice, or less active voice (sometimes reports are deliberately written in passive voice). There could be issues with the clarity of your writing. Try to figure out what is going wrong and then work a little to fix it. You can do it.
Academic writing will be an adjustment for nursing students. However, try not to be alarmed or dismayed. There are many nurses that have gone before who found this area of training a challenge. Some get through school without ever mastering it. But the rewards in personal satisfaction and career success outnumber the temporary discomfort of focusing on the proper usage of semicolons. Also, clear writing can save lives!
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