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Writing in nursing

Writing is an important tool in the education of nursing students as well as in the everyday workplaces of the profession. For students learning to become nurses, writing about specific nursing theories and practices, medical cases, and client experiences helps them better understand concepts and skills through research and analytical thinking.

For professional nurses, writing is a crucial mode of communication with colleagues in the health care profession, communication that can improve the quality of care for patients, or clients, as they are increasingly called.

Nurses write charts about their clients (a practice called charting), staff memos, patient education booklets, and policies for using a health care facility. They may also contribute research articles to journals in the field or craft arguments to persuade decision makers to change or adopt a particular health care policy.

Writing for your audience in nursing

Nurses have varied audiences: health care providers such as other nurses, patients or clients, and the staff and administrators of institutions such as clinics and hospitals. Health care providers read documents that inform them about a client’s history and needs and a nurse’s recommended interventions. Patients or clients read documents to learn about their health care options, home care needs, and nutrition and lifestyle choices. Administrators and staff read instructions, procedures, guidelines, reports, proposals, and policy recommendations that will enable them to make decisions and perform their functions effectively.

Your readers will expect your writing to be grounded in data, with a client’s chart information and lab results clearly presented in an objective tone. You should describe your observations of a client’s physical and emotional condition directly and thoroughly. You may present those observations using the first-person pronoun I or we, but be as objective as possible. Confidentiality and sensitivity to a client’s background and diversity are essential.

Clients often feel anxious about their medical conditions, and many clients may not be familiar with medical terminology. When you write for clients, respect their right to understand their own medical documents. Write in plain language that is direct and easy to understand, using a minimum of technical terminology and defining such terms when it is necessary to use them. When you write for health care professionals, be precise and use relevant specialized medical terminology.