Nurses agree on several conventions when they write:
Nurses increasingly refer to the people in their care as clients, not patients.
Evaluations and conclusions must be based on accurate and detailed information (“At the time of his diagnosis, the client had experienced a 20-lb weight loss in the previous 6 months. His CBC showed a WBC count of 32, an H & H of 13/
The personal pronoun I is acceptable in reflective papers about your own experience. But maintain an objective voice in all other writing—research papers, reviews, case studies, position papers, and nursing practice papers (“Post-operative findings: External fixation devices extend from the proximal tibia and fibular shafts of the left foot”).
Nurses often use passive voice in describing procedures or recording their observations (“Inflammation was observed at the site of the incision”).
The identity of clients whose cases are discussed in writing must remain confidential (nurses often make up initials to denote a client’s name).
Direct quotation of sources is rare; instead, nurses paraphrase to demonstrate their understanding of the source material and to convey information economically.
The APA (American Psychological Association) system of headings and subheadings helps readers see the hierarchy of sections in a paper.