Gimenez, J. (2008). Beyond the academic essay: Discipline-specific writing in nursing and midwifery. Journal of English for Academic Purposes, 7(3), 151–164. Web.
The article investigates discipline-specific writing skills that nursing and midwifery students gain at UK universities. It also highlights the challenges that the students face in mastering writing tasks. Based on the analysis of questionnaires and comments from two focus groups, the researcher draws conclusions on the implications of discipline-specific writing in higher education. The author underlines that students need to be taught to critically evaluate the context of the writing in order to identify the audience. Additionally, students should be able to get support in the explanation of marking criteria and the content of writing assignments. This would help them to feel more confident and motivated in learning and mastering writing skills. Therefore, the main argument of the article is that students should be taught context-specific writing skills that are relevant to their experience and professional field. There is no point in teaching them to write general academic essays as they need more discipline-specific teaching.
The researcher covers he topic of instructional strategies that writing lecturers may implement in order to give the students the necessary knowledge. The source is relevant and useful for the research as it provides insights into the importance of discipline-specific writing, highlighting that general academic essays are not enough for nursing students. The source is reliable, but it uses a limited number of participants, which makes the conclusions hard to generalize. The source is not entirely objective, as the author offers references to his own experience. The source is overall helpful in shaping the argument as it underlines the significance of discipline-specific writing for nursing students. It can further help in identifying the points that can facilitate the teaching of writing skills to students.
Henttonen, A., Fossum, B., Scheja, M., Teräs, M., & Westerbotn, M. (2021). Nursing students’ expectations of the process of writing a bachelor’s thesis in Sweden: A qualitative study. Nurse Education in Practice, 54. Web.
The article focuses on exploring the expectations that students have when writing their bachelor’s thesis. Based on the qualitative content analysis, the researchers identify three main categories of expectations, including “gaining professional knowledge and competency, planning and organizing the work, and taking stock of personal resources” (Henttonen et al., 2021). The article provides a conclusion that nursing students should discuss and reflect on their expectations before writing their thesis in order to develop transferable skills and knowledge. Therefore, the main argument of the article is that the effectiveness of writing assignments for nursing students depends on their relevance to the expectations. The researchers cover topics of nursing education in the context of higher education, focusing on discipline-specific writing skills.
The source is highly relevant as it offers insights into factors that can facilitate the development of transferable knowledge through writing activities. It is compatible with other sources as it investigates the influence of different aspects on the effectiveness of writing for nursing students. The information presented is reliable, and the source is objective as it uses objective data and relevant methodology. One of the weaknesses of the source is the limited data set, which includes 93 participants. Additionally, the research is limited to one country, which makes it difficult to generalize the results. The source helps in shaping the argument as it offers significant assumptions on the changes that need to be made in order to develop appropriate writing skills in nursing students. Specifically, the researchers underline that students need to be aware of the professional and personal goals that they have in relation to writing tasks. Therefore, the source changes the perception of motivation and purpose behind the development of writing skills for nurses.
Simon, H. B. (2013). The write stuff: How good writing can enhance patient care and professional growth. The American Journal of Medicine, 126(6), 467–471. Web.
The article underlines that a coherent narrative constitutes the basis of quality patient care. In particular, the author notes that the clinical narrative should be non-judgmental and complete but capture the unique characteristics of a patient. Medical records are important as the source of valuable information that can be used in therapy. Additionally, sharing medical records that contain coherent narratives can help healthcare professionals to build trust with patients and promote transparency. The article discusses the main implications that writing skills have for healthcare professionals, including clinical practice, academic activities, consumer health writing, and personal satisfaction. Additionally, the article provides several tips for professionals on how they can improve their written communication in accordance with their goals. The main argument of the source is that writing is a skill that needs to be trained and that it has a significant impact on the practice of healthcare professionals.
The author covers written communication in different contexts of healthcare-related activities. The source is relevant for the research as it provides meaningful insights into the different implications that writing has for nurses and physicians. Additionally, it provides valuable tips on writing skills development, which can be incorporated into the research. However, the article is not entirely objective, and its reliability is questionable. The author bases the argument on personal experience and analysis of several cases. The number of literature used in the research is limited, which can negatively impact the reliability of the source. The main weakness of the article is its lack of theoretical basis. At the same time, it focuses on practical implications, which can be its primary strength. The article is highly useful for the research as it gives important insights into the significance of writing for nurses and other healthcare professionals. It changes the perception of the narrative in clinical practice and medical records.