These are additional entries from my writing tips contest.
Store perfected phrases and language in the autotext feature of your word processing program. That way, you can just click on a key word and immediately produce the desired text at the correct position within your document. This is a big, big time saver.
Sue Kelly Paralegal, Red Bank, NJ
Keeping current includes newer uses of language, descriptors, etc. It also means your work product. Use current styles of paper, fonts, format, display folders, marketing tools, business cards, letterhead, etc. I find that after being in business since the 80’s, it is essential to update and upgrade all that we do from fashion to products.
Lorraine A. Shoaf RN, BSN, LNCC Legal Nurse Consultant
One of my final checks is to make sure my tense is consistent rather than moving from past tense to present tense and back and forth. Sometimes a tense change is necessary, but it should not occur at random throughout the document.
Kathy Clark, MS, RN Oklahoma City, OK
My writing tip is in a word, organization. Did I organize my facts? Is there a flow to the report? The organization of thoughts and facts should start with a beginning, middle and end and make it easy for the editor/ reader to follow the story line. It also makes reading the report a pleasure. Understanding that you are writing for a non-medical professional whose forte happens to be verbiage is limitless in value too.
It takes time to write a good report. I find that casual emails are not written with the same intensity that a report or a story is composed with.
Claire Hull, RN, CCM, CLNC
Remember this: Know your audience and gear your writing accordingly. If you don’t, your writing could be too technical, not technical enough, or you could miss the mark entirely, writing something for the wrong person or group of people. If you’re writing for business, you also risk disappointing your client.
For instance, I recently became a staff writer for two local medical magazines, each with a totally different audience. One is geared towards physicians and office managers; the other has an audience of lay people–”patients”– interested in health and wellness. I initially struggled with my articles, trying to figure out what the “angle” would be and how to write something that would be of interest. It then occurred to me that I just needed to remember my audience: those who are health providers, those that manage their offices, and everyday people (albeit with their own set of demographics) who are interested in improving their health. Knowing my audience helps me focus on what’s important to each group.
Karen Devin, RN, BSN, Lexington, Kentucky
Join us for a free class on how to stand out as a Legal Nurse Consultant, February 25. See http://www.patiyer.com/lncstandout/index.html
a contest asking for suggestions for writing. This was the winning entry by Joan Pate.


these five responses, you may want to think of a recent stressful event or news that you may have received, and see what your reaction to that event can teach you about how you habitually respond. You may have one type of response at work, and another at home, or you may react differently depending on who else is involved. 


There is little question that government interest in medical error is economic rather than benevolent for even the legislative language of medical malpractice speaks, not to the injuries caused to the patient, but to the government’s budget. When the New Jersey Legislature enacted “The Patients First Act,” ironically, it spoke not to the rights of the patients, but to medical malpractice insurance. “The State’s healthcare system and its residents’ access to healthcare providers are threatened by a dramatic escalation in medical malpractice liability insurance premiums, which is creating a crisis of affordability in the purchase of necessary liability for our healthcare providers. . .” 1 
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