Medical-Legal Topics

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

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Tags: communication skills, writing skills

This entry was posted on Monday, February 8th, 2010 at 7:47 am and is filed under Communication skills, Legal nurse consulting, Trial lawyer skills. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.