Academic writing tips for nursing professionals: how to enhance your written communication skills for higher education

ALINA DAVID September 29, 2023

Nursing is an enduringly popular career choice in the healthcare profession and an important part of how the system functions. Effective, compassionate care for patients, for example, would not be possible without trained nurses. By the same token, the fact that nursing professionals educate patients on living a healthier lifestyle or managing certain conditions should not be overlooked.

In addition to the central role nurses play in the overall healthcare industry, it is a popular career choice for many other reasons. The high status that nurses enjoy in society is a good example, as are the competitive rates of pay these roles offer and the job security they deliver. Nursing is also a very rewarding profession to move into personally and allows you to have a direct, positive impact on the world.

To work as a nurse, it is important to first gain the knowledge this role requires through higher education. This involves enrolling in specific nursing programs that teach you what you need to know to become a nurse or move into more advanced positions. But how can you do this, and why is academic writing such a big part of the process?

How can you gain the qualifications and skills needed for nursing?

Most people looking to break into this industry will opt to gain a bachelor’s degree in nursing first and move into entry-level registered nursing jobs. Once this has been achieved, it is possible to make the step up to more senior nursing roles by gaining additional qualifications.

Doing this not only means you have the necessary credentials to apply for advanced-level roles but that you have also gained the higher-level knowledge needed for them through study. For busy working nurses, this can be done through flexible remote learning in modern times.

Wilkes University’s RN to NP online programs shows why this mode of study is so popular and contains 100% online course – with no visits to campus required. With outstanding support for students and the opportunity to select from three NP specializations, this program is ideal for any registered nurse with an associate degree who is looking to become a nurse practitioner.

Whatever kind of academic nursing program you study, academic writing skills will be very important and something to rely on when completing coursework. This way of writing is very different from how you would write normally and can require some practice. As such, it is essential to brush up on your academic writing skills in order to give yourself the best chance of success. As with finding out the latest careers tips and news, this can be a great way to elevate your own knowledge base.

But what tips are there to do this and enhance your ability to communicate academically in written form?

Read up on academic writing standards

The first thing you will likely notice about academic writing on nursing courses is the rules and standards it comes with. As noted above, these are normally different than how you would write non-academically.

Due to this, it is key to read up on writing in this way before starting your course and also once enrolled in it. This can be through books or online resources on the subject your university recommends via their reading list, their own internal guides on writing academically, or other external authoritative resources you have found. Taking some time to read about writing academically can give you a really good foundation in it.

Take your time and practice

As is the case with nursing theory and practice, you also have to focus on the theory and practice of academic writing to master it. This means that you should spend some time practicing writing in an academic style once you have read up on how to go about it.

This is something that you can do before starting any course and allows you to get used to writing in this way without any pressure. Once you have begun your studies and started writing assignments, you will naturally get plenty of time to hone your academic writing skills.

One thing to remember initially is to not rush and not expect to be good at this style of writing right away. This is especially true if you are brand new to it and have never written in this format before. Be kind to yourself, and remember that it will take a little time to get adept at this way of communicating.

Look at other written academic work for inspiration

One effective way to improve your skills in academic writing for nursing courses is by taking inspiration from assignments and articles in this style. If you come across an assignment or research paper which you think hits the mark, then it is fine to look at how it is structured or why it works so well.

This can then help you with your own work and give you ideas on how to lay out your pieces better or how to write more formally and effectively. This can be a useful improvement tip and gives you an example to follow when writing academically yourself.

Ask for help when stuck

If you ever find yourself stuck when writing in this style, a good tip is to reach out for help. This may be to other students in your course who have encountered the same issue previously and can advise you. If you have any colleagues or friends who know how to write in this way, they can also be a good source of guidance to rely on.

It is also worth reaching out to tutors if you find yourself stuck with an academic writing question. They are the experts on the subject and will be able to tell you exactly how to put something in your assignment or answer any queries you have.

The key thing is to ask for help when needed and seek it from a reliable source who knows what they are talking about. This will ensure you find the whole process of writing assignments less stressful and do not waste lots of time trying to work things out on your own.

Listen to feedback

Enhancing your written communication skills for higher education as a nursing professional can often be about listening to what trusted sources tell you. The best example of this is feedback which tutors give on assignments when marking them. This may well highlight specific parts of your academic writing which need work or common mistakes you make when writing in this way. It can also highlight where you are strong in terms of academic writing for higher education, so you know to carry on in the same vein.

It can also be worth speaking directly with tutors or your course leader for feedback on your academic writing skills. Your university may also have specific staff who provide assistance to students on the subject. All these sources can be great avenues for finding out where you are doing well in terms of writing academically but also where you can improve.

Think about tone and perspective when you write

To really give your academic writing skills a boost as a nursing professional, focusing on tone and perspective is advised. The academic world generally favors formality in terms of tone when writing. This means it is a good idea to write in this more formal way yourself when completing assignments.

As nursing is an evidence-based discipline, it is a must to back up statements with facts and explain why you have made them. It is also key to write academically with an objective tone and avoid using the first-person. Most universities will ask you to write in the third person instead. This would involve saying, “Studies have shown…” rather than, “I think that…”

Terminology is key

When we think of academic writing for nursing professionals specifically, using the correct terminology is vital. This is a great tip to take onboard if you are looking to give a boost to your written communication skills for higher education.

By using the right terms in your written work, you are demonstrating higher level knowledge to the reader and showing that you fully understand what you are writing about. Using the right terminology also helps set a more formal, serious tone which is key for academic writing.

It can also enable you to be more precise in your writing and provide more detail about what you are describing. To really enhance your skills in this area, for example, you might write that someone has suffered an “intracerebral hemorrhage” rather than a “brain hemorrhage.”

Don’t plagiarize

This is a key tip for any kind of writing and is relevant to better academic writing for nursing professionals. It is also one that can be especially useful for people who have never written an assignment before and who may not be aware of the expected standards around it.

The key thing to remember when writing is to never copy information from sources word for word and present it as your own. You should instead read the information which is given, think about it, and then write about the subject in your own unique way. All universities have specialist software which checks assignments for plagiarism, so do not be tempted to copy and paste content to pass off as your own.

It is key to note here that you can quote from external sources, but this must be done using quotation marks. In addition, the exact source of the quoted information should be noted in the text. Looking at the most common plagiarism examples can help if you are stuck on this tip.

Why are good academic writing skills so important for nursing professionals?

The above sets out some handy ways nursing professional can improve their academic writing skills for higher education. But why is this worth spending time and effort on?

To begin with, it will help you gain better grades on assignments because you can explain yourself more clearly and hit the required criteria around academic writing. This in turn should also mean you do better overall in any higher education course you take.

This is especially true for more advanced programs, where the grading criteria might be very strict around academic writing. By enabling you to gain better results on your assignments, refining your written communication skills should help you pass and gain the certification you need to progress your career.

Academic writing skills not just for higher education

Interestingly, it is not just higher education where skills in this style of writing come into play. They are also something which you can use in your role as a nursing professional on a day-to-day basis. Being proficient in writing this way can help when putting together reports for more senior staff or giving presentations to high-status stakeholders.

You may also find that the practice of writing academically enables you to write in a more concise, clear manner in your usual role. This can be useful for ensuring people understand any emails, texts, or letters you send to them.

If you plan to move into niche nursing roles such as nurse educator or research-based nursing, then excellent skills in academic writing will naturally be valuable. This could be in terms of advising students on how to write academically or putting together research papers which call for this style.

A key higher education skill to work on

Working in nursing brings great job satisfaction, the chance to work as part of a team, and competitive salary levels. It is also a career with a huge range of jobs and roles to move into. All will need some kind of specific academic qualification to do this, though, and academic writing will form part of any higher education program you study.

It is worth thinking about how nursing professionals can enhance their skills in this area and set themselves up for success. If you need a few ideas on how to go about this, the above should prove useful.