Professional Writing in the Health Disciplines
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Sandra Collins
Practice Exercises
The exercises provided here are linked directly from the various chapters. You will find them most useful if you complete them as you read each chapter.
Note. Many of the exercises below focus on particular aspects of professional writing (e.g., grammar, organizing content with a paragraph, or attending to voice). The content is fictitious and I have not included citations, in most cases, that could distract from the purpose of the exercise. Remember, in an actual paper, citations are required for any content that is not your own original idea!
Chapter 1 exercises
Exercise 1: Finding your voice
Read the paragraph below and highlight examples where the use of the passive voice or the third person distracts from the clarity or transparency of meaning. Also note also any examples where I statements may not be appropriate.
Both formative and summative evaluation processes are important for ensuring that client needs are effectively addressed through the counselling process. Without a clear feedback loop, it is difficult for counsellors to assess how effective various aspects of the counselling process are. To address this concern, at the end of each session clients were invited to complete a brief feedback sheet, which contained the following information: (a) overall rating of the session; (b) specific rating of the working alliance, counsellor skills, progress towards goals, and sense of hope; and (c) a brief description of critical incidents in each session. I think that clients were pleased to be asked to provide this type of feedback. I reviewed the feedback on a client-by-client basis. Aggregate data for all clients was also produced. All clients identified clear links between counselling goals and processes as an important factor. A sense of connection to the counsellor and experiences in the sessions that connected thoughts and feelings were also identified. I felt affirmed in my work as a result of the feedback. Challenges were also presented. Based on this feedback, I have integrated a number of additional strategies into my work with most clients. Focused evaluation has an important role to play in counsellor self-awareness and professional development. In my opinion, the profession could benefit from developing new tools that are easy to implement and do not require a significant time commitment. There is also a need for existing tools to be made available to others.
Check out the Feedback on Exercise 1.
Exercise 2: Principles for reducing bias
Some general principles for reducing bias in language, summarized from the APA Manual, are provided in the table below. Generate two examples for each category: (a) one considered insensitive or reflecting bias and (b) an alternative reflecting professionalism and cultural sensitivity. A few cells have been filled in to get you started. Note: Move your cursor over the table to view different areas.
General Principles / Problematic Example / Preferred Example- Be as specific as possible in your descriptions of cultural identities
- Highlight differences in cultural identities only where relevant
- Place the emphasis on the person to avoid labeling
- Use labels preferred by group members
- Provide clear definitions for terms you introduce to label groups
- Do not set up one individual or group as the comparative standard for describing others
- Structure sentences to highlight the individual as an active participant
- Select accurate pronouns to describe individuals or groups
- Do not use male pronouns as inclusive of all human beings
- Carefully distinguish behaviour from cultural identity
- Do not equate people with conditions they experience
- Avoid pejorative or emotionally laden terminology
- Do not make assumptions about the relationship of person and condition
- Avoid adjectives that suggest a descriptor is unusual for group members
- Fully and accurately describe members of groups
Feedback on Exercise 2.
Exercise 3: Using an appropriate tone
Read the paragraph below and highlight words that create an unprofessional or disrespectful tone. Suggest an alternative in each case.
In recent years, researchers have prioritized self-reflection in the training of health care practitioners. Oddly, none of these researchers has identified the need for reflexive practice constructs to be applied to those responsible for the education of nurses, counsellors, or other health care practitioners. They stated that modeling in the supervision process one is of the most effective ways to encourage self-awareness. However, most completely missed the connection to the role of educators. A few did a better job of pulling together the various elements of the training process. They focused in particular on techniques for building self-awareness through courses, applied practice experiences, and supervision of theses. What this writer does not understand is researchers’ lack of focus on the level of self-awareness and self-reflection by educators themselves.
Feedback on Exercise 3.
Exercise 4: Writing with academic integrity
Reread the final paragraphs from exercises 3 and 4 below. Insert a (***) to indicate the places where you would expect a citation or citations to be added to the text. Remember that any ideas that are drawn from the writing of others must be clearly cited to respect the principles of intellectual honesty.
Both formative and summative evaluation processes are important for ensuring that client needs are effectively addressed through the counselling process. Without a clear feedback loop, counsellors have difficulty assessing the effectiveness of various aspects of the counselling process. To address this concern, at the end of each session I invited clients to complete a brief feedback sheet, which contained the following information: (a) overall rating of the session; (b) specific rating of the working alliance, counsellor skills, progress towards goals, and sense of hope; and (c) a brief description of critical incidents in each session. Clients were pleased to be asked to provide this type of feedback. I reviewed the feedback on a client-by-client basis. I also produced aggregate data for all clients. All clients identified clear links between counselling goals and processes as an important factor. They also identified a sense of connection to the counsellor and experiences in the sessions that connected thoughts and feelings. I felt affirmed in my work as a result of the feedback. I also felt challenged. Based on this feedback, I have integrated a number of additional strategies into my work with most clients. Focused evaluation has an important role to play in counsellor self-awareness and professional development. The profession could benefit from developing new tools that are easy to implement and do not require a significant time commitment. Existing tools could also be made available to others.
In recent years, researchers have prioritized self-reflection in the training of health care practitioners. I believe that it is noteworthy that none of these researchers has identified the need for reflexive practice constructs to be applied to those responsible for the education of nurses, counsellors, or other health care practitioners. They stated that modeling in the supervision process one is of the most effective ways to encourage self-awareness. However, most did not extend their discussion to the role of educators. A few provided a more comprehensive review of the various elements of the training process. They focused in particular on techniques for building self-awareness through courses, applied practice experiences, and supervision of theses. Researchers’ lack of focus on the level of self-awareness and self-reflection by educators themselves leaves room for further exploration.
Feedback on Exercise 4.
Exercise 5: Paraphrasing and synthesizing
Take the quotes below and paraphrase each of them. Then, provide a summary statement that reflects your synthesis of these ideas. You don’t need to worry about citing sources at this point. We will address that in Chapter 4.
“Many non-dominant populations in Canada are more strongly influenced by the social determinants of health than dominant populations.”
“The social determinants of health include poverty, prejudice and discrimination, lack of access to clean water and adequate housing, and barriers to education and work.”
“Aboriginal populations in Canada face many obstacles to healthy development and to sustaining well-being that have more to do with the context of their lives than with their individual or collective choices, motivations, or life goals.”
“Health care practitioners are remiss if they focus only on the individual they encounter in their office or health care service setting. Instead, the locus of control should be shifted to the social, economic, and physical environments in which their patients live.”
Feedback on Exercise 5.
Chapter 2 exercises
Exercise 1: Establishing your purpose
Generate three different purpose statements for each level of learning, focusing on different ways to demonstrate meeting that objective. Pick one of the following topics areas: bullying in schools, online delivery of health/counselling services, or ethical dilemmas unique to rural practice.
Level of Learning / Criteria for Demonstrationof Learning / Purpose Statements
Cognitive Domain
Knowledge /
- observe and recall information
- know major ideas
- master subject matter
Comprehension /
- understand content and grasp meaning
- interpret facts, compare, contrast
- provide examples
Application /
- use information, methods, concepts, theories in new situations
- solve problems using required skills or knowledge
Analysis /
- identify patterns and organization of parts
- recognize hidden meanings or implications
Synthesis /
- use old ideas to create new ones or generalize to new situations
- integrate knowledge from several areas
- predict, draw conclusions
Evaluation /
- compare and discriminate between ideas or models
- assess value of theories and concepts
- make choices based on reasoned argument
- recognize subjectivity
Note: There are no right answers to this exercise, because many different purposes statements could emerge from a single topic.
Exercise 2: Crafting a thesis statement
In the table below, write one purpose statement for each of the levels of learning (see Exercise 1 for a reminder of what each level aims at). Then, create two potential thesis statements that fit well with that purpose. Try to make the thesis statements quite different from each other to demonstrate the amount of freedom you have in defining the specific direction of your paper even after the topic and purpose have been clearly established. Select from the following topics: developing graduate writing skills, entering graduate studies, or establishing professional identity. Remember, there are no right answers, so be creative. Notice that two levels of learning from the affective domain have been added. Remember: Move your cursor over the table to view different areas.
Level of Learning / Purpose Statements / Thesis StatementCognitive Domain
Analysis /
- identify patterns and organization of parts
- recognize hidden meanings or implications
Synthesis /
- use old ideas to create new ones or generalize to new situations
- integrate knowledge from several areas
- predict, draw conclusions
Evaluation /
- compare and discriminate between ideas or models
- assess value of theories and concepts
- make choices based on reasoned argument
- recognize subjectivity
Affective Domain
Awareness /
- demonstrate self-awareness. sensitivity towards others, personal responsibility
- identify areas for personal change
Commitment /
- adopt a self-reflective attitude toward personal and professional activities
- exhibit values and attitudes appropriate to the context and professional role
- seek personal and professional development
Note: There are again no right answers to this exercise. Assess your own work against the criteria provided in Chapter 2.
Exercise 3: Generating an argument
The purpose of this exercise is to practice developing clear key points (arguments) in an overall argument. Take each of the thesis statements below and generate a series of key points to support that thesis. Notice that on the topic of developing writing skills, it is possible to argue two very different positions. I deliberately set up two contradictory thesis statements to demonstrate that they must be arguable. Organize your key points according to a logical flow that persuades the reader that your thesis or argument is worth attending to.
Thesis statement 1: Developing solid writing skills early on will facilitate success in both graduate education and professional roles.
Thesis statement 2: The emphasis on writing skills in graduate programs distracts from the central mandate of developing applied professional competencies.
Exercise 4: Synthesizing the literature
Using the topic, purpose, and thesis statements below, create three different sentences for each level of learning that demonstrate the criteria provided. Remember, you do not need to address all of the criteria in each statement. Only cognitive learning is targeted in this exercise because of the topics selected and because this is often the aspect of writing where students have the most difficulty distinguishing among and targeting specific levels of learning.
Topic / Purpose / ThesisNurse practitioner competencies / In this paper, I will compare and contrast the nurse practitioner competencies with those of other health care providers. / Nurse practitioners fill an important gap in health care services by bringing a unique combination of competencies that build upon those of registered nurses.
Level of Learning / Sample Statements – Synthesis of the literature
Knowledge
Comprehension
Application
Analysis
Synthesis
Evaluation
Exercise 5: Crafting an introduction
Test your skills at building an effective introduction, drawing on the topic, purpose, and thesis statements below. Remember, you can be as creative as you like as long as the basics are clear and your creativity doesn’t impair the clarity of your writing.
Topic / Purpose / ThesisNurse practitioner competencies / To compare and contrast the nurse practitioner competencies with those of other health care providers. / Nurse practitioners fill an important gap in health care services by bringing a unique combination of competencies that build upon those of registered nurses.
Multicultural counselling and social justice / To evaluate the relative position of multicultural counselling and social justice in the profession of counselling. / Multicultural counselling and social justice are inextricably intertwined, and both are central to competent and ethical practice with all clients.
Exercise 6: Drawing conclusions
Test your skills at building an effective conclusion, drawing on the two topic, purpose, and thesis sequences in Exercise 5. Be sure to use the introduction you crafted above as an additional reference point.
Chapter 3 exercises
Exercise 1: Finding your voice
Review the paragraph below and identify examples where transition words are used in a way that either enhance (bold) or reduce (italics) the meaningfulness or flow of ideas in the paper. Remember that any writing tool that is overused has a counterproductive effect.
To illustrate the application of knowledge to practice in counselling skills training, Jerry (2006) set up an experiment in which one group of students was provided with basic skills training and then asked to provide a videotape and another group was provided with basic skills training and a more detailed rationale for each of the skills prior to producing their videotapes. Afterwards, all students were provided with a self-assessment measure of their skills. In addition, independent raters reviewed the videotapes using a standardized coding grid. They did not show any differences between the two groups. However, the self-assessments were significantly different. They revealed greater perceived skill on the part of students who received the more detailed rationale. In other words, the two measures clearly assessed different things. For that reason, Jerry concluded that further research was required to determine the relationship between perceived skills application and actual skill application. Nonetheless, he asserted that self-perception was not an adequate foundation upon which to design learning approaches. Consequently, no changes were made to the current skills training course.
Exercise 2: Writing with clarity and conciseness
Read the paragraph below and bold the words or expressions that make the text less clear and concise. Suggest an alternative, where appropriate.
There are only a very few researchers who think that Western theories of health behaviour change can be applied equally well to all populations. Some theories have made adjustments to account for cultural difference. However, these are few and far between. There are a number of writers who have suggested that modifications to existing theories are insufficient. They point to studies that have previously demonstrated that the assumptions underlying Western theories are inconsistent with the worldviews of many of the clients/patients we might encounter. Other authors take more of a fly by the seat of your pants approach, adapting models to fit with each individual client/patient in the moment, even though they may not all agree with the basic theoretical position of the particular practitioner and drawing on both Western and Eastern models that speak effectively to one another. “Theories are only theories – they are not as important as our clients. The way that we practice and the theories we draw upon should be assessed in light of the needs of our clients. In this way, we meet our professional obligation to address the needs of all of our clients” (Brown, 2005, p. 45). If theories are applied appropriately then clients/patients are more likely to continue to access your services than simply applying theories in the same way with everyone.
Exercise 3: Using structuring skills
Add a topic sentence (key point) to the beginning of each paragraph and then add appropriate structuring skills to improve the flow and clarity of meaning of the following text. Indicate your key points and title your structuring skills with bold font. You may also want to practice creating a thesis statement that might ties these points in the argument together.