Did you know that you can take all of the nurses’ roles and put them toward getting a writing job and becoming a nurse writer?
Nurses are the most trusted professionals. They serve as teachers, researchers, and systematic thinkers, bringing valuable insight to the profession and their patients.
My name is Janine Kelbach, RNC-OB, and I’m the owner of WriteRN and host of The Savvy Scribe Podcast. In 2015, I leveraged my professional nursing knowledge to find a freelance writing job and eventually build a health writing side business. This article will help you learn how to do build your nurse side writing job as a health writer.
Qualities and Roles of Nurses That Can Help Them Get a Writing Job
Nurses are trusted
For the 17th consecutive year, the Gallup poll has identified nursing as the most trusted profession.
Patients trust nurses because they are on the frontline of care. When a patient doesn’t feel well, it’s the nurse who is there to make things better. Nurses call the doctor to get the necessary medication while changing the patient’s bed linens, fixing their pillow, fetching a popsicle, and helping them shower. Patients are vulnerable, and nurses never make them feel ashamed. They are simply there to hold their hand.
This trustworthiness follows a nurse wherever they go, from personal interactions to online. Through my own journey as a nurse writer, I have learned that my clients trust me because I am a nurse. I can effectively listen to their problems, and my writing job serves as medicine to solve their content pain points.
Nurses are teachers
Nurses play a role in the patient’s discharge process in the hospital. They are trusted to teach their patients about their disease process and how to cope at home. When I write health-related articles, I think like a nurse. I present information in a patient-friendly manner, with content that’s easy to digest and understand.
Nurses are researchers
During nursing school, nurses are required to deliver lengthy papers to their professors with a research-backed and evidence-based approach. In school, nurses are taught that medical care and treatments are based on evidence-based research and translate into evidence-based practice. Therefore, nurses become excellent researchers both during nursing school and upon completion. Nurses apply this concept if they got a writing job, consistently referencing reliable resources. This is because they know what it’s like to have patients trust “Dr. Google” to know what is wrong with them.
Nurses are insightful to the profession
Numerous clients have said that they prefer to hire nurses to write content, rather than a general freelance writer. I often hear responses such as, “Nurses understand nurses, and I need someone to write from the experience of a nurse. Other writers can’t do that.”
Nurses are Systematic Thinkers
Nurses are wired to be systematic thinkers. Throughout a busy shift, nurses are continually looking for ways to make their jobs more efficient. The Nursing Process helps nurses with staying efficient and developing a plan for their patients.
Registerednursing.org defines the Nursing Process as the “scientific, clinical reasoning approach to client care that includes assessment, analysis, planning, implementation, and evaluation.” In other words, it’s a tool used by nurses to help patients get the care they need for their nursing and medical diagnoses.
I have learned to translate the nursing process into a writing process for nurses. You can apply these processes to create content for your next writing job.
| The Nursing Process | The Prospecting Process |
| Assessment– The Head to Toe of the patient including all their lab values and their psychosocial issues. | Assessment– The Head to Toe of the potential client including their website information, published content, and social media presence. |
| The Nursing Process | The Prospecting Process |
| Diagnosis– The nurse’s clinical judgment that results in a nursing diagnosis of a cause or potential cause for a medical problem. | Diagnosis– The writer’s judgment that results in a gap recognition for the writer to fill. |
| The Nursing Process | The Prospecting Process |
| Planning– Based on the assessment and diagnosis, the nurse creates a plan for short and long-term goals for the patient. | Planning– Based on the research and outcomes of that research, the writer creates a service for a potential client to serve as a goal for the writer (income) and client (ROI). |
| The Nursing Process | The Prospecting Process |
| Implementation– The hands-on nursing care is provided to the patient according to the care plan. | Implementation– The hands-on work to connect with the client, develop a rapport, and create an action plan to work together. |
| The Nursing Process | The Prospecting Process |
| Evaluation– The result of the actions. The nurse care plan is always updated and tweaked to fit the individual patient’s needs. | Evaluation– The results of the action. The writer will always update their pitches and client scoping to meet their client’s needs. |
Nurses use this process for their client assessment, but I have learned that writers also find value in implementing a process for creating content.
If you’re a nurse who’s thinking about pursuing a creative side writing job, nurse writing could be a great fit. Clients will trust you to teach through your writing based on your first-hand experience. Utilize both the nursing and writing process to comfortably complete your work.
If you are a nurse and ready to accept your first writing job, do you want to know how much healthcare writers charge? For more tips, read Freelance Writing Rate Guide for Healthcare Writers: What do I charge?
Not sure how to get started on building your first writing job? Here are your 5 Ultimate Guides to Starting Your Freelance Healthcare Writing Business for 2020!
Like what you’re reading? Take a listen to our podcast called The Savvy Scribe Podcast!
Interested in taking your health writing business further? Join us in the Savvy Scribe Growth Lab!
Would you like to join a group of like-minded health writers? We host the Savvy Scribe Collective and would LOVE for you to be a part of it! Join us for FREE
