Runninghead:STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

CreatingaStructuredWritingStyleinHealthcareisn'tanEasyTask
LyricRandall
AntiochUniversity


STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

Inanyorganizationtherearemanydifferentforms,genres,tones,anddistinctwaysto

createcredibilityinawritingenvironment.Writingisagreatwayforsomeonetoexpress
himselforherself,aswellastheprogramororganizationthattheyrepresent.Anemployeeofthe
RegionalOfficeofState,Adrianaahealtheducatordevotedtoeducatingwomenwaskind
enoughtoallowherwrittenartifactstobesharedandthenfurtheranalyzed.Adrianahasa
challengingjobbecauseinaday'sworkshetriestoreachouttomanydifferentdemographics
(Latin,AfricanAmerican)ofpeopletotrytofurthereducatethem.Herwrittenworkisan
importantkeyfactorincreatingabeneficialprogramforwomenandcreatingawritingstylethat
isfactual,butalsoeasilyunderstandable.Whenoneisstrivingtoachievelogos,pathos,ethos,
andattemptingtocreateastructuredwritingstyle,communicatingthroughwrittenartifactsisa
necessarystyleinthehealthcareprofessionitisespeciallycrucialintheEveryWomanCounts
Programbecausetheprogramhasthechallengeofeffectivelydemonstratingthevalueoftheir
companytopeoplewhoarenotwellversedinthedomainofhealthcare.

AdrianaworkswiththeregionalofficeofthestatesEveryWomanCountsprogramin

California,whichprovidesfreebreastandcervicalcancerscreening,diagnosticservices,and
publiceducationtolowincome,anduninsuredwomenage40+.Thisprogramreachesoutto
womenthroughnetworkinginlocalcommunitiesandpublicclinics,includingPlanned
ParenthoodandPublicHealthClinics.Mammogramsandotherdiagnosticimagingareprovided
atallimagingcentersthatacceptMediCal.TheEveryWomanCountsprogramisopentoany
individualsregardlessoftheirresidencystatus.Thisprogramalsoserveswomenwithhigh
deductibles/copaymentsatorbelow200%ofthefederalpovertylevel,whomayneedhelp
obtainingadiagnosticservicethatisnotcoveredbytheirregularinsurance.Thisprogramalso


STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

hasashorteducationalclassthatislowliteracyandmakesiteasiertounderstandinformation
aboutbreastandcervicalcancer,aswellastheoverallconceptsoftheprogram.TheDepartment
ofHealthCareServicesprogramalsooffersbasicinformationabouttheAffordableCareActand
referralstoCoveredCalifornia.Thisprogramhasbilingual,biculturalstaffwhospeaksEnglish,
Spanish,andMixtec.TheEveryWomanCountsprogramstrivestomaketheirmessageand
contenteasilydigestibleforabroadaudience.Byhavingadiversestaffitallowsforallwomen
withdifferentculturalbackgroundstoseektheassistancethattheyneedandtogetmore
information.
Yetanotherwonderfulservicethatthisprogramprovidesisthattheyregularlyattend
communityevents,suchashealthfairsandfoodpantries.Theygooutintothecommunityso
theycanhandoutdifferentbrochures,flyers,informationpackets,andotherinformative
documentsthattheprogramwantswomentohave.Whencreatingsuchfactualdocuments,
employeessuchasAdrianashouldaskthemselvestwoquestions:wouldIsaythistomy
audiencefacetoface?Andsecondly,amIcomfortablewiththismessagebecominga
permanentpartofthecompanyscommunicationhistory(
Graff&Birkenstein
).Bytheauthor
takingtimetoanalyzetheirownwriting,theyarecreatingadocumentthathasbeenwellthought
out,hopefullyansweringallofthequestionsanypotentialclientmaywonder.Alloftheartifacts
thattheprogramhandsoutarefactual,linear,andeasilyunderstandable.

Whenfirstanalyzingtheartifacts,Inoticedthatthegenreoftheworkshouldbenoted.

Fromwhatwasobserved,thegenreofthesedocumentsandwebpageswereprimarilystructured
withpathos,ethos,andlogicaswellasbeingeducational,friendly,andcreatingasenseof
community.Theartifactsthatwerereceivedconsistedoftheirwebpage,aswellasinformative


STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

handouts,andflyersthatAdrianasprogramgivestopeople.Thedocumentsthatwerereviewed
werealleducationalandvisuallywereextremelylinear.Thisgenreofwritingsseemstobethe
mosteffectivewaythattheEveryWomanCountsprogramhasthatdemonstratestheirvaluetoa
widerangeofwomen,nomatterwhatbackground.Thereisaplethoraofdifferentfacts
embeddedinthetextaboutbreastandcervicalcancer.Allofthefactsdiscusshowtoprevent,
howtotreat,andhowtoqualifythroughtheEveryWomanCountsprogram.Theflyersdisplay
theeducationalinformationinaveryclearandconcisewaythatallowsforthereadertoeasily
comprehendtheinformationthatisdisplayed.Duetothefriendlystylethattheseartifacts
exhibit,theywilldrawtheattentionofthetargetaudienceandcreateasenseofsupport,aswell
asdemonstratethewillingnessandwanttohelpwomen.Tosumupthepresentationstrategythat
theEveryWomanCountsprogramusesismethodicalandsupportive.Thesedocumentsshow
thereaderthattheprogramisfriendlyandtheretoassistandhelp.Beingfriendlytoanaudience
isimportantwhentryingtoreachouttoaspecificgroup.Ontheotherhand,iftheflyerswere
filledwithboringanddrytext,itisprobablethatnotasmanypeoplewouldchoosetotakethe
timetoreadthem,thereforedismissingwhattheprogramhastooffer.Theflyerseasily
communicatewiththetargetaudience.Forexample,thedocumentspresentthattheprogramis
friendlybydisplayingnumerouspicturesofhappywomen,naturallysmilinginagroupofother
womeninturnsymbolizingthesupportofeachother.Thisprogramdoesasplendidjobof
walkingthefinelinebetweeninformativeandcaring.
Whenawomandecidestotakecontrolofherlifeandmakesuphermindtobecome
educatedonasubjectthattheyareunfamiliarwith,itisimportantforthemtofeelliketheyare
beingsupportedandpartofafamily,orapartofaspecificgroupthatiswelcomingtothem,


STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

regardlessoftheirbackground.Asaresultfromthefriendlyvibethatthedocumentsproject,the
EveryWomanCountsprogramisabletocreateasenseofcommunity,aswellasdemonstrating
tothecommunityofadiversegroupofwomenthattheyarenotalone,butratherthattheyhavea
communitythatcanandwantstosupportthem.AccordingtoAdriana,thenotionofalovingand
supportivecommunityisthetruebackboneofthisprogram,becausewithoutthat,theprogram
wouldbededicatedtotransferringinformationwithoutactivesupport.Thisideanotonlygets
manymorewomeninvolved,butkeepstheminvolvedintheircommunity.

Itisimportanttoaddressthewritingstyleandappealofthedocuments:ethos,pathos,

andlogos.Ethosisthemostpredominantstyleofwritinginallofthewrittenartifactsthatwere
analyzed.Ethosisthecredibilitythataspeakerorwriterbringstothesubjectthatheorsheis
communicatingabout(p.45UnderstandingRhetoric).TheEveryWomanCountsprogram
chosetowritetheirdocumentsinawaythatconvincesthereaderofthecredibilityandsuccess
oftheprogram.Creatingcredibledocumentsisimportantfortheprogram,becauseonceagain,
theyaretryingtomakethemselvestrustworthysothatuneducatedwomencanbecomemore
informed.PeoplelikeAdrianawanttopersuadethereaderthattheprogramiscredibleand
capableofhelpingthetargetgroupofwomenage40+.Supportingethosinthewritingstyleof
theEveryWomanCountsprogramispathos.
Pathosisawayofcreatingawaytoconvinceanaudienceofanargumentbycreatingan
emotionalresponse,pathossurroundsus,particularlyinvisualargumentssuchas
advertisements(p.45UnderstandingRhetoric).ThisisaccomplishedinAdrianaswriting
artifactsbysharingpersonalstoriesaswellasfriendlypictures.Briefstoriesaresharedabout
peoplewhohaventtakenadvantageoftheprogramorstayeduptodateontheirphysicaltesting,


STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

andtellastoryabouthowtheirlifehaschangednegativelysincetheirdecisiontonotsafeby
takingadvantageoftheEveryWomanCountsprogram.Thebottomlineistheycaughtthe
cancerearly,butthecomplicationscontinuedtoimpactmylifeandmyfamily(brochure).By
quicklysummarizingsomeoneshardships,thewritinghascreatedawaythateffectively
persuadesthereadingaudiencetolookfurtherintotheprogramsothatastorylikethiswon't
happentothem.Whetheritbeastorythatrecountssomeone'snegativeexperienceorpositive
experience,bothcanproducethesameeffectofmotivatingmorewomentolookdeeperintothe
programinhopesthattheycanrightawrongorcontinuetoliveahealthyandmoreinformed
life.
Theprogramisallowingthereaderstocreatereasonswithinthemselvesby
acknowledgingahardshipinsomeoneslife.Logosisawritingstylethatdisplaysreasonwithin
thereaderbyconvincingtheaudienceofanargumentthroughcreatingafactualdocument.All
oftheflyersandhandoutsfortheEveryWomanCountsprogramalsouseslogos,whichisa
writingstylethatappealstoreason,totheforcefulnessofthewellthoughtoutand
wellstructuredposition(p.45UnderstandingRhetoric).Thiswritingstyleisslightlyharderto
depictbutitisstillthere:cancerisadiseaseinwhichcellsinthebodygrowoutofcontrol.
Whencancerstartsinthebreastitiscalledbreastcancer.Breastcanceristhemostcommon
cancerinCaliforniawomen.Thisstatementisveryclearandconcise,allowingfortheaudience
tobepersuadedbyreasonandlogic.ApplyingLogosintotheirprogramgivestheirinformation
andoverallmessageastrongbackbone,assuringtheiraudiencethatthiscompanyprioritizes
factsovertheorywhenitcounts.Usingthesethreeformsofwritingisessentialinahealthcare
profession,becausewithouthavingadocumentthatisconvincing,credible,persuadesthe


STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

audience,generatesemotion,anddemonstratesthepurelogicbehindtheconceptsofthe
document,thantheEveryWomanCountsprogramwouldnotbecredibleandthrivelikeit
currentlydoes.Byincorporatingthesethreedifferentwritingtechniques,thewriterisableto
imparttheirknowledgetoawiderangeofwomeninamoredefinedandclearway,whilestill
beingabletodefinetheirmessageforreaderswithoutissue.Pathos,LogosandEthosallserve
importantroleswhenaccuratelydepictingtheirprogram,eachofferdifferentelementsthatin
turn,roundouttheirmessageinaperfectlylegitimateandeasilydigestiblemanner.
Thetoneofwritinginahealthcareprofession,fromwhathasbeenstudied,hasnthad
verymuchofadramaticvariation.Intermsofhealthcare,theyhaveawiderangedaudience.
Theyachievereachingouttothiswiderangeofpeoplethroughrhetoricalappeal(ethos,pathos,
logos)andbycompilinganextensiveamountofresearch.Adrianawasasked,Wheredoyou
gettheinformationtosupporttheclaimsonyourbrochuresandwebsites?Herreplywas,we
getourinformationfromacrediblesource.TheCDC(CentersforDiseaseControl),Stateof
CaliforniaEveryWomanCountsProgram,andprofessionalpeerreviewedstudies.Soasyou
cansee,anextensiveamountofresearchhastobedoneinorderfortheEveryWomanCounts
Programtobecredible.Theyshowtheircredibilitythroughouttheirformsbycreatingvery
structureddocuments.Thestructureisapparentduetothebulletpoints,boxesthatsurroundthe
text,andthelinearfashionoftheforms.Whenlookingatthehandouts,readerscanseethatthe
documentarelaidoutincategories(inboxes)sothatthereadercaneasilycompartmentalizethe
dataandbetterunderstandthetext.Becausethetextisnottoowordy,theEveryWomanCounts
Programsisabletotacklethechallengeofeducatingwomenwhoarenoteducated.Beingableto
tailoramessagetoaspecificaudience,ultimately,playsapartineffectivecommunication.the


STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

wrappingofthemessageisequallyimportantasthemessageitselfAdrianasaysinregardsto
herprogramsstrategy.Withoutanobviousappealofcommunity,support,andaloving
environment,manypeoplewouldntevenchoosetounwrapthepackagetodiscoverthe
message.
ItischallengingtodemonstratethevaluesoftheEveryWomanCountsprogramto
womenwhoarenotwellversedinthedomainofhealthcare,thisprogramhasdonean
outstandingjobmakingtheirworkmoreaccessibleandcredible.Anexampleofthisiswhenthe
programchoosestocitecrediblesourceswithintheirdocuments.Theyreferencegovernment
documentssuchasCoveredCaliforniaandtheAffordableCareAct.Byusingthesecredible
documentstheprogramiselevatingtheirvalidity.AnadditionalwayfortheEveryWoman
Countsprogramtodemonstratevalidityisthroughusingbuzzwords.Differentbuzzwords
includeFREE,100%affordable,andeventhenameoftheprogramEveryWomanCounts.
Thesebuzzwordsdoanadmirablejobgatheringtheattentionofwomenwhoarenotwellversed
inthedomainofhealthcare,byallowingthemtofeelliketheyhaveachancetobecomemore
educatedandbetterversedinthesubjectmatter.Thesebuzzwordsalsohelpcreateapurposefor
thedocumentandtohookthereader.Bysayingwordslike:freeand100%curable,theprogram
ismakingthereaderwanttolearnmoreabouttheprogram.Inotherwords,thedocumentsuse
thesebuzzwordsonthesurfacetolurethereaderintolookingfurtherintothesubject,thenthe
bulkofthedocumentsthenusecitations,hardfactsandothercrediblesourcestoremindthe
audiencethatwhattheyarereadingislegitimate.Freescreeningsandpreventionofdiseasesmay
beinterestingenoughtermstograbthereadersattention,buthardfactsandcredibilityarewhat
keeptheminterestedenoughtopursuejoiningtheprogram.


STRUCTUREDWRITINGSTYLEINHEALTHCARE

ItisapparentthattheEveryWomanCountsprogramisabletoachievelogos,pathos,
ethos,andastructuredstyleofwritingwhencommunicatingthatitisaneffectiveandnecessary
styleinthehealthcareprofession.Thisprogramhassuccessfullyreachedouttocountless
differentdemographicsofwomen.AccordingtoAdrianathisprogramisalwaysimprovingand
strivingtoreachtheneedsofwomeninthecommunity,andhasdoneanincrediblejobat
achievingthistask.Eventhoughthisprogramhasachallengingjobdemonstratingthevalueof
theprogramtopeoplewhoarenotwellversedintheterminologyandperhapstheentirerealmof
healthcare,itisapparentthattheprogramhasattainedahighrankingintheireffectiveness.
Overall,theEveryWomanCountsprogramisawellestablishedprogramthateffectivelyuses
logos,pathos,andethostocreateavalueintheprogramthattheyoffer,allowingthemto
effectivelycommunicatetowomenwhomaynotbewelleducatedoruptodateinthehealthcare
community.


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Works Cited: Documents Examined and Class Readings

Californias Every Woman Counts Program.
County of Santa Barbara: Tri-Counties Cancer and Detection Partnership (CDP) Every
Graff, G., & Birkenstein, C. (2010). So What? Who Cares? In They Say / I Say: The moves that
matter in academic writing (2nd ed., P. 97). New York: W.W. Norton.
Everything's an Argument
HPV - Diseases and the Vaccines That Prevent Them.
Protect Yourself from Breast Cancer: Know the Facts.
What Every Woman Counts Program Recipients Need to Know About the Affordable Care
Act.
Why Protect Rhetoric - Issue 1
Woman Counts Web Page.