tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-57184385369759138902024-03-08T02:41:53.206-05:00RPW 390W: Medical WritingNels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.comBlogger36125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-88384242206785816552011-05-14T14:54:00.000-04:002011-05-14T14:54:26.005-04:00What My Students Learned This Semester<i>Taking inspiration from <a href="http://writingasjoe.blogspot.com/">Jo(e)</a>, I passed out index cards and asked my students to write down one thing they learned in class this semester. These are the anonymous responses I received in the order in which I received them.</i><br />
<br />
Different posters target different audiences. Pictures and wording can make the difference.<br />
<br />
I learned how to write memos and what goes into medical posters. I also learned that medical writing is <u>vastly</u> different than creative writing.<br />
<br />
I learned that I write just as <u>well</u> when I procrastinate, but my stomach hurts less when I don't.<br />
<br />
I have finally <u>mastered</u> the art of incorporating psychology into RPW! Woo Hoo! Oh, and the crazy amount of info that goes into charting.<br />
<br />
I learned about the range of issues that go into medical writing, like legal and ethical issues.<br />
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I learned how different aspects of rhetoric apply to medical documents. It's amazing how much attention to detail and audience needs to be considered when it comes to dealing with charts, posters, etc.<br />
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I learned that writing outside your field increases your range as a writer.<br />
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I learned I don't have a career in writing medical reports.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-21964555490882907962011-04-26T15:38:00.000-04:002011-04-26T15:38:37.440-04:00Action List for the Rest of the SemesterYour final Action List!<br />
<ul><li>On Thursday, April 28, class will again be an open-lab with time to work. Those who show up with get credit for DWA #24, though most of you do not need it.</li>
<li>On Friday, April 29, I need to have optional revisions of the Communication Strategies Proposal and the Letter to Your Congressional Representative by noon: I cannot accept late revisions for any reason.</li>
<li>On Tuesday, May 3, I need to have your Public Health Posters (and memo) by 3:30 PM; we will look at the posters in class, and I cannot accept late posters for any reason.</li>
</ul>That's it!Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-4622528387345053122011-04-20T20:51:00.001-04:002011-04-21T14:33:44.690-04:00Action List for Tuesday, April 26, 2011A couple of people have asked for extensions on the report. Since I am not taking any late reports for any reason and since moving the deadline would still allow me to get them graded in time to turn in final grades, I am moving the deadline to 8:00 PM on Monday. I have office hours from 1:00 to 3:00 on Friday (with someone already scheduled at 2:00), and you can email specific questions, but not entire drafts, over the weekend.<br />
<ul><li>Email the Drug Company Analysis Report to me by 8:00 PM on Monday, April 25, 2011; remember that I cannot accept late reports for any reason.</li>
<li>Start thinking of the topic for your Public Health Posters.</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #23 will take place during class; since I intend to keep most of class time open for you to do your own work, all who show up and hang around will get credit. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-3053040311339750642011-04-20T20:37:00.000-04:002011-04-20T20:37:14.029-04:00In-Class Activity for Thursday, April 21, 2011For each of the statements below, find a Creative-Commons licensed photo on <a href="http://www.flickr.com/">Flickr</a> that you could use in a poster to illustrate that message. Don't just go for the obvious or the first thing you find. Do some digging and some thinking. Also, think about where and how you would place the text. Have each of your photos open in a browser window so that we can go around the room and see what everyone found.<br />
<ul><li>The more fiber the better!</li>
<li>Do you have a friend in trouble? Let them know suicide is not their only option.</li>
<li>One in five college students are infected with Chlamydia, most without knowing it.</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-89622436945220687162011-04-18T20:13:00.000-04:002011-04-18T20:13:00.254-04:00Action List for Thursday, April 21, 2011<ul><li>Complete drafting of your report.</li>
<li>Email to me drafts of Executive Summaries/Abstracts for your report that you would like us to go over in class by 6:00 PM on Wednesday, April 20, 2011. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-79436551483527492702011-04-18T16:13:00.000-04:002011-04-18T16:13:56.224-04:00In-Class Activity for Tuesday, April 19, 2011Go the <a href="http://ihm.nlm.nih.gov/luna/servlet/view/all/what/Posters/">National Institutes of Health Images from the History of Medicine</a> archive of health posters. Take some time to examine a range of posters from a range of times about a range of issues. Choose one that you think is particular compelling and be ready to say why to the class. Choose on that you think is not that particularly compelling and be ready to say why to the class. When I tell you to do so, add a comment to this post with links to your two posters. You just need to give links; you do not need to provide any details. We'll go over as many as we can.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com7tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-77232924447785044262011-04-14T15:12:00.000-04:002011-04-14T15:12:33.606-04:00Action List for Tuesday, April 19, 2011<ul><li>Continue researching and begin drafting your report.</li>
<li>Email to me drafts of any part of your report that you would like us to go over in class by 6:00 PM on Monday, April 18, 2011; this does NOT include Executive Summaries or Abstracts, which I want to go over separately on Thursday.</li>
<li>See <a href="http://office.microsoft.com/en-au/word-help/create-a-table-of-contents-or-update-a-table-of-contents-HP005189293.aspx">this website</a> if you want guidance on learning how to create an automatic Table of Contents in Microsoft Word (I have decided not to go over this in class because people are working from different versions of Word, so you may want to google for help with your version if this link does not help).</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-45258764274531143632011-04-11T21:33:00.002-04:002011-04-11T21:33:55.531-04:00Action List for Thursday, April 14, 2011<ul><li>Finalize your topic for the Drug Company Analysis Report as much as possible; bring your topic and two or three questions you hope to answer in your report to class. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-4315979679070159702011-04-11T10:40:00.000-04:002011-04-11T22:48:30.728-04:00Possible Research QuestionsHere are the research questions that you all came up with in class last week. Use these to develop your own ideas for the Drug Company Analysis Report.<br />
<ul><li>How does the drug company create knowledge (consumer perception) that confounds government regulation?</li>
<li>What products have such strong advertising that it defines the product (e.g., Band Aids for bandages)?</li>
<li>What ethnic groups are targeted (if any) in the advertising of the company/drug/product?</li>
<li>Does your product/company/drug have a social media presence?</li>
<li>How do magazines ads and TV commercials benefit consumers?</li>
<li>What are the long-term effects on Accutane on teenagers? Or, Rogaine on balding men and women?</li>
<li>How do companies claim ownership of drugs or innovations in care?</li>
<li>How do companies make an effort to put forth information for better health practices or innitiatives?</li>
<li>What ages are targeted for certain products?</li>
<li>How have legal actions change before and after conflicts?</li>
<li>How is a company targeting children? Mothers and fathers? How safe are children's products for children?</li>
<li>How are gender stereotypes reinforced by the advertising of the company's products?</li>
<li>How does Pfizer target women of different cultures in their advertisements for Zoloft?</li>
<li>How do advertisements "inform" the audience and what important information is left out? What must be included in ads? What is allowed to be left out? For examples, ads for Lunesta that do not mention it is possible to become dependent on?</li>
<li>What is the company's level of accountability for their products?</li>
<li>How does the company target men and women? Does this mean they discriminate and cause themselves legal issues?</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-74516323660150435482011-04-07T15:13:00.000-04:002011-04-07T15:13:04.685-04:00Action List for Tuesday, April 12, 2011<ul><li>Get as close as you can to choosing your topic for your Drug Company Analysis Report. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-27087497673690566592011-04-05T20:01:00.000-04:002011-04-05T20:01:22.847-04:00Guidelines for RevisionsAs you know, you are allowed to revise the Communication Strategies Proposal and the Letter to Your Congressional Representative. All you need to do is revise your work and send me a clean copy (one without my comments). Attach it to an email and send it. When I grade revisions, I use the Compare Documents function of Word. I pull up your revised version and then compare it to your old one. Word shows me what exactly you did and did not change. If you wish to see your grade rise, you should do more than just treat my comments like a checklist. You should revise the entire assignment and make it better from start to finish.<br />
<br />
I do not comment on revised essays but will email you back with your grade and a brief description of why you received it. The grade on the revision replaces your original grade. If, for some reason, the grade on the revision is lower than your original grade, you will earn the highest of the two grades. You are only allowed to revise each essay once. If you send your revision to me early and do not like the grade you receive, you will not be able to revise again.<br />
<br />
Revisions of both essays are due by noon on Friday, April 29, 2011. I will not accept late revisions for any reason. We all need to move on to other projects, so this deadline is final. You can revise and send each document to me separately or together as long as I get everything by the final deadline.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-17907032362335485842011-04-05T13:25:00.002-04:002011-04-05T13:25:46.926-04:00Action List for Thursday, April 7, 2011<ul><li>Read <i>Writing in the Health Professions</i>, Chp. 9 (pgs. 205-28).</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #18 will take place during class.</li>
<li>Start thinking of topics for your Drug Company Analysis Report. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-54475706683998108982011-04-05T13:01:00.001-04:002011-04-05T13:05:34.919-04:00Links for Class on Tuesday, April 5, 2011<a href="http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/about-ama/ama-foundation/our-programs/medical-education/seed-grant-research.page">Grant #1</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-168.html">Grant #2</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.barbrastreisand.com/us/streisand-foundation">Grant #3</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/notice-files/NOT-CA-10-024.html">Grant #4</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.sid.org/awards/indawards.html">Grant #5</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/rfa-files/RFA-AI-10-030.html">Grant #6</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://grants1.nih.gov/grants/guide/pa-files/PAR-10-168.html">Grant #7</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www07.grants.gov/search/search.do?oppId=55366&mode=VIEW">Grant #8</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.playboyenterprises.com/home/content.cfm?content=t_template&packet=0007B308-45F5-1C7D-9B578304E50A011A&artTypeID=0007B451-BB99-1C76-8FEA8304E50A010D">Grant #9</a><br />
<br />
<a href="http://www.comptonfoundation.org/">Grant #10 </a>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-36681245605185920392011-03-31T15:19:00.000-04:002011-03-31T15:19:38.510-04:00Action List for Tuesday, April 5, 2011<ul><li>Read <i>Writing in the Health Professions</i>, Chp. 8 (pgs. 186-204).</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #17 will be held during class.</li>
<li>Begin thinking about possible topics for the Drug Company Analysis Report.</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-24594484189134410642011-03-29T16:18:00.000-04:002011-03-29T16:18:01.505-04:00Action List for Thursday, March 31, 2011<ul><li>Read <i>Writing in the Health Professions</i>, Chp. 7 (pgs. 160-85).</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #16 will be held during class.</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-91896407161272128032011-03-26T17:54:00.000-04:002011-03-26T17:54:15.505-04:00American Medical Writers Association Award for Student WritingThe <a href="http://amwa.org/default.asp?Mode=DirectoryDisplay&id=1&DirectoryUseAbsoluteOnSearch=True">American Medical Writers Association</a> is running an <a href="http://www.amwa.org/default.asp?id=468">award for student writing</a>. The report that you all are doing for class would be eligible. If anyone wants to apply and write their report in this way, just let me know since it will shape how you organize this report. The deadline is May 30, 2011.Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-32965921831866119042011-03-24T15:40:00.000-04:002011-03-24T15:40:15.891-04:00Action List for Tuesday, March 29, 2011<ul><li>Read <i>Writing in the Health Professions</i>, Chp. 6 (pgs. 134-59).</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #15 will be held during class. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-58395030689198368582011-03-21T22:11:00.003-04:002011-03-21T22:12:04.971-04:00Action List for Thursday, March 24, 2011<ul><li>Read <i>Writing in the Health Professions</i>, Chp. 11 (pgs. 258-86).</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #14 will be held during class. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-80156091130168178002011-03-09T21:33:00.001-05:002011-03-10T14:51:34.130-05:00Action List for Tuesday, March 22, 2011Ah, Spring Break is upon us! We have finished eight weeks of the semester. When we return, we will have just over six weeks left. So, get some sleep and rest up for the final push.<br />
<ul><li>Email the Letter to Your Congressional Representative to me anytime between 4:45 on Thursday, March 10, 2011, until noon on Friday, March 11, 2011. </li>
<li>Read <i>Writing in the Health Professions</i>, Chp. 10 (pgs. 229-57).</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #13 will take place during class. As we return to the textbook, I am going to resume asking specific questions about the reading at the start of class.</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-75688310738971804762011-03-08T14:12:00.002-05:002011-03-08T14:12:52.081-05:00Action List for Thursday, March 10<ul><li>Email drafts of any paragraphs or letters to me by 1:00 PM on Thursday, March 10, 2001, if you would like the possibility of us reviewing them anonymously in class.</li>
<li>Bring as complete a draft as possible to class so that you can use it as we work on formatting and style issues. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-42355458442961532202011-03-03T14:35:00.000-05:002011-03-03T14:35:21.010-05:00Action List for Tuesday, March 8, 2011I will not hold office hours on Friday, March 9, 2011, because of the basketball tournament on campus and parking headaches. Please email any questions or concerns you have to me. <br />
<ul><li>Email the Communication Strategies Proposal to me anytime after 4:45 PM on Thursday, March 3, 2001, until noon on Friday, March 4, 2011.</li>
<li>Start thinking about your position on the issue of taxing nonjuice, sugary drinks.</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #12 will take place during class. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-71249446312904467552011-03-03T13:46:00.000-05:002011-03-03T14:48:14.377-05:00Link for Class on Thursday, March 3, 2011<a href="http://nofoodtaxes.com/">Americans Against Food Taxes</a>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-83999444527913008622011-03-01T14:32:00.002-05:002011-03-01T14:32:07.449-05:00Action List for Thursday, March 3, 2011<ul><li> Read "Tax and Sip" by Barbara Kiviat (PDF).</li>
<li>Remember that DWA #11 will take place during class. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-14997471876156007082011-02-22T16:07:00.000-05:002011-02-22T16:07:36.212-05:00Action List for Tuesday, March 1, 2011We will not meet as a class on Thursday, February 24, 2011. Use that time to draft your Communication Strategies Proposal. I will be in my office during class time (at least until 4:30) to answer questions and look over drafts. For our meeting next Tuesday:<br />
<ul><li>Begin drafting your Communication Strategies Proposal.</li>
<li>Email any draft paragraphs or pages to me by 1:00 PM on Tuesday, March 1, if you would like to allow us to review them anonymously in class. </li>
<li>Remember that DWA #10 will take place during class. </li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5718438536975913890.post-55733286796505813812011-02-17T14:31:00.001-05:002011-02-17T14:31:39.258-05:00Action List for Tuesday, February 22, 2011<ul><li>Do some brainstorming or fastwriting for the Communication Strategies Proposal to start planning what will go in your formal project.</li>
</ul>Nels P. Highberghttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17998283755242261031noreply@blogger.com0