Comparison of four readings

According to the Society for Technical Communication (STC), “communication means to give or exchange information.” This broad definition covers all careers. Communication is a process because it is “always changing” and “always in motion.” It involves the sender, the message, and the recipient. Throughout the process, “noise” may interfere with the message; therefore, miscommunication can occur. In the hospital, I will have to take proactive steps to prevent miscommunication. The STC also points out that communication across language barriers can be difficult. In a hospital I will run into people that do not speak English. The RN I interviewed informed me that many patients speak Spanish; therefore, a few courses in Spanish would be beneficial. The STC also divides communication into three main types: “technical, news media, and interpersonal.” Out of these three, I believe that the one type of communication that is most important as a nurse is interpersonal communication. “Interpersonal communication pertains our ability to connect with other people through a discussion of thoughts and feelings in which our ability to listen is just as important as our ability to talk.” I would have rephrased this definition, but I believe it drives the importance of communication home. When you are talking to a patient’s family you have to listen to their concerns. If their loved one is dying, part of the nurses’ job is to help the family prepare for the loss of a loved one. Even though I am not a nurse yet, I know this from first hand experience. My grandmother died last August and her hospice nurse talked to each family member individually. She answered our questions and told us what to expect at each stage of my grandmother’s illness. Her words were kind, but they also prepared us for the inevitable. This experience is what made me want to become a nurse.
One response to “what is communication” states that if you “throw technical on top of communication you have another layer of complexity” (STC). According to the U.S. Department of Labor, “technical writers develop technical materials, such as equipment manuals, appendices, or operating and maintenance instructions.” Some members of the STC are “editors who help scientists or medical researchers explain what they do clearly enough for others to understand,” while others “help software and hardware companies develop products that are easy for people to use.” As an RN I will clearly document a patient’s condition so that when the doctor reads the chart they will be able to make a swift and effective diagnosis. Michigan Technological University states that technical communicators make specialized “knowledge available to a variety of audiences in many kinds of media.” Based on all the readings, technical writers/communicators put “technical information into easily understandable language.” When I talk to the patient and their family I will have to explain technical medical terms so that they understand. The Defining Technical Writing PowerPoint states that technical communicators “create, locate, and distribute information within their organization.” Tammy is therefore a technical communicator because she helps creates the written documents. As a RN creating, locating, and distributing information will help me answer questions, solve problems, and make decisions. If I take action I will be able to move up the professional ladder.