“Transition in and between Discourse Communities: One Nurse’s Struggle”

by Terri Cole | Xchanges 9.2

Conclusion

In this article I have discussed the stages one nurse goes through when transitioning from an academic discourse community to a workplace discourse community and the complications she experiences within this transition. My research with Lena causes me to suggest that her initiation into the nursing community is largely socially constructed, as demonstrated when she participates in social functions outside the workplace (Christmas party), and within the workplace (program at Sherwood Hospital for new nurses).

I have argued that the writing in which Lena engages in the workplace vastly differs from the kinds of writing that she was used to performing in college—it is less extensive, short, abrupt, and moreover, Lena lacks an authority she once felt in the academic context. Furthermore, Lena is thrown into these nursing literacy practices, which were not fully explained in her training and yet she is expected to enact them appropriately from the get-go. This research demonstrates just how fundamental writing is in nursing communities, and thus draws attention to the de-prioritization of writing in one instance of nursing orientation and training. All of this causes me to contend that hospital orientation and training procedures should be re-evaluated and, likewise, supplementary methods must be implemented in educational institutions to more fully prepare students for writing and social functioning in the workplace.

Implications

Research Implications: For those in the field of writing studies, my research contributes to enculturation studies and highlights that writing is constructed by outside social and political forces and that writing can also construct social roles as demonstrated through Lena’s experience with the SBARP. This research might raise questions on how the academic discourse community prepares one for the workplace discourse community and perhaps draws on the role writing has in hospital institutions.

Teaching Implications: Reviewing Lena’s process of negotiations through Anson and Forsberg’s Cycle of Transition might suggest one way new nurses negotiate their identities when transitioning from an academic discourse community to a workplace discourse community. Perhaps teachers could obtain documents from hospitals to have students review and imitate. Another implication might be extending students’ clinical course by including a writing portion so they have more hands-on experience with nursing documentation before they graduate.

Practitioner Implications: I feel that there are potential implications of this study for hospitals and supervisors that could help new nurses acclimate to the workplace. The training and orientation period for new nurses could be longer and explicit writing instruction could be implemented. Documentation, specifically concerning the change-of-shift report, could have mandatory regulations and perhaps be conducted in less distracting surroundings.