Review of Teaching Writing in the Health Professions: Perspectives, Problems, and Practices

Abstract

On the first page of the introduction to this volume, Michael J. Madson asserts that “health professionals need to learn a variety of written genres while in the classroom or on the job” (p. 1). His emphasis on genre is explicit and refreshing, and the genres highlighted are many and varied, both academic and practical. This introduction effectively sets the tone for the rest of the volume, first surveying the literature on writing instruction (or the lack thereof) in health professional education; next briefly nodding toward a writing across the curriculum (WAC) and writing in the disciplines (WID) framework; and finally approaching the entire subject of writing in the health professions from the point of view of interdisciplinary collaboration.