Writing Tips for the LNC

Legal nurse consultants who write well easily convey their ideas and increase their business. Poor writing makes you stand out – in an unpleasant way. Here are some writing tips.

Easily Confused Words: Insure, Ensure, Assure

• Insure relates to insurance policies and limiting financial liability.
• Assure is something you say or do to make another person comfortable.
• Ensure is what you do to guarantee a result.

Here are writing tips showing how to use these words:

• I purchased a homeowner’s policy to insure my house.
• I can assure you that I have extensive experience in critical care nursing.
• This report will ensure you have the details you need to make a decision on accepting or rejecting the case.

I insured my car so I could ensure I could fix it and assure my parents.

Streamline your writing

Make your writing smoother with a minimal amount of words.

Don’t
Your attorneys will find our services thorough, will be educated and come away assisted by our services.
Do
Your attorneys will be educated and helped by our thorough services.

Repeat the same grammatical form to make it easy for your reader to assimilate your ideas.

Don’t
The attorneys cheered, were getting on their feet, and clapped at the end of the speech.

Do
The attorneys cheered, clapped, and stood at the end of the speech.

Who versus That

I commonly see people confusing who and that. Don’t make this mistake. Present yourself as a polished writer by correct use of “who” and “that”. Following just this writing tip alone will elevate your skill.

Who is used with people and that is used with things.

• “The client who is ready to send me the case should receive a fee agreement.”
• “The plane that was supposed to take me to New York was cancelled.”

What word goes here?
“The list of witnesses includes firsthand perspectives of nursing staff ____are familiar with the event.”

“Who” belongs in the sentence. Who is used with people.

“This is a sudden crisis ____needs to be addressed.”

“That“ is the right choice.

Correct use of semicolons

These often-overlooked punctuation marks make your writing more professional. I find most LNCs avoid using them.

A semicolon joins two sentences when there is no conjunction such as “and” or “but” in between.

• The law firm completed an assessment; it showed the need for training.
• Ms. Jackson checked the patient at 12:05 PM; he fell in the hall an hour later.

A semicolon separates items in a sentence that has commas.

The corporation has offices in Philadelphia, PA; Chicago, IL; and San Francisco, CA.

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