When writing for a skeptical audience I think the first step is to acknowledge their hesitancy and, if possible, justify their feelings. When involved in freelance healthcare writing, we should hope that people will question our data. No one should assume that because I am an experienced nurse doing freelance writing, I am an authority on all subjects. By presenting valid, current, credible research, I can write for an audience showing why I am the person to answer their questions. Another very important aspect of gaining trust is the willingness to say, I don’t know, I will find out, let me check that for you.

When I was a young nurse, it was very hard to say, “I don’t know.” I loved becoming an expert in the NICU. Along the way I had to learn many things. The circulatory system of the neonate, prior to and immediately after birth changes dramatically and is complicated. As a younger nurse, I knew what was happening, but I did not have the confidence to explain the process. Unfortunately, I was also not comfortable expressing I was not sure about the changes that were happening. I listened intently and learned a great deal but if I had admitted that I needed to learn more, it would have given me more credibility to those around me. Though I have many more years of experience now, today I admit that “I did not know that” much more frequently than I did in my early years. By being able to claim the areas where I don’t have knowledge, or I am not certain, I build trust with the audience, when I research and find the answer for them. When this freelance writer states a fact, you can trust that it is true.

Only after establishing this trust with the audience, am I able to bring my greatest value to the table. Having spent so many years at the bedside and in leadership, I have seen the situations the audience finds themselves in. I know how to speak to the person who has just received difficult news or who needs to understand a complicated concept. I have been at their side many times. That is what brings the greatest value to the writings of this nurse freelance healthcare writer.