Freelance healthcare writing is something I love, having years of experience at both the patient’s and caregiver’s side. As a nurse with a wealth of practice to draw upon, I can speak to healthcare audiences, both professionals and patients. I recall many conversations, some mundane and some life changing, at times the change was positive and at times it was not.

The question of how does a nurse who is a freelance healthcare writer balance fact and empathy, well that is a query that is not simply answered. I would advocate that it is a question that does not have one answer but instead has a new answer for each time the question is posed.

I have had the good fortune of working with some incredible practitioners who were not only wise and talented but also compassionate and kind. Observing them in difficult situations has given me the standards that I attempt to follow. The facts can never be falsified but they can be measured out gently, with empathy. When speaking to an individual or a family group, it is easier to determine how much is needed, how much can be tolerated at that moment. Creating a freelance healthcare article, it is impossible to know how each member of the audience will approach the piece in their present state of mind. For that reason, when writing about difficult topics, it is important to never over state any facts. If there is no assurance that a point made is correct, it needs to be left out. Using percentages from studies is one way of bringing forward a fact and allowing the audience the freedom to know that it is not necessarily going to happen in their particular case. Statistics can give the audience the ability to understand the likelihood of an event happening.

When talking about empathy, the importance cannot be overstated, and every freelance healthcare writer needs to be certain to employ their words in an empathetic way. It is important to remember that empathy is sharing and understanding the feelings of another person. For this reason, a freelance healthcare writer needs to understand the audience they are speaking to. Seeing the audience as the individuals they are allows for the appropriate empathetic way of speaking. Empathy does not mean dodging the subject, but it does allow the audience to breathe even when the news is not what they wished it to be.

As a freelance healthcare writer, with my nursing background, I approach each article, like I approached each patient, as an individual.