March 8, 2019
Ryane Englar publishes book on writing skills for veterinarians
When it comes to scientific writing, Kansas State University's Ryane Englar has words of advice to share — especially for veterinarians-in-training. The clinical assistant professor in the College of Veterinary Medicine has just published a new book, "Writing Skills for Veterinarians."
This is the second book Englar has published within the last few years. In 2017, she published a Wiley-Blackwell textbook titled, "Performing the Small Animal Physical Examination." Englar is the clinical education coordinator and clinical skills instructor in the College of Veterinary Medicine.
Englar's new book focuses on helping veterinarians increase their efficiency in writing professional documents, such as SOAP — subjective, objective, assessment and plan — notes and discharge statements for patients. The book is oriented for both veterinary students and practicing veterinarians, addressing ways to develop and hone veterinary medical and scientific writing techniques.
"There is a saying in medicine: 'If it isn't written, it didn't happen,'" Englar said. "Written communication sets a standard for the practice of veterinary medicine. As educators we need to do a better job of emphasizing this standard and supporting student growth in this arena in the same way as we would encourage surgical training. No matter how much the profession evolves in terms of knowledge and technology, we are only as good as the imprint that we leave behind in the form of the patient record. The purpose of this text is to help students see the medical record as both a resource and a diagnostic tool that facilitates case management."
Englar's new book was published by 5M in February in the United Kingdom, which publishes books that deal with a range of subjects in the agricultural and veterinary industries. Englar's book is available for preorder in the U.S. and will be released on March 30.