Joanna Leon February 19, 2014 ENC 1102 Genre Analysis

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Genre is mostly known as a term that is used to classify or describe a kind of literature. Although this sounds like a relatively simple concept, it can actually become a more complicated system. This is because literature doesn't always follow the typical characteristics set up by a genre. Amy J. Devitt talks about this misconception of genre in her article Generali!ing about Genre. "t is commonly seen as a relatively trivial concept, a classification system deriving from literacy criticism that names types of te#ts according to their forms $Devitt,%&'(. )owever, she defines genre as a response to a recurring situation that changes within different groups. *wales defines genre as shared and speciali!ed terminology reali!ed through the development of community+specific abbreviations, an essential re,uirement for a discourse community $*wales, -.(. According to these definitions that we have discussed in class, genres can be used as a way to better understand and become a part of a particular discourse community. " have chosen to pursue a career as a nurse in the maternity field. " am currently working on completing a degree in nursing, which " will then use to speciali!e in /eonatal 0are. 1orking in this field has always been a goal of mine and one of my biggest dreams. Although " am not a nurse yet, " have volunteered at hospitals enough to know that a day in the life of a nurse is typically very hectic. A nurse faces many challenges and problems on a daily basis, and it is crucial that they remain well organi!ed and efficient. 1hen working in labor and delivery, nurses will have the patients fill out what is called a 2abor and Delivery 3re+4egistration 5orm. This form includes everything from basic patient information, family history, insurance and billing, to consent for service agreements. This kind of genre is used by nurses as a form of communication with the patient in order to retrieve as much information as possible, to provide ,uality and effective patient care while avoiding a wide range of problems during this process. 6ecause no two patients will be the same, a nurse is re,uired to utili!e the patient information provided to them to customi!e treatment that is specific to that individuals needs. 6ecause the delivery process can generally takes more than a regular 7- hour shift, nurses from different shifts have access to this information in order to continue providing the same care without having to start from s,uare one. The doctors also use this form to establish order and be able to map out what needs to be done by when and by who. Doctors need to take into account the physical, mental, and social

factors that need to be met for each individual case. 6ecause nurses are much more hands on and involved with the patients, after thorough review a doctor can now define the nurses role in the patients treatment and care. "n order to further study this particular genre used by nurses, " looked through multiple 3re+4egistation forms " found online and chose to compare two that stood out to me. 8ne is used at 6aptist )ospital of *outh 5lorida, and the other is from the *outhern Tennessee 9edical 0enter. The first form from 6aptist )ospital is actually one that is done online rather than printed out like most. 6ecause forms can sometimes be overwhelming and confusing, this document is made user friendly by the use of bolded titles to divide the form into different sections. This specific form is separated into 3atient, "nsurance *ubscriber, 3atient "nsurance, *pouse, 5acility:)ospital, along with a 3remier *ervice option as well. 6ecause it is filled out by someone without knowledge of medical terms, it is written with basic terminology that anyone can understand. 3roviding information on things such as medical history and religious beliefs, allow the nurse to ,uickly learn about the patients specific needs while in care. ;veryone from patients, to patients families, doctors, nurses, receptionist, lawyers, and insurance companies comes into contact with this form at one point for a specific purpose. *omething different " observed in this particular form was instead of having the long terms and agreements in a printed form that re,uire a signature at the end, it had a link to read them with a check bo# to be selected if agreed. "t also used check bo#es when selecting gender, employment and marital status, along with other yes or no ,uestions. Drop down te#t bo#es are used for ,uestions that re,uire a more specific answer, something else that cannot be used in a printed form, and some ,uestions were followed by <ust a blank bo# to be filled in. Added to the ends of important ,uestions were red asterisks used to draw attention of the reader, showing this is a re,uired field to be filled out. The format of this form is very effective in getting the necessary information down in a simple and effective way that is easy for the patient to understand. The second 3re+4egistration form is from a different hospital but is still used for the same purposes. )owever, it is a printed hard copy version rather than one done online, so it has some differences. This form had something that most other ones didn't, which is a brief introduction into its purpose and lists other important documents that must also be submitted. 0overing the same patient information, " found this form to be less appealing to the eye because of the font used and lack of colored font to differentiate between sections since it is not provided online. 6ecause of this, they can not use things such as drop down te#t bo#es. The whole form uses blank lines to be filled in, leaving more room for error. 5ollowing the patient information is a 0onsent for *ervices and 5inancial 4esponsibility agreement that must be signed before being able to proceed with the care ordered by the physician. This covers financial as well as legal agreements, patient rights, and doctor+patient confidentiality agreements. This is presented in more of a contract format, using numbers and sub+bullets to list and bolding to emphasi!e. 6y looking at the format of these forms alone, you can tell a lot about what kind of discourse community nurses belong to. )owever, not <ust anyone can be apart of this

discourse community. /urses gain entrance through either two year programs, associates degrees, most of them advancing into graduate school. A standardi!ed board e#am is also re,uired to be passed before you can work as a registered nurse. /urses also need to have it within their personality to identify with and care for the patient. 8nce a part of this discourse community, a nurse wouldn't be able to do their <ob as well or even at all, if it weren't for the genres used. These forms must be done and reviewed with caution and precision. These legal documents help eliminate wasted time, and provide the medical team with essential information regarding the patient, setting specific goals to be achieved. 8rgani!ation is vital because errors can result in wrong treatments, patient mi#ups and possibly even death. 6ecause of this, advances in technology have allowed paperwork to be done online, eliminating the need of filing and making the process more organi!ed and efficient over all. This particular genre of forms needs to use a standard terminology that the patients will be able to understand, but once it is filled out the nurses use that information to chart it into other documents that use medical terminology. The things written about the patient are now <ust for the use of people in the medical field, using language and theories in which only they understand for these medical purposes. This results in it being its very own discourse community that would not be able to be achieved without this genre.

1ork cited Devitt, Amy J. Generali!ing About Genre= /ew 0onceptions of an 8ld 0oncept. College Composition and Communication. >th ed. ?ol. >>. /.p.= /ational 0ouncil of Teachers of ;nglish, 7@@'. %&'+A.. 3rint. *wales, John. The 0oncept of Discourse 0ommunity. Genre Analysis: English in Academic and Research Settings. 6oston= 0ambridge B3, 7@@C. -7+'-. 3rint. 6aptist )ealth *outh 5lorida. 9aternity 3re+4egistration 5orm. https=::baptisthealth.net:en:health+services:pregnancy+and+childbirth:pages:maternity+pre+ registration.asp# *outhern Tennessee 9edical 0enter. 2abor and Delivery 3re+4egistration 5orm. http=::southerntennessee.com:sites:wwwDsoutherntennesseeDcom:Bploads:files:Do wnloads:2abor+and+Delivery+3re4egistration+5orms+9ay+-C7'.pdf

Generative 1orkshop for Genre Analysis Jordan 4osenblat Good citations used from articles. " like how you used each paragraph to divide the essay and start talking about something new. " thought your closing paragraph was well

formatted and written, but possibly go back and review the structure and wording of some of your sentences. " found your paper to be overall well written and informative, but maybe elaborate more on how nurses use this form to help them in their discourse community.