I have a paper tomorrow at 12 pm California time, a regrade I have an example posted and the professor’s comments this way you’ll know what to fix.

TechnicalWriting as a Pharmacist

Submitted to:
Pre-Pharmacy Majors

Oregon State University
Corvallis, OR, 97331

Submitted by:
Xxxxxx Xxxxxx

WR 327, Section 017, Spring 2014
Pre-Pharmacy Major

Oregon State University

Corvallis, OR 97331
April 15, 2014

ABSTRACT

Xxxxxx Xxxxxx, a junior in pre-pharmacy at Oregon State University, in her report
“Technical Writing As a Pharmacist” discusses how clear, correct, concise writing and

an ability to research well is essential to a pharmacist. Xxxxxx conducts an interview
with C hristina Buchman, PharmD, a resident pharmacist at Oregon State University,
Student Health Service Pharmacy and reports her findings from the interview. Xxxxxx

Xxxxxx provides a summary and methodology of the interview along with a
discussion of her findings. She also analyzes a writing sample provided by Dr.

Buchman. Xxxxxx Xxxxxx’s purpose is to show the reader the importance of being
able to write effectively as a pharmacist and make her fellow students aware of the
amount of writing a pharmacist does and the importance of being able to do so very

clearly and concisely.

KEYWORDS: Technical writing, Pharmacist, Research.

INTRODUCTION

Purpose

When one thinks about a pharmacist, writing is not likely to be the first thing that comes
to mind. Along with dispensing medications, pharmacists must also provide written
information to patients and prescribers about medications. Their ability to write to the

appropriate audience and do so clearly and concisely is key to patients getting proper
medical care. This report takes a closer look at the types of written communication

pharmacists do through the experience of C hristina Buchman, PharmD, a resident
pharmacist at the Oregon State University, Student Health Service Pharmacy. Anway
uses the information gathered to inform her fellow pre-pharmacy students the amount and

types of writing that a pharmacist does and the importance of being able to complete
them correctly.

Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 2

Education and Professional Background

Christina Buchman, PharmD, attended the University of Montana for her undergraduate
degree and also completed pharmacy school there. She graduated with her PharmD in

May of 2013. She is completing an optional residency at Oregon State University. Along
with completing her residency Dr. Buchman also treats patients one day a week at Salud
Medical Center in Woodburn, OR and has co-taught one of the classes for the College of

Pharmacy at Oregon State University.

METHODOLOGY

On Monday April 7, 2014 at 1:30 PM, Xxxxxx Xxxxxx sent a formal request for an

interview to Rebecca Russell, PharmD, with 15 sample interview questions. Rebecca
Russell, PharmD replied and arranged a time for an interview with her resident

pharmacist on Wednesday April 9, 2014 at 2:00 PM. The interview took place at the
Oregon State University, Student Health Service Pharmacy and lasted just under 20
minutes. Corinne and resident pharmacist C hristina Buchman, PharmD discussed Dr.

Buchman’s education and the writing she uses in her career as a pharmacist. A full list of
questions can be found in Appendix A. The conversation was recorded as a voice note on

an iPhone to ensure no details were missed. The face-to- face interview was very helpful
in understanding the interviewee; the non-verbal communication cues were essential to
understanding the answers provided.

On April 9, 2014 at 4:21 PM a request for a writing sample as discussed in the interview

was sent to Christina Buchman, PharmD. Dr. Buchman provided a document she had
recently written in response to a question from a physician. The Sample provided can be
found in Appendix B.

RESULTS

Types of Documents
As a pharmacist, Dr. Buchman states most of her writing “is answering drug information

questions from providers. ” (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014) The
questions are providers wondering if a medication can cause a particular side effect or a

recommendation for an alternative medication when a patient with a specific condition
has exhausted all of the conventional treatment options. Dr. Buchman stated the method
and length of her documents vary with the provider, how in-depth the question is, and her

relationship with the provider. She stated some she can just send a quick email, whereas
others she will write them up formally. (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,

2014)

Dr. Buchman attends several conferences and that she was recently at American

Pharmacists Association (APHA) Conference in Orlando and for that she had to create a
poster of her research project and present it there. She is hoping to eventually publish her

research as a full manuscript. Dr. Buchman stated most pharmacists eventually get some
sort of publishing done. (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014)

Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 3

In addition to when she co-taught at Oregon State University, Dr. Buchman also teaches

Continuing Education (CE) to providers. While teaching at Oregon State University she
prepared lectures, handouts and tests. In doing her CE teaching she stated she will often

use Power Point but it depends on what the facility requires. Below is a table that
summarizes the writing that Dr. Buchman does and how often.

Document Type Frequency

Provider questions Weekly

Presentations Monthly/every other month

Tests/Handouts Not currently teaching at OSU

When asked how much of her time is spent writing Dr. Buchman replied, “I have a
unique position because I’m the resident. I’m not just a staff pharmacist. I don’t just work

out front and I end up doing a lot more of the writing assignment s than most the other
pharmacist here. So, I probably spend 20% of my time just doing that at least.”

(Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014)

Audience, Technology and Writing Style

Dr. Buchman’s audience is usually other pharmacists, students, or clinicians. The
programs that Dr. Buchman uses most in her writing are Microsoft Word and Power

Point. She stated she uses a formal writing style and employs the passive voice. For her
particular documentation style she uses a formal template to “keep herself on track.”
(Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014) When citing her sources she follows

AMA guidelines. She stated she learned to write in pharmacy school. It was required to
take specific class that taught her exactly how to do the types of writing she does.

Research and Journal Articles
On using research in her writing Dr. Buchman states, “Always, everything in medicine is

evidence based. So anytime a question is asked or I need to present something I
thoroughly research it.” (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014)

The professional Journals she reads are Journal of American pharmacy association, New
England Journal of Medicine, JAMA and “whatever else strikes her interest.” (Buchman,
personal communication, April 9,2014)

Advice

The advice on writing given by Dr. Buchman to students wanting to enter the pharmacy
field is “ Learn to like it. You will write all the time. Even a basic community pharmacist
will write all the time. Just to answer a quick question for a doctor you will end up

writing it down and looking it up, so you have to know how to find primary sources and
primary literature and how to use it to write an appropriate response to another health

professional and come off intelligent. It can be the big difference in what a provider
thinks of you and whether they would call you for advice about something is how you
wrote something back to them. It can be as simple as chart note that a doctor then pulls

up and looks at. If you sound intelligent in your note, and you are thorough, they are
more likely to trust your judgment.” (Buchman, personal communication, April 9,2014)

Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 4

WRITING SAMPLE ANALYSIS

The writing sample, found in Appendix B, is an actual response w ritten by Christina

Buchman, PharmD to a question asked by a clinician regarding a patient’s reaction to a
medication. The document includes a professional header with the pertinent information.
She gives a pleasant introductory sentence and then begins to summarize the information

presented to her by the clinician. Dr. Buchman then addresses the questioned medication
reaction with cited research from several sources then goes on to provide a

recommendation to an alternate therapy with cited sources on dosing information and
safety. She closes with a brief conclusion and then includes her references.

The sample is brief, progresses well and is easy to follow. It lacks headers separating the
sections and is written more like a memo. The fact that it gives background information

on the patient/reaction would make it usable by other clinicians other than the treating
physician. Buchman uses passive voice and writes out the long technical names/terms
before abbreviating them. The sample is understandable by mos t anyone, but its clear the

audience is health care professionals. The purpose of the document is to give an
alternative medication for treatment of a patient who had a reactio n to the standard

treatment of tuberculosis.

CONCLUSION

Pharmacists not only fill prescriptions, but they also make important contributions to

what medications are being prescribed by practitioners. They need to be able to make
documents that are clear, correct and concise with good research techniques. Pharmacists
communicate mostly through email but still write professionally with correct tone, voice,

punctuation and grammar. Dr. Buchman stressed the importance of learning to write well
as a pharmacist to convey your intelligence and abilities to your colleagues. If you make

mistakes in your writing they are not likely to trust your judgment when it comes to
recommendations on medications for patients.

Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 5

APPENDIX A

Interview Questions

Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 6

APPENDIX B
Writing Sample

Interview Questions:

1. Where did you receive your education? Are you a RPh? Or a PharmD?

2. What kinds of writing are expected as a pharmacist?

3. What are types of writing/documents you produce? Emails, reports,

instructions, press releases, newsletters, grant applications, etc.? Print, web,
PPT etc.? Do you do any conference presentations?

4. What are the typical lengths of documents you produce?

5. How often do you write each kind of document?

6. What percent of our time is spent writing? Do you edit others work?

7. Do you use research when you write?

8. What technology do you use when writing?

9. Who are your audiences? (Internal/external,
manager/expert/technician/general reader)?

10. What formats and language do you use? Do you use a particular
documentation style?

11. How are your documents distributed?

12. Do you read any professional journals? If so, which ones?

13. Do you write for any professional journals?

14. Where/How did you learn to do these kinds of writing?

15. What advice about writing would you give someone wanting to enter this
profession?

Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 7

________________________________________________________________________

______

Memorandum

OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY

STUDENT HEALTH CENTER PHARMACY
DRUG INFORMATION

________________________________________________________________________
______

DATE: January 22, 2014

TO: SHS clinicians

FROM: Christina Buchman, Pharm D

SUBJECT: Fever related to DOT for latent TB

Thank you for your question about the incidence of fever in relation to receiving
isoniazid and rifapentine as once weekly directly-observed-therapy (DOT) for latent
tuberculosis (TB).

The patient in question reported experiencing chills and fever as well as a headache
2-3 hours after the first dose of INH and rifapentine DOT for latent TB infection on
1/10/14. He did not see a provider or call the pharmacy when he experienced these
symptoms but reported them when he presented for his next dose. He was
counselled to see a provider right away if it occurred again after that following dose.
He received the second dose as per protocol at 4pm and began to feel very ill within
just a few hours and presented to the clinic for evaluation. He reported feeling
worse after the second dose than he did following the first dose.

Isoniazid (INH) treatment is known to cause a fever in a pproximately 1% of people
receiving the drug.1 Fevers associated with INH therapy often occur after several
treatments, but may appear after the first dose.2 Fevers may or may not be
associated with myalgias, rash, and hepatitis. There are several case reports of INH –
induced fevers that resolve after discontinuation of the drug and reappear within 2 –
3 hours of rechallenge with INH.2,3,4 Fevers resultant from INH therapy are thought
to be a type of hypersensitivity reaction and therefore the drug should be
discontinued, documented as an allergy in the medical record, and not
readministered to the patient.2

Technical Writing As a Pharmacist 8

Rifapentine is not known to cause fever in patients.5

Isoniazid is the back-bone of therapy for all patients diagnosed with TB and it can
become difficult to treat a patient that has a hypersensitivity reaction to INH. The
CDC recommendation for treating latent TB in patients with a documented INH
allergy or INH-resistant TB is daily rifampin for 4 months.6 Rifampin is dosed by
weight for these patients at 10mg/kg with a max dose of 600mg daily. 6 The
recommendations for monitoring are similar to those of daily INH of monthly visits
with provider/nurse to assess adherence and adverse effects.

In conclusion, INH-induced fever is a rare side-effect classified as a hypersensitivity
reaction and should result in the discontinuation of therapy. The patient should be
switched to daily rifampin for the continued treatment of latent TB infection.

References:

1. Isoniazid. In: DRUGDEX® System [Internet database]. Greenwood Village,

Colo: Thomson Healthcare. Updated periodically.
2. Kumar KL, Reuler JB. Drug fever. West J Med 1986;144:753-755.
3. Salomaa ER, Ruokonen EL, Tevola K, Tala E. Pulmonary infiltrates and fever

induced by isoniazid. Postgrad Med J 1990;66:647-649.
4. Dasta JF, Prior JA, Kurzrok S. Isoniazid- induce fever. Chest 1979;75(2):196-197.

5. Rifapentine. In: DRUGDEX® System [Internet database]. Greenwood Village,
Colo: Thomson Healthcare. Updated periodically.

6. Latent tuberculosis infection: a guide for primary health care providers. Centers

for Disease Control and Prevention Web site. Available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/tb/publications/ltbi/treatment.htm. Accessed January 22,

2014.

Technical

Writing in the Field of Industrial Engineering

Submitted to:

Dr. Donald Brasted-Maki

Oregon State University

Corvallis Or, 97331

Submitted by:

Humood Aljleeby

Industrial engineering

Oregon State University
Corvallis Or, 97331

ABSTRACT

Humood Aljleeby, an industrial engineering major at Oregon State University. In this report written by Humood Aljleeby ” technical writing in the field of industrial engineering. Talking about the importance of technical writing and how as an industrial engineers they need it to present there ideas into others who work with them to make them understand what they have in mind. Humood interviewed Abdulahala Aljulaibi who’s the CEO for one of the most important companies in Kuwait that focuses o eCommerce and online shopping. In that interview, it shows how important being able to communicate properly is very important in the engineering world.

Keywords:- writing, communication, CEO, idea, vision.

Introduction

The purpose of this interview is knowing how it’s very beneficial to know how to most engineers are really bad at conducting a proper way to explain what they conducted after intensive studying, attempts, and trials. How a few years ago by getting an engineering degree it’s a given that you needed to have someone to check your work and talk to you about where it’s going wrong and how can you conduct a report. After fixing the problem by making it mandatory to take classes while you are in school it helped a little buy after all technical writing isn’t that important while you are at the job but definitely important to explain the message.

Education and professional background.

Abdulla was a student at the University of South Florida in Tampa FL, he was an international student and after graduation, he went back home to Kuwait to start his work journey. he started working in a factory that produces the billboards on the streets and while he was showing dramatic success and excellent knowledge he implore saw potential and made him his write hand and took him to show him a new field and introduced him to the eCommerce world and years after working for him he made him the CEO of the company and they are still working together to this day.

METHODOLOGY

ON THE EVENT OF JANUARY /26/2020 Humood Aljleeby got in contact with Abdullah Aljulaibi via Face Time, regardless conveying an interview the two spent approximately one hour and ten minutes but due to the time difference, Humood had to reach out at 5 am since after all

Abdullah is a very busy man who had only a few available slats in his schedule, after carefully conducting the write questions to make sure he uses there time together effectively. He answered all his questions with complete honesty and transparency.

RESULTS

Abdullah made sure to le me know that being an engineer depends a lot by communicating and understanding other professionals you also don’t really have enough time to write a lot, most of the writing that they do is to update the people who are in charge and others who are working with them, every now and then they have to propose a new project to investors and that the most that an engineer would spend time to write since it’s the only way they can start working is that they have people who believe in them and usually those people are not engineers or even If they are they would be from a different area of engineering, sometimes the project requires more than one and in that case using email is the way they go with it since its fast easy and free.

– He would write a daily update for his boss.

– He would write a proposal at least quarterly.

– He requires his employees to send him updates via reports almost every day.

– Writing speeches every now and then for public statements and he uses a professional to help.

Conclusion

writing is very beneficial sine it’s a form of communication between two different people that aren’t there at that time. As an engineer, you don’t have enough hours in your day to write a lot, and most engineers hire people that help them with there writing since its not their strong suit. Usually, they write for the people who they work with and not to the public unless they discovered a new thing or to explain their way of thinking. After all, they see a dramatic improvement in the new generation of engineers do to that mandatory classes at school that they just in forced like technical writing

example

note its not his work just because his job requires him to keep it confidential.

Texas A&M University Industrial and Systems Engineering Senior Design — Generic Project Proposal Examples

(1)

Over the past year, Company X has rapidly outgrown its warehouse at the pressure control facility, which has caused a lack of storage area. Due to this severe lack of space, the warehouse is using a randomized storage system to store the inventory. A cycle count system is performed daily to verify current inventory numbers in the pressure control facility. The database determines which parts need to be counted depending on their classification in the ABC system.

Within the cycle count system, parts are categorized by their level of revenue generated in an ABC system. An A part is considered top dollar parts and are counted four times a year. B parts are considered middle dollar parts, and the cycle count is performed three times a year. Commodity items are considered C parts which are counted twice a year. An annual count is performed on slow move parts, D parts.

Daily, a group of warehouse pickers perform the cycle count procedures. A set of pick sheets are distributed for the employees to count. The employees are responsible for counting the items on the pick sheets, and are given a limited amount time to search, if the part is not observed in the recorded location. Once completed, the counted numbers on each pick sheet is compared to the database. If these numbers do not match, a second count is performed by a different warehouse picker. If by the end of the second count the numbers do not match, a researcher will be given the specific part/pick sheet. The researcher will search for the missing part and if unable to locate the part will take corrective action.

The first count accuracy is sporadic varying from 45 to 95 percent. This has forced Company X to write off a substantial amount of money in 2008. The purpose of this project is to identify the major causes of these inaccuracies. Upon identifying the inaccuracies, recommendations of necessary improvements will be made.

The objective of the project is to identify major causes of the inaccuracies and develop recommendations. Our goal is to ultimately reach and maintain a first count accuracy level of over ninety percent. These recommendations will reduce costly inventory write offs, lead time in locating and obtaining parts, and resources spent when searching for misplaced parts.

(2)

Senior Design Team, consists of Texas A&M Industrial Engineering students and has been contracted by Company X to analyze their current Product Assembly (PA) operations and to provide decision support tools that will assist in developing optimized Order Release Quantity (ORQ) for their PA production runs. While ORQs are the main focus of the project, the support tool will also reveal how specific changes will impact several other parameters of the PA manufacturing process. Company X’s facility manufactures widgets, gadgets, and various other related equipment. Each of these products can consist of multiple PAs. The scope of this project encompasses only the PA portion of manufacturing and ordering, not the box building process of the final products. Currently, Company X does not have a model in place to simulate its PA manufacturing processes or order scheduling. Senior Design Team wishes to develop several dynamic computer models that are sensitive to various parameters, thus allowing Company X to easily simulate possible changes in PA production and ordering before implementing them on the factory floor. The effects on ORQ by any changes considered can then be compared and the optimum result chosen. The value of optimizing this quantity is to minimize the inventory, yet still be able to satisfy demand. The PA production line operates using a pull system so that widgets are pulled from finished goods inventory and used in final products. When widget inventories fall below the specified Re Order Point (ROP) quantity, a production order is triggered and new widgets are manufactured. The computer modeling will begin at these inventory triggers and continue through the manufacturing process. Due to this pull system approach, the models will be built using the simulation program ARENA, which can very accurately account for a demand-pull environment. The models will be driven by data provided from Company X factory time studies. When completed, DST Consulting will provide Flextronics with a series of decision support tools and analyses that will provide the following: Easily updatable ARENA models of the entire PA manufacturing and ordering processes. The ability to dynamically change various parameters, such as MOQs and ROPs, and view the impacts of these changes. A full report detailing the interactions between Order Release Quantities, Minimum Order Quantities, Reorder Points, and Cycle Times to Replenish. The analysis will also include optimal Order Release Quantity levels. Time permitting; a scheduling analysis will also be performed. Minimize PA inventory levels while still satisfying demand Company X will receive a presentation and final report in May detailing the results of the project. A full analysis of the outcomes will be included in the report, as well as detailed recommendations.

(3)

Company X is a leading provider of financial widgets in Texas. As a result of their growth and as an added service to their clients, Company X also provides financial widgets for workers outside of Texas, granted they meet certain requirements. It is in this area, that the department of Financial Widget Oversight (FWO), that Company X is operating inefficiently. Their core business is in issuing widgets to clients inside of Texas, which is handled very proficiently through the use of an effective system. Unfortunately, due to the nature of the business, Company X must rely heavily on a third party’s system. This results in a very tedious and manual operation that results in immensely higher cycle times for FWO processes. The higher cycle times in turn result in a more expensive operation and a flustered work force. The team will concentrate on improving the FWO processes. Company X has provided specific “pain points” that should be given special consideration, but every process will be thoroughly analyzed to determine a more efficient way of completing the tasks, with the ultimate goal of reducing cycle times in all areas of the FWO. After carefully reviewing a time-motion study provided by Company X, it is clear that special attention will be given to the “generic” process, as this is the area that utilizes the most time. In order to effectively solve the inefficiencies in the FWO processes, the team will utilize three valuable and tested Industrial Engineering tools. Two simulation models using ARENA will be built. The first model will expose any and all bottlenecks in the current process so that more emphasis may be placed on those steps of the process. Eventually, a second model will serve as an explanatory one demonstrating how much time may be saved by implementing the recommendations. A value stream mapping of the process will be performed to determine what steps are critical and which are repetitive and unnecessary. Based on this tool, the team will proceed with designing creative alternatives to current tasks. An economic analysis of all recommendations will be constructed in order to substantiate all proposals. At the conclusion of the project, Company X will receive the following:

A visual, easy to understand value stream mapping model of the FWO processes. A series of recommendation for future improvements. An Arena model simulation of the current and improved processes including all decision variables. A thorough report that will have detailed information, including an economic analysis of the impact of the changes recommended and the potential benefits they could generate.

(4)

The Senior Design consulting team is looking forward to the opportunity to work with Company X in their redesign of a repair facility located in Texas. Our team believes the task is essential to the smooth operation of Company X’s facility in the future and will provide our team with an invaluable experience working with Industrial Engineering principles in industry. Company X is a leading manufacturer of widgets. In the recent past, sales of Company X widgets have increased. As that batch of widgets ages, they will require routine, but major, maintenance to be performed at the Texas facility. Company X engineers are currently in the process of retooling the facility to move out non-related functions and focus on widget repair in order to handle a forecasted increase in repair jobs. More specifically, the facility will only be repairing the widget accessories (WA). WA undergo an expected amount of wear over their lifetime. During a normal course of operation, WA are exposed to extreme conditions while maintaining exacting tolerances; these conditions will cause the WA to become damaged and the widgets to lose efficiency. In addition to normal ware, WA will be damaged by coming into contact with foreign objects. Therefore, WA must be repaired both on a schedule and randomly after unexpected failures. Due to Company X’s increase in widget sales in the recent past, an increase in WA repairs are expected. In its present state, the Texas facility is not expected to be capable of meeting future demand. Company X has requested that the Senior Design consulting team work in parallel with their engineers to produce an independent solution to their facility issues; their hope is that engineering students with no knowledge of Company X’s current practices can bring fresh and innovative ideas to the table. As defined by Company X, the main deliverable from the Senior Design consulting team will be the design of a manufacturing layout for their widget repair process. This manufacturing layout will have a strong focus on incorporating lean manufacturing principles. In order to produce an ideal facility layout, several Industrial Engineering tools, such as computer simulation and analytical models to include relationship diagrams, will be used to analyze data provided by Company X to better understand the interdependent relationships between departments and processes within the widget repair process. This analysis will be used to produce a layout which will aid in making the repair process as lean as possible. Next, the proposed layout will be modeled by the simulation package, Arena. An Arena simulation will account for many real-world variables, be flexible in both the design and analysis of a layout, and will produce an accurate estimate of the facility’s capabilities. Lastly, Arena will be used to simulate batch sizes in order to increase the efficiency of both the facility and its workers. Upon completion of the project in May, deliverables to Company X will include: A facility layout incorporating lean manufacturing principles Analysis of the teams Arena model, not quantify operating characteristics under a range of operating parameters. A recommendation on optimal batch sizes for the new layout. All deliverables will be presented to Company X through a Final Report and Presentation on . The Final Report will discuss in detail all results, findings, and methodologies.

Citation

10 Engineering Project Proposal Examples – PDF, Word. (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.examples.com/business/engineering-project-proposal.html