title: Teaching professional writing in an academic health sciences center: the Writing Center model at the Medical University of South Carolina.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Writing is taught as professional competency in higher education generally, but the health science education literature emphasizes writing as a pedagogical means rather than a professional end. The Medical University of South Carolina established a Writing Center in 1994 to teach professional writing.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  This report describes the rationale for profession-specific, graduate-level writing instruction; summarizes the Writing Center model; and reports usage data. Students have reported improvement in particular texts and said they would be better able to complete writing tasks in the future.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Interventions modeled after the Writing Center and staffed with professionally trained writing teachers may provide a means to pool resources to teach writing as professional competency. The Writing Center has provided the expertise to teach professional writing without demanding curricular revision.
authors: Center for Academic Excellence/Writing Center, Colbert Education Center and Library-201,Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston, SC 29425, USA. smithtg@musc.edu
authors: Tom G
authors: TG
authors: Smith
authors: Jennie
authors: J
authors: Ariail
authors: Shannon
authors: S
authors: Richards-Slaughter
authors: Lisa
authors: L
authors: Kerr
mesh_terms: D000046:Academic Medical Centers; D017146:Models, Organizational; D011361:Professional Competence; D012577:Schools, Medical; D013022:South Carolina; D013663:Teaching / Q000379:methods*; D014956:Writing / Q000592:standards*