title: Writing Across the Curriculum: Strategies to Improve the Writing Skills of Nursing Students.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Writing across the curriculum (WAC) is a strategy in which writing instruction occurs in classes outside of composition, literature, and other English courses. This literature review was conducted to identify and synthesize the peer-reviewed literature about WAC in nursing education.
  
  
  METHODS
  The team performed searches of MEDLINE (PubMed), CINAHL Plus With Full Text, and ERIC for articles published between January 2003 and April 2014. A combination of Medical Subject Heading terms (or equivalent) and keywords were used to create the database search strategies.
  
  
  RESULTS
  There were 48 articles that discussed WAC. Most of the papers described writing courses in nursing programs, strategies to teach writing to nursing students, and writing activities or assignments within nursing courses. High-level evidence examining the impact of writing strategies and exercises in courses and occurring across the curriculum was lacking. Only 18 (37.5%) of these papers were evaluative; most of the databased articles were either author observations or perceptions of changes in students' writing ability, or low-level research studies.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Strategies, assignments, and courses intended to promote writing skills of nursing students were documented in this literature review; however, further evaluation is needed to determine which are most effective. Hawks Turner Derouin Hueckel Leonardelli Oermann.
authors.affiliation: Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Sharon J
authors.initials: SJ
authors.lastname: Hawks
authors.affiliation: Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Kathleen M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: Turner
authors.affiliation: Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Anne L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Derouin
authors.affiliation: Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Rémi M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Hueckel
authors.affiliation: Duke University Medical Center Library, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Adrianne K
authors.initials: AK
authors.lastname: Leonardelli
authors.affiliation: Duke University School of Nursing, Durham, NC.
authors.forename: Marilyn H
authors.initials: MH
authors.lastname: Oermann
keywords: Nursing education; professional issue; writing across the curriculum