SUMMARY OF PROFESSIONAL/TECHNICAL AND SCHOLARLY WRITING

BY

HEIDI EMMERLING

I have been a licensed dental hygienist for more than eighteen years. I also hold a PhD in composition and rhetoric. Although people have told me that they find my combination of interests unusual, I would argue this combination makes perfect sense.

My dissertation explores the role that writing plays in the careers of successful dental hygienists; my study demonstrates that the role it plays is prominent. The successful hygienists who participated in my study write for a wide ranging audience and with multiple and varied purposes. Appendix A is the fourth chapter of my dissertation and presents the data for the group of dental hygienists who identify themselves as entrepreneurs.

My experience as a dental hygienist replicates what some of the hygienists in my study report. I too have written extensively as part of my job as a dental hygienist.

In the workplace as a clinician, I have been responsible for charting and documentation, formulation of office philosophies and mission statements, letters and reports to colleagues and referring specialists, policy and procedure office manuals, post-operative patient instructions and home-care procedures, insurance narratives, resumes and job applications. As a dental hygiene educator, I composed syllabi, case studies, exams, forms, and reports. In my positions within my professional organization, I wrote reports, minutes, PR materials, by-law amendments, legislative proposals, speeches, and surveys. As a professional author within dental hygiene, I have been writing for professional journals as a monthly columnist, feature article writer, book reviewer, editor, publisher, and manuscript reviewer; please refer to my CV for a complete list of titles and positions held. Appendix B includes samples of my published articles in professional journals. Both of these articles were published in RDH magazine, a national publication for dental hygienists with a circulation of approximately 70,000 readers. I have included one column and one feature article.

As a scholar in the composition and rhetoric field, I have had projects which allowed me to hone my writerly skills. My internship was with the Nevada Secretary of State’s office in the Elections Division. I was charged with compiling a list of all Attorney General letters and opinions regarding election law, dating back to the 1800’s. I also designed and produced the state’s first informational voter’s pamphlet. I incorporated my knowledge of election law with my skills in written communication and visual appeal. Further, I explored the implementation of gender neutral language in the Nevada Revised Statutes.

In my dual career as a professional writer and an academic, I am responsible to my field to conduct scholarly research. My project in an ethnographic research methods seminar was published in Composition Studies. I include that article in Appendix C.

I also do much freelance writing. I am currently authoring a monthly column for the local newspaper, the Reno Gazette-Journal, with the theme of organizing home spaces. Also, as owner of Writing Solutions, I contract with businesses and individual to assist them with their writing needs. Some of these projects include technical writing, creating brochures and newsletters, editing, and individual tutoring.

I have pursued a dual career as a professional writer and an academic because I consider my professional work inseparable from my study in composition and rhetoric. Further, I believe tangible role models are especially important to writers. By being a writer and a health care professional, I hope not only to train and motivate other writers, but also to acknowledge my debt to a special teacher who, ten years ago, took an interest in a dental hygienist and told her, yes, she could write. If you require further or different types of writing samples, please let me know.