Introduction and Reflection

 What is the relationship between writing, rhetoric, and your career? How will professional writing help you in your academic and professional endeavors? Refer to at least two of the readings from our first week as you craft your response.

As an aspiring dentist, professional writing and rhetoric will be critical to my career.  Constant charting, patient communication, and various business emails will require me to learn to communicate efficiently in formal settings. Even while I am still in school, being able to write a friendly yet professional email to professors, classmates, and others will help me build better connections that I can utilize later on. 

After reading “The Beginner's Guide to Professional Communication”, I learned some important ideas concerning how to write a proper email and common mistakes people make. Things like writing too much, too little, or not including a clear problem or question directed at the recipient can bring the quality of your message down. Forgetting to proofread your message can also lead to missing some grammatical and spelling mistakes. Even experienced writers can always reflect on their mistakes and learn from them. 

In the dental field, considering the rhetorical situation is crucial. The article “What is the Rhetorical Situation?” defines it as exigence, audience, and constraints. Exigence is the driving force behind the need for communication. In dentistry, this might be offering a treatment plan, referring a patient to a different provider, or discussing insurance issues. The audience could be a patient, an employee/co-worker, another dental office, or a supplier. Constraints are a huge topic in dentistry and should always be a priority. Taking into consideration a patient’s ability to afford treatment, maintenance, or even arrange to get to the office is important.

The ability to communicate professionally through emails, texts, and even face-to-face is something we will always need to work on. Almost every career path places high importance on the way people communicate. Not only is it needed after graduation, it is also very necessary during schooling to build connections and build a foundation for yourself to work off of.