Even when recognizing that language practice instantiates and perpetuates power structures within a discourse community, language teachers necessarily teach their students to conform to those same language practices. Rather than seeing a moral dilemma between teaching conformity to language practices or exposing and resisting the discursive practices that perpetuate power structures, a fully rhetorical education allows students to leverage normative conformity toward increasing power within the discourse community and thereby reaching a platform from which to lead change. This chapter examines the typical North American curriculum in professional communication to conclude that while a university education addresses both rhetorical conformity and critical reflection, the pedagogy does not align with the actual development of rhetorical competence within a professional community.

Becoming a nurse is more than just being able to demonstrate clinical skills or understand disease processes. It is about critical thinking – understanding why we do what we do and how to do it in ways that optimise quality and safety. Achieving the best outcomes for clients is always paramount. This chapter explores the foundational principles of contemporary nursing practice: evidence-based practice, person-centred care, and therapeutic and professional communication; all contributing to a safe practice environment. It also introduces the growing role of technology in health care and looks at how numerous factors come together to influence health outcomes for the individual client.

This chapter focuses on a basic model of professional communication and two basic goals of journal article publication. It has five major sections, Intuitive Thoughts, Frank and Neil, Professional Communication, Scientific Research, and Practical Suggestions. It starts with a discussion of intuitive thoughts of graduate students and then a discussion of two real-life cases (Frank and Nell) so that we can see how new authors think and act related to the central question of the chapter. After that, two core concepts, professional communication and scientific research, are discussed in detail, followed by several practical suggestions. In brief, there are two major reasons why we publish journal articles, that is, to develop skills of professional communication and ultimately to advance scientific knowledge and to improve human life.