Editorial Philosophy
I have worked as a professional editor in healthcare publishing since 1999. In that time, I have learned that most authors in this field—although experts in their subject matter, skilled clinicians, and master educators—struggle to express their hard-earned knowledge in writing and art. They find the process of authoring content daunting. My job is to make it less so.
More than that, I strive to help the author produce the best content possible within the constraints of time and resources.
My strengths include a solid educational foundation, years of experience editing print and digital content covering a wide array of healthcare professions, keen editorial instincts, an intuitive understanding of language and writing, and a passion for clear and concise communication.
Moreover, I offer services that go beyond the scope of traditional development. Besides developmental editing, I can create pedagogical features and ancillary materials to aid both the instructor and the student.
Please peruse my site to learn more about me and the services I offer.
David Payne
More than that, I strive to help the author produce the best content possible within the constraints of time and resources.
My strengths include a solid educational foundation, years of experience editing print and digital content covering a wide array of healthcare professions, keen editorial instincts, an intuitive understanding of language and writing, and a passion for clear and concise communication.
Moreover, I offer services that go beyond the scope of traditional development. Besides developmental editing, I can create pedagogical features and ancillary materials to aid both the instructor and the student.
Please peruse my site to learn more about me and the services I offer.
David Payne
Project Highlights
Screenshot of Harris CareTracker PM and Physician EMR. Posted with permission from Harris CareTracker.
Supplemental Chapter on the Affordable Care Act and Instructor Resources
Another project I'm especially proud of is the ancillaries I created for Jonas and Kovner’s Health Care Delivery in the United States, 11th Ed., by Knickman and Kovner (Springer, 2015). For this project, I researched and wrote a supplemental chapter that provides a concise summary of the historical context, development, passage, implementation, and aftermath of the Affordable Care Act. I also created PowerPoint slides, test questions, a syllabus, and an instructor’s manual for this textbook. This project required me to research news articles and documentation associated with the law and to boil down the information to a level, scope, and format appropriate for students. Creating the instructor resources required me to quickly absorb and digest the content of the textbook, identify key points, and create products that aid instructors in effectively teaching the content within the context of their courses. |
Interactive Case Studies for Harris CareTracker EMR
One of the most intriguing and challenging projects I've worked on in recent years is the interactive case studies I created for medical assisting instructors and students to use in conjunction with the Harris CareTracker Practice Management (PM) and Physician Electronic Medical Record (EMR) online application. These case studies are packaged with Lippincott Williams & Wilkins' Comprehensive Medical Assisting, 5th Ed., by Kronenberger and Ledbetter (Wolters Kluwer, 2015). The case studies, which present a series of fictional patients as they visit the hospital, guide the student through the process of scheduling appointments, entering patient demographic and insurance information, charting patient medical and family history, completing progress notes, entering medication orders and referrals, and handling all payment and financial transactions. This project required me to learn how to use a complex application and then write 10 multifaceted case studies that provide step-by-step directions to walk the students through all key functions of the application. It demanded meticulous attention to detail, tenacious problem-solving, and creativity. Posted with permission from Springer Publishing Company.
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Screenshots of vSim® for Nursing, Maternity and Pediatrics modules. Copyright© 2016 Laerdal Medical (http://www.laerdal.com). All rights reserved. Used with permission.
Writing Captions for Cartoons for a Nursing Text
One of the most light-hearted and creative projects I've worked on was writing captions for cartoon images included in NCLEX-PN Q&A Plus! Made Incredibly Easy, 2nd Ed., by Moore (Wolters Kluwer, 2017). For this project, I reviewed illustrations rendered by an artist and the associated chapter text and then wrote captions that linked the two. The purpose of the art and captions is to help the student learn the content in a fun and memorable way. In many cases, the captions provide hints as to the right answers in practice tests. In other cases, they offer tips to help prepare students for taking the NCLEX test. Humor and puns are used throughout to help keep the mood light. This project required me to think creatively about the book's artwork and text, to find connections between the two, and to use witty wordplay and dialogue to bring them to life. David’s caption writing enhanced our revised textbooks. He not only copied an established writing style but also updated the cultural references, all while imparting educational material in the text balloons of the humorous illustrations of the Made Incredibly Easy series of nursing textbooks. |
Editing Instructor and Student Resources for vSim® for Nursing
One of the best experiences I've had working with a publishing team was editing instructor and student resources associated with the vSim® for Nursing application, Maternity and Pediatrics modules. vSim® for Nursing is a series of virtual simulations co-developed by Laerdal Medical and Wolters Kluwer Health that enable students to engage in realistic nursing scenarios, interacting with virtual patients in an online environment. For this project, I edited quiz questions and rationale, resources lists, documentation activities, discussion and reflection guides, feedback mapping logs, and key words lists. This project required me to work collaboratively with a team at Wolters Kluwer Health, summarize and integrate reviewer input into the manuscript, edit with an eye for accuracy and consistency, communicate with writers, and meet deadlines. Look, guys—there’s the laceration. Now clump together and chant, “Hemostasis.”
Posted with permission from Moore LW. NCLEX-PN Q&A Plus! Made Incredibly Easy, 2nd Ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer, 2017. Illustration by Mary Ross. |