Writing isn’t easy, even when you have nothing else going on.

But for professionals in the nursing field—clinicians, educators, researchers—there’s always a lot happening. Finishing a book chapter on deadline? Writing a grant application? These tasks compete for space on nurses’ already crowded calendars.    

At the School of Nursing, though, a new group is using a proven technique to protect writing time and build sustainable writing habits. The Writing Accountability Group, or WAG, organized by Jeanne Alhusen, associate dean for nursing research, meets in small groups of four to 10 people each week on Zoom to work on writing projects, support one another, and stay accountable.

“It was my first grant writing experience, and it was really nice to have other colleagues around, checking in. It was also nice to have the dedicated time in manageable chunks. If I said, ‘I’m going to block out four hours and do it all,’ it would have been overwhelming.”

Post-doctoral research fellow Carmen Diaz, a member of the Writing Accountability Group

After a brief check-in, “we’re writing for 45 minutes, uninterrupted,” explained Alhusen. “At the end, we’re reporting out what we accomplished. The principle is accountability, to ourselves and to each other, so we can achieve our writing goals.”

On a recent Friday morning, the group gathered. Crystal Chu (BSN ’15, PhD ’23), a post-doctoral fellow and oncology nurse whose research focuses on decision tools for patients considering preventative mastectomies, said the group helps her preserve regular writing time, even when she’s tempted to sacrifice that time to tend other demands.

“When I just block my calendar, that easily gets overtaken if someone wants to meet with me or a patient wants to talk,” Chu said. “But I know there are people expecting me to be at the writing group meeting, and that adds a sense of community.”

"I know there are people expecting me to be at the writing group meeting, and that adds a sense of community.”

Post doctoral fellow Crystal Chu, a member of the Writing Accountability Group

If the community feeling supplies the “accountability” in the group’s name, said Alhusen, who’s led similar groups over the last decade, it is important to note that group members never take their fellow writers to task in a punitive way, but instead create the natural accountability that comes from checking in.

Post-doctoral research fellow Carmen Diaz, who helps create patient pain management and clinician communication technologies, joined last spring while working on a grant application.

“We know that finding time to write is hard . . . But it is critical that we are disseminating our work—work that aims to innovate the way we educate our students, advance the delivery of healthcare, and improve health outcomes for our patients and communities. Sometimes our greatest barrier can be how to incorporate writing into a jam-packed day. It’s why this group helps.”

Jeanne Alhusen, associate dean for nursing research, who established the School's Writing Accountability Group

“It was my first grant writing experience, and it was really nice to have other colleagues around, checking in,” Diaz said. “It was also nice to have the dedicated time in manageable chunks. If I said, ‘I’m going to block out four hours and do it all,’ it would have been overwhelming.”

Alhusen, who has earned more than $8 million across the expanse of her career as a nurse scientist, gets it.

“We know that finding time to write is hard, especially when you’re balancing the demands of teaching, clinical care, and other research activities,” Alhusen said. “But it is critical that we are disseminating our work—work that aims to innovate the way we educate our students, advance the delivery of healthcare, and improve health outcomes for our patients and communities. Sometimes our greatest barrier can be how to incorporate writing into a jam-packed day. It’s why this group helps.”

Post-Doctoral Fellow to Assistant Professor

Curious about becoming a post-doctoral fellow, and, after successful completion of the two-year program, earning an appointment as a tenure-track assistant professor? Explore UVA’s novel on-ramp for emerging scholars and nurse scientists. Questions may be directed to Jeanne Alhusen, associate dean for nursing research: jla7e@virginia.edu