The email that gets read

Start with This
The nurses who get promoted aren't always the most experienced.
They are the most clearly understood.
Something Worth Knowing
Good news from the leadership research world.
A 2025 Wolters Kluwer survey of 150 chief nursing officers found that nearly nine in ten CNOs reported positive impacts from the care models in place at their organizations, with nurse competency and communication cited alongside patient outcomes as the top indicators of program success.
Translation for you.
The people at the top of your organizational chart are explicitly looking for nurses who can communicate with clarity. That is not a bonus skill. It is increasingly the main event.
A Good Read
Every email you send to your manager is telling a story about you.
So is every incident report. Every proposal. Every handoff note.
The question is not whether your writing is being read as a signal about your competence. It is. The only question is what that signal is saying.
This week’s blog post breaks down what strong written communication signals to nurse leaders, and what weaker writing signals even when the clinical work behind it is excellent. It is a two-minute read that might change how you approach every message you send at work.
Read: What Strong Written Communication Signals to Nurse Leaders
If you are ready to be the nurse whose writing gets noticed for the right reasons, Write Like a Leader: How Nurses Communicate Up the Chain of Command is where that shift begins. Start now.
One Small Step
Before you send your next significant work email, reread just the first sentence.
Does it say what you actually need the reader to know?
If not, rewrite it. Just the first sentence. The rest of the email can stay exactly as it is.
Take This with You
The nurses who get asked to lead are usually the ones who started writing like leaders before anyone asked them to.

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