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RUNNING HEAD: GRANT PROPOSALS IN THE HEALTH SCIENCE MAJOR

Grant Proposals in the Health Science Major:

A Recommendation Report
at California State University, Fullerton
Prepared for: Dr. Leslie Bruce
Prepared by: Andrya Ventura
November 19, 2014

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R~G HEAD: GRANT PROPOSALS IN THE HEAL TH SCIENCE MAJOR
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Abstract
A student who majors in Health Science is expected to take courses pertaining to

environmental, medical, and health factors, which is the obvious. Yet, there are also other
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subjects within the Health Science field-----for instance, writing. Careers such as a doctor,
environmentalist, or a nutritionist, all have different writing genres that need to be assessed. The
question is: which form of writing is the most relevant? In this report we will assess and analyze
which writing genre should be implemented within the Health Science major at California State
University, Fullerton (CSUF).

Keywords: health science major; csuf, writing, student, major, careers

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--1 I~troduction

The purpose of this recommendation report is to recommend that grant proposals be

included into the curriculum of a Health Science major. Sources of information incorporated in
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this report hss eeen opinions of students, professors, and physical therapists, with online
research. Topics included are the writing genres of grant proposals, patient/ lab reports, patient
evaluations, and case studies. Those not included are writing1echniques non-related-to-ths-_(lo+
Health Science major such as essays, poems, stories, etc. The result of the most desired writing

grant proposals since it is a significant aspect within the medical field (which are careers most
Health Science majors will attain). In the following sections, you will see the implemented
research methods, results of the findings, the

conclusion---which~:i:c~:.-further d~scussion

of the results----and lastly, the recommendation section of grant proposals.

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Method
Participants, Setting & Procedure

Three professors, forty Health science students, and two certified physical therapists were
interviewed and surveyed. The professors are from the CSUF Health Science department who
are full-time faculty professors with an extended experience in the Health Science field. The two
certified physical therapists are from personal references. The Health Science students were
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The surve s were onl

iven to th~ faculty members and students of the Health Scie~~~--

-~e~~me~ Interviews were given for more information on the field of physical therapy, and the ~jl

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uses of various writing genres.

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I. Survey

A survey will be conducted of which writing genre is the most relevant in the physical
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therapy field. There will be ~possible choices with ratings from I to 5 (Patient Evaluations,
Patient/Lab Reports, Grant Proposal, Case studies).
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II. Interview

A series of three questions will be given during the interview of two physical therapists
asking which genre is most relevant for physical therapists, which genre is most common, and
which genre of writing is the most difficult.

III. Online Research

Online research was done via the CSUF Library Database, the CSUF course catalog, and
other internet sources.

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RUNNING HEAD: GRANT PROPOSALS IN THE HEALTH SCIENCE MAJOR

Results

Writing
Genre

Which genre
will help you
get to your
future career?

Which genre
is most
relevant in
your career

In your opinion,
which is the most
difficult writing
genre in your
field?

Which genre do
you think should be
taught more in the
Health Science
major?

Patient
Evaluations

Patient/Lab
Report

Grant
Proposals

Case Studies

This criteria chart shows the result of the surveys distributed. The weight is calculated
based on the overall average of the answers received from the students and professors. The point
results were 9, 15, 15, and 10 with a tie between patient/lab reports and grant proposals.

I.

Survey
The survey revealed t

and grant proposals were the most

significant in aiding a future career.

II.

Interview
Patient evaluations, patient reports, discharge papers, and rehabilitation exercise plans

are the overall common writing genres of a physical therapist. Although, there were four
writing genres, I only incorporated the top two significant genres of patient evaluations and
patient reports (F. Manuel & E. Pagmanua, personal communication, November 8, 2014).

RUNNING HEAD: GRANT PROPOSALS IN THE HEAL TH SCIENCE MAJOR

III.

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Online Research
The CSUF course catalog of 2013-2015, states the writing requirement of a Health

Science major to be either ENG 301 (Advanced College Writing) or ENG 360 (Technical
Writing). Prerequisites of writing include HESC 400 (Program Design) and 475 (Health Science
Planning, Research, and Evaluation) (CSUF Catalog, 2013-2015).
Discussion
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The results conclude that patient/ lab reports and grant proposals are the most significant
in a Health Science major and future career with this degree. Surprisingly, faculty and students
did not have much differing opinions. In fact, the data from the faculty and students were almost
identical. There was a great stress on
,, patient/ lab reports and grant proposals for several reasons.
Patient/lab reports are highly common in the health industry relative to medical or environmental
careers. Patients are always evaluated which calls for reports to be recorded for medical
convenience and patient history (Robey, 2011). Lab reports are often used during experiments
and studies.

Withou~ation

cannot be communicated in an organized manner.

Lastly, grant proposals are important within the Health Science industry because money is
always needed for equipment, experiments, studies, and facilities (Rutgers University Catalog,
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2014).
Recommendation
There are many careers and many different writing genres within the Health Science
field. I recommend a Health Science course specific to writing in the Health Science field. This
course should have the most common forms of writing as stated in the criteria chart, but a whole
half of the course should be committed to the writing of grant proposals. The ability to write
successful grant proposals can help a self-employed medical doctor, or an environmentalist in

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moving forward with their career. There should not be any difficulty with one's career due to the
lack of money. I believe the government should always be open to aid in any business,
corporation, or individual access to funds as long as it is toward a great cause. In conclusion, the
only way they will be convinced that it is toward a great cause is with a professionally written,
clear, and concise grant proposal.

RUNNING HEAD: GRANT PROPOSALS IN THE HEALTH SCIENCE MAJOR

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References
California State University Fullerton. (2014, November 7). 2013-2015 University Catalog.
Fullerton, CA: Titan Shops
Clark, I. L. & Fischbach, R. (2008). Writing and Leaming in the Health Sciences:
Rhetoric, Identity, Genre, and Performance. The WAC journal, 19, 16-21.
Robey, T. (July 2011). The Art of Writing Patient Record Notes. American Medical Association,
13:7,482-484.
Ruddy, A. (2012). Writing in Physical Therapy. Prezi Online. Accessed: November 13, 2014.
Rutgers University. Developing and Writing Grant Proposals. Catalog ofFederal Domestic
Assistance.

< http://njms. rutgers. edulresearch/orp/DevelopingA ndWritingGrantProposals. htm>

Accessed on November 11, 2014.