MEMORANDUM To: Date: Re: Ms.

Alison Jaenicke January 26, 2012 Analysis of Referring Veterinarians Guide as a Technical Document

From: Monica Endy

The purpose of this memo is to give my analysis and interpretation of the guide Referring Veterinarians; Teaching Healing and Discovery from the University of Missouri College of Veterinary Medicine as a work of technical writing. The document was revised and produced by the University of Missouri and was published January 10, 2010. The goal of this document is to inform local veterinarians of the referral options that are offered through the Veterinary Medical Teaching Hospital (VMTH) of Missouri. The University hopes to attract supporting vets and clients to enhance the clinical experience of the present vet students. The quality of this piece will be analyzed through the six major characteristics of a technical document.

Addresses Particular Readers The University of Missouri created this guide to inform a variety of readers. The primary audience of the guide is other veterinarians. Veterinarians are the main targets since they are the ones that will refer clients to the VMTH. The secondary audience is the clients that would be bringing their pets to the facility. As a pet owner myself I would want to do research on the University of Missouris College of Medicine before I agreed to bring my pet there. Since the university also treats large animals this guide would be useful for farmers that were interested in care for their herds. The tertiary audience could be other universities. Many veterinarian schools have hands on clinical during the last year or two of the students studies. Therefore, other institutes may read Missouris guide to improve their own. The language used in this guide is sufficient for all readers. Technical enough to be in a veterinary guide but not too technical where clients can review the program and procedures easily.

There are a few areas within the document that confirm who the main readers are. There is a letter in the beginning of the guide from the director and chair addressing Colleagues. These colleagues are referring to veterinarians. Also in the FAQ section it starts with We realize that you and your clients this ensures that the guide is primarily read by veterinarians. Also the very last page of the guide is similar to an advertisement and is asking for donations from the referring veterinarians. Pet Memorial Program is a service where alumni and referring veterinarians can make a memorial gift in memory of deceased pets.

Helps Readers Solve Problems Problems that this document would solve vary greatly. The obvious problems would be medical issues concerning animals, companion and agriculture. An array of medical problems are covered

in this guide such as: Community Medicine, Equine Medicine and Surgery, Food Animal Medicine and Surgery, Neurology, Othaimology, Small Animal Emergency and Critical Care, Small Animal Medicine, Small Animal Surgery, Theriogenology, and Extension.

The guide thoroughly goes into faculty, residents, and technicians that work at the hospital and are listed by specialty or species. This information could be useful for all audiences when deciding if they would like to be referred to VMTH. Identification of the staff is also possible since there are headshots next to each name. Another purpose of the guide is if a referring vet is trying to get in touch with someone at Missouri and cannot; they can refer to a table that displays VMTH clinical teaching times. During the times listed clinical services may not be available for consult calls from veterinarians. Questions that the vet or client may have can be answered in the FAQ section. Also to answer additional questions contact information is given at the end of the guide. Finally, the guide offers a guest room through their partnership with a local hotel. This could be necessary to patients that may need treatment for several days. This connection solves a housing issue for the client and comforts the referring veterinarian that their clients will be in good hands while visiting VMTH.

Reflects the Universitys Goals and Culture The personal letter from the director and chair of VMTH clearly states the goals and culture of the hospital. The letter is reassuring to the referring vet and clients and harps on the idea that each patient is an individual with unique needs and that the staff and students will strive to make the patients and clients comfortable during each visit. This letter was similar to a thank you letter and showed the institutes appreciation for referring veterinarians that help the hospital meet their teaching, research and service missions. It is their goal to train the best veterinarians in the country. Referred clients are a key part in achieving this goal. Clients provide ample hands-on clinical experiences that enrich vet students.

The culture of VMTH is expressed through the variety of species that are cared for. Every animal from companion to equine and farm is welcomed at the hospital. This wide range of services is impressive and exhibits how well rounded the university and students that graduate from this program will be.

Evidence of Collaboration It is evident that there was collaboration while making this document. Every area of medicine covered in the guide must have contributed. Once all of the technical information was in place there was most likely a design team. The guide is full of graphics and is broken up into many different sections based on species and/or procedure. There are sections directed toward the secondary audience, the clients, there was most likely feedback from patients that was used to create this revised version of the guide. FAQ, and hotel accommodations were included due to feedback from clients.

Uses Design to Increase Readability This guide had a lot of design but it failed at increasing readability. The addition of a table of contents would have been very useful in organizing the document and would make it easier to read by the audience. Instead of searching though to find a particular procedure they could skip right to it with a table of contents. The design could have used more white space. Each procedure should have had its own page, which would have increased readability. Bullets were misused in this document. They added clutter and in cases had long complete sentences when they could have been used to simplify ideas. The design was definitely considered but overused and created clutter and decreased the accessibility of text.

Effective Use of Words and Graphics Graphics took over this document and were not used effectively. There were pictures of animals all throughout the document and many headshots of the staff. The document would have been improved if there were not as many individual photos of the staff. I do not think having their pictures was necessary or added anything to the guide. The guide also lacked color except on the first and last page. Most of the guide was black and white and at times had white writing on a grey background, which decreased clarity. Even the front cover had many graphics layered on top of each other. It even took me a few days to see the 2010 behind the title. Overall the graphics were over done and added confusion to the document.

Summary Overall this was a success full piece of technical writing. The only aspect of the guide that could be improved is the design and layout. Readability could be greatly increased if the clutter was removed. There is a lot of useful and important information that is not represented in the best way. The document seems less professional because of the overwhelming design. In order to attract clients through referring veterinarians the guide must be easily accessible, understandable, and professional.