Essentials of Writing

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
6768 Students

Master the essentials of writing so you can excel at business communications, express yourself clearly online, and take your creative literary talents to a new level.

Master the essentials of writing, and become the stellar wordsmith you always wanted to be! In this course, you'll develop the skills you need to excel at business communications, express yourself clearly online, and take your creative literary talents to a new level.

Whether you're hoping to get a better job, write for a blog, or publish your short story, this course will give you the writing tools you need for success. It's also a perfect choice for students who speak English as a second language.

You'll gain confidence right away as you practice free writing and discover how to create solid drafts. You'll improve your writing skills by learning to select strong and persuasive words, spell correctly, and choose the right punctuation. Then you'll find out how to put it all together by crafting well-written sentences, building effective paragraphs, and organising your material logically. And finally, you'll explore ways to make the most of e-mails and other forms of electronic communication.

With the knowledge and hands-on practice you gain from this course, you'll be able to express yourself clearly and persuasively in writing—both in your personal life and in the business world.

Courses are delivered to you through expertly executed lessons, online instruction and interaction with like-minded students. Our courses are designed to deliver all of the benefits of studying in a classroom whilst giving you the flexibility to study at a time and place to suit your needs. You can access your classroom 24/7 from any device with an internet connection.

This course has a 3 month duration. You'll complete comprehensive lessons, quizzes and assignments before submitting your final exam at the end of the course to achieve your certificate. Courses must be completed within the 3 month access period.

Welcome to Lesson 1, where you’ll learn important concepts to help you write better today!  You’ll learn a strategy that will free up every bit of your existing writing skills and help you gain confidence when you write. Practice begins now with a new technique that will help you get your thoughts out onto the page so you can work with them.  It’s a great way to start on your goal of becoming a confident, accomplished writer.  Whether you need to write on the job or you’re eager to write for publication, this lesson will help!

Prepare yourself for some major upgrades on your ability to choose effective words!  In this lesson you'll learn to recognize what kinds of word choices work and why.  You’ll come away with an understanding about word choices that cause your readers to feel confused or uninterested.  You'll have the pleasure of discovering how to find the word you want and also how to goof around with words so you enjoy writing more.  Finally, you'll practice, practice, practice.  It’s fun, so feel free to dive in and splash around!

It’s time for spelling practice. Not only will you review problem words, but you’ll get acquainted with 10 helpful rules and five helpful tips to make you a better speller so you can spell better from now on. You’ll identify your own particular spelling demons and learn a strategy to cope with them once and for all.  This lesson is filled with the kinds of resources and spelling practice you’ve been looking for.

Here’s your chance to get acquainted with common word usage difficulties and master them. You’re about to learn to pick the right word at the right time and put it in the right place in your sentence.  You’ll practice choosing between similar sounding words that have different meanings.  You’ll get helpful explanations—at last!—about tricky usages that may trip you up daily.  Feel free to delve into an information-packed lesson that will add to your knowledge of correct word usage.

Your writing ability is building after the first four lessons!  In Lesson 5 you’ll integrate all you’ve learned so far—how how to capture your thoughts, choose effective words, spell correctly, and master word usage—by mastering techniques that will help you write effective sentences.  Here you’ll practice constructing sentences that have energy and precision by learning four simple tips, deciding which words to take out, and communicating your ideas logically.

Whisk through a handy review of the three main punctuation marks used to end sentences: the period, the question mark, and the exclamation point.  But that’s not all.  You’ll benefit from practicing how to identify and fix run-on sentences, sentence fragments, and the overuse of dashes and ellipses.  Round out your exploration with the challenge of combining quotation marks with the ending marks.  You’ll get a fine update on what works and what doesn’t with this first of three full lessons on punctuation.

Commas!  Yes, you can master their use.  Lesson 7 is designed to give you confidence in your comma placement.  You’ll learn how to use commas to create energy and precision in your writing.  Instead of memorizing an intimidating list of rules, you’ll learn by listening, clarifying, and practicing.  You’ll realize that you’re in charge of your commas rather than being a passive victim.  You’ll get answers to all your lingering doubts about using commas here. 

It’s likely been a long time since your school days, and your knowledge of the correct use of all the punctuation marks may be a bit vague now.  Lesson 8 to the rescue!  The emphasis here will be on how to use punctuation marks like semicolons, colons, dashes, parentheses, ellipses, apostrophes, quotation marks, italics, and hyphens.  You’ll acquire a new understanding of the way these marks help you.  You’ll gain this understanding by discovering, through practice, how to punctuate for clarity and how to help your readers hear the way you want your words to sound.

You’re building your knowledge brick by brick, and now it’s time to tackle the most powerful organizing tool of all writing—the paragraph.  Here you’ll find tips on how to organize a paragraph, where to break one paragraph and start another, and how to sequence paragraphs for optimum understanding.  As always, you’ll get to practice these skills as you go, solidifying your knowledge and gaining new confidence.  Dive in!

Now it’s time to find out how to put all your good writing into the right format so you can communicate with power and precision.  Formatting appeals to the eye of your readers and draws them into your content.  It’s a powerful tool and one that involves some creative choices on your part.  Get ready to learn about your choices for overall form, as well as how to use basic and specific formatting tools to make your writing highly readable.

Learn how to write effectively in today’s electronic world. Explore how the techniques of writing various types of electronic media such as e-mail, instant messages, and text messages, for example, differ from the techniques used to prepare messages that will be read on paper. It’s a new world, and new rules are necessary to help you communicate well. This lesson will help you discover what works and what doesn’t in these exciting and evolving media.  You’ll gain a new understanding of how to write powerful e-mail, since it’s the most common of all electronic message systems.

Time to wrap up all you’ve learned!  Lesson 12 will help you practice using your new skills, working from freewriting to a finished document.  You’ll practice how to use both your creative and your critical skills while writing.  You’ll find out what kind of attitude will help you use your new skills and what good habits will help you continue to improve each time you write.  You’ll focus on revision, work with a revision checklist, and review good tips on proofreading.  You’ll put together all you’ve learned so your writing continues to improve from this point forward. 

Ann Linquist

Ann Linquist is a popular continuing education tutor, at corporations, and with non-profit organisations. She has helped thousands of adults learn to tackle their writing tasks with enthusiasm. Having written everything from novels to newsletters,... Read more

Read Ann Linquist's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Online learning is a flexible way to study that fits around your schedule, giving you the freedom to learn at your own pace from anywhere in the world. You'll have 3 months to complete the course and can take the multiple-choice questions and final exam whenever it suits you.

If you need help, you can contact us anytime. You can also join the discussion area where you can interact with other students. The discussion area for each lesson is open for the entire duration of the course.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

We do not offer extensions or transfers for this self-paced course. However, you will have 3 months to complete the course, and if you need to cancel within the first 10 days of enrolment, we offer a money back guarantee.

What people are saying about our courses

I have been taking writing courses for the past two years and I just want to say that I found your course to be nothing short of excellent. The lessons from this course will be placed in the top drawer of my writer's toolbox. Thank you.

Verified Student

Thank you! This course is fabulous. I feel competent and with some practice and my resource materials have confidence I will only improve. Again, thanks!

Verified Student

Excellent instructor--teaches on many levels. I appreciate that the material offered allows students to go deeper and further into their studies, if they wish.

Verified Student

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The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Essentials of Writing you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

Our Values

Learn At Your Own Pace

We believe in personalised learning. That's why we provide all the tools and support you need to succeed at your own pace. With flexible learning, you'll stay motivated and retain more information. Plus, you can balance your studies with work and family commitments to make your dreams a reality.

We Won't Break The Bank

Education should be accessible to anyone who wants to learn. That's why we offer some of the most competitive prices in the industry with payments plans for just $25 per week. Investing in your future is a smart choice and doesn’t have to break the bank.

Industry-Led Courses

There's no better way to learn than from experts with years of experience in your field. That's why each of our 200+ industry-led courses are designed to give you a real-life perspective on your industry. With our expert mentors, you'll learn from people who have a wealth of knowledge and experience, and who are passionate about sharing it with you.

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At Vibe Learning, we're real people who are dedicated to providing you with personal support every step of the way. Our industry experts are not only professional and knowledgeable but also incredibly passionate about sharing their expertise with you. With their guidance, you'll gain invaluable insights and practical knowledge to help you succeed.

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Essentials of Writing

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$389AUD

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Explore Vet Nursing: Practical Skills

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$599 AUD

Quick Facts

Delivery Method Online
Professional Certificate
24hrs Suggested Study Time
3 Months Access
Tutor Support
Study On Any Device
2726 Students

Learn the practical skills you'll need to be a valuable veterinary nurse or educated pet owner.

Learn the practical skills you'll need to be a valuable veterinary nurse or educated pet owner. Taught by a practicing veterinarian, this course is the third installment in this series.

Please join us as we explore all the many duties that a veterinary assistant typically performs. Through instruction and demonstration, you'll learn how to safely restrain an animal for blood tests, urine collection, and injections. Then you'll find out how to obtain blood samples, which needles to use for which patient, where the best anatomical sites for collecting blood are located, and how to catheterise a bladder.

We'll also review the basics of blood and urine interpretation so you'll come to understand how veterinarians diagnose various conditions.

You'll gain a thourough understanding of examination room procedures, including disinfecting, prepping, and taking a patient's TPR (temperature, pulse, and respiration).

Other handy skills we'll cover include expressing anal glands, bathing, cleaning ears, giving medication, establishing the sex of a young kitten, puppy, or bunny, determining age, and trimming nails.

Throughout the course, you'll benefit from videos that demonstrate many of these procedures and techniques, as well as state-of-the-art interactive graphics. It's as close as you can get to actually being right there in the veterinarian's office!

We'll begin this course with a discussion about one of the basic duties of veterinary assistants—how to safely and securely hold animals. Proper restraint techniques are the keys to ensuring that you and the person performing a procedure are safe. In addition to learning those techniques, you'll find out how to assess a patient's body language, how to remove a dog from a cage, and how to use different equipment to control a patient.

We focused on dogs in the last lesson. Today, we'll change the focus to cats. Their body language cues differ from a dog's, so how you handle them will change, too. You'll learn the "stretch," the "scruff," and the "kitty burrito" restraint techniques. Then, we'll examine how to restrain rabbits, birds, and other exotics.

Now it's time to learn how to put your new restraint skills to work. Nearly every day, a veterinary assistant will be asked to help restrain an animal for any number of reasons: blood collection, injections, and routine examinations to name a few. Other times, you'll have to conduct a physical exam, give medication, or trim nails. In this lesson, I'll provide you with videos as well as detailed, step-by-step instructions to help prepare you for these duties.

A blood tests is a vital way for veterinarians to determine what's wrong with a patient. So taking blood samples and having a working knowledge of an animal's circulatory system is key for a veterinary assistant. After a review of the circulatory system, we'll look at the most common sites for taking blood—jugular, cephalic, and saphenous veins. Then, we'll take a look at the equipment you'll be using (needles, syringes, and blood collection tubes).

Now that you have a blood sample, what can you do with it? In this lesson, we'll focus on the tests you might help to perform and explore how veterinarians diagnose diseases. Though there are thousands of diseases, a few important ones are anemia, diabetes, kidney disease, and liver failure. You'll quickly learn the difference between white blood cells and chemistries and how to do a PCV and blood smear.

All fluids tell a story. In this lesson, we'll look at urine and how to take samples. You could just put a bowl under a dog, of course, but there other methods that will help ensure that the sample remains uncontaminated. And just like when we talked about blood, we'll also look at the tests that you might help to perform on urine, and go over what duties you'll be responsible for.

In this lesson, we'll move into the surgical suite. Although the veterinarian will do the surgery itself, she won't be able to do it alone. You may be asked to clip and scrub a patient for surgery. Other responsibilities could include preparing surgical packs, knowing the names of the surgical instruments, and cleaning and sterilizing those instruments properly. You'll also have a front row seat to a life-saving surgery that I performed on a little dog.

While it's not the most glamorous of tasks, keeping anal sacs clear and anal glands healthy is a big part of basic health care for companion animals. I'll explain how to identify an impacted sac and show you two techniques you can use to remedy this condition. We'll also examine how to clean ears, administer medication, and provide a bath—all common responsibilities that you may be assigned as a veterinary assistant.

Suppose someone brings you a little kitten and wants to know if it's a boy or a girl. Can you do it? In this lesson, we'll look at how to identify the gender of kittens, puppies, and bunnies, as well as how to tell their age. Knowing the age of a patient is important when figuring out how much medication to give. So I've also included a segment on how to calculate doses of medication to help you figure out what and how much to give your patient.

Now we'll move into the exam room. Yes, assistants have to know how to set up the room, but they can also play an important role in preparing the patients before the veterinarian sees them. In this lesson you'll learn about TPR—temperature, pulse, and respiration. We'll also discuss how to take a patient history, what to look for while performing the TPR, and how to identify dehydration.

Do you know metatarsals from metacarpals? How about ventral from dorsal? In this lesson, I'll give you a crash course in medial terminology and how to use it when taking radiographs. We'll also talk about how to read x-rays and go over why bones look white and lungs look dark. You'll discover how to train a dog so you can take a hip x-ray without sedation.

In this last lesson, we'll take a closer look at how to give injections (including vaccines) and how to diagnose one of the most common ailments that afflicts cats and dogs: worms. We'll discuss collection techniques, proper equipment, what to look for in a sample, and how to identify different types of worms. Finally, we'll wrap up with some of the more memorable cases I've dealt with during my years as a veterinarian. Maybe they'll inspire you to become a veterinarian yourself!

Jeff Grognet

Jeff Grognet has been a companion animal veterinarian for 25 years. He was a pioneer in the field of veterinary assistant teaching, developing his first course almost 20 years ago. The overwhelming success of his veterinary receptionist/assistant ... Read more

Read Jeff Grognet's Profile

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you've made the payment, we'll send you a confirmation email with a link to start your course. Feel free to get started whenever you're ready!

You'll have 3 months access to your course. In that time you are free to study at your own pace. The course duration is 24 hours.

Of course! We offer a 7-day money back guarantee. As long as you haven't completed the course, you can get a full refund within 7 days of enrolling.

What people are saying about our courses

Great Course!! I put the information to use with my rescues during the time I was learning. Excellent for pet owners. I have recommended it to several people and will continue to do so.

Verified Student

I especially like that you had photographs along with the content. The video clips were very helpful as a learning aid. The course was well organized and written in a style that was easy to understand. The course content was excellent. It was a convenient, interesting, and fun course. The case histories and examples from your practice gave an insight into a vet’s world. Thanks for a great experience.

Verified Student

This course offered much more information than I expected. This is a great course for pet owners, breeders and for anybody who is working with animals. All the questions on the discussion board were answered quickly and professionally. Thank you Dr. Jeff!

Verified Student

See More Reviews

The Learning Environment

From the moment that you enrol in the Explore Vet Nursing: Practical Skills you will become an integral part of our learning community. You'll find yourself with the freedom to learn at a speed that suits you, on any device, from anywhere in the world. Achieving your career goals no longer has to mean compromising family and work commitments.

Ready to get started?

Enrol Now