How to Write a Guest Post for a Nursing Website (and Get It Accepted)

Writing a guest post can build your professional profile, help other nurses and give you a portfolio piece for job and scholarship applications. Here’s how to write one that editors say yes to.

Imagine a nursing student reading your article the night before her first placement and feeling less afraid because of something you wrote. That’s the power of sharing what you know. And you don’t need to be a professional writer to do it.

Step 1: Choose a topic only you can write

The best guest posts answer a real question with real experience. Ask yourself:

• What do students or new nurses always ask me?
• What did I learn the hard way?
• What skill am I known for on my ward?
• What changed my mind about nursing?

Step 2: Read the website first

Look at what the site already publishes, who its readers are and how long its articles are. Don’t pitch a topic it covered last week, unless you have a genuinely new angle.

Step 3: Send a short pitch

Most editors prefer a pitch before a finished article. Include:

1. A working title
2. Two or three sentences on what readers will learn
3. Why you are the right person to write it
4. A link to a writing sample, if you have one

Step 4: Structure it for busy readers

• Open with a problem, moment or question that hooks the reader
• Use short paragraphs and clear subheadings
• Add a practical list, checklist or step-by-step section
• End with one clear takeaway or next step

Step 5: Back up your facts

For clinical or statistical claims, use official sources such as the WHO, national health bodies, regulators or peer-reviewed research, and say where your figures come from.

Step 6: Protect patient privacy

Never include names, photos, dates or details that could identify a patient, colleague or employer. Change details and combine cases if you share a story.

Step 7: Make it yours, not AI’s

Editors increasingly reject articles generated by AI tools. Use them for spelling if you like, but the ideas, stories and voice must be yours. See our guide to safe AI use for nurses.

What editors reject

• Articles copied or published elsewhere
• Thinly disguised adverts for products or agencies
• Unsupported medical claims
• Breaches of confidentiality

But I’m not a good writer. Will anyone want to read what I write?

Editors care far more about useful, honest experience than perfect prose. Clear, simple English and real examples are exactly what readers want. A good editor will polish your grammar; only you can supply what you learned on the ward.

Related: Write for Us: submit your pitch · Reflective practice for nurses

Guidance reflects common editorial standards for health publishing.