Foundations for Medical Communication

Monday 10:30 – 11:45 am

Wednesday 12:30 – 1:20 pm Thursday 12:00 – 1:15 pm

Course Description

The Foundations for Medical Communication course builds on the skills developed in the Foundations for Communication course and is intended to provide students with the foundations for the medical communication necessary for success in their academic pursuits at SGU and beyond. These skills include the development of the macro language skills (reading, writing, listening, and speaking) as well as micro communication skills (verbal and non-verbal), critical thinking, and cultural awareness. Students will engage with these skills by investigating and exploring different topics within a medical framework and move beyond the foundations to explore how culture, bias, race, gender identity, socioeconomic status, and other factors impact patient care in the North American health care system. Overall, students will gain confidence in their ability to communicate effectively through the language and culture of medicine.

There are three themed modules: Medical Research, Medicine and the Media, and Narrative Medicine. These modules will allow students to develop and apply language, skills, and strategies within a meaningful context. Each module culminates in a final project where students will demonstrate their mastery of the language, skills, and strategies from that module and previous modules. In addition to the three modules, students will learn and use both formal and informal medical terminology. Wednesday classes have been designated medical terminology-only days. Students are encouraged to consult the FMC Schedule frequently for weekly activities. 

This course carries 4 credits and uses a hybrid/flipped classroom approach involving both asynchronous assignments and interactive synchronous sessions.  The asynchronous assignments help to prepare for the interactive synchronous sessions. Please pay careful attention to the detailed schedule.

Student Learning Outcomes   

• Apply academic literacy skills to complete course tasks and assignments
• Critique medical research 
• Analyze and critically apply information to complete course tasks and assignments
• Create sound arguments orally, visually, and/or in writing using information compiled and synthesized from multiple sources 
• Arrange and synthesize information from multiple sources in a logical and organized manner 
• Use and evaluate strategies for moderating and participating in formal and informal discussions and roleplays
• Demonstrate improved fluency and confidence in participating in formal and informal conversations and roleplays 
• Apply the fundamentals of word parts for the appropriate interpretation and use of medical terminology
• Use informal medical vocabulary appropriately 
• Give and apply feedback on courses tasks and assignments  • Practice self-reflection skills 

Interactive Classes 

This class meets for three classes per week online: Mondays for 75 minutes, Wednesdays for 50 minutes, and Thursdays for 75 minutes. 

20%–30% Teacher-led instruction  

70%–80% In-class individual, pair, and group assignments and tasks  DLA assignments during exam weeks

Course Instructor

Name

Title

Email

Phone

Cassie Leoni               Course director                                     cleoni@sgu.edu 444-4175 (ext. 3885)

 Contacting Instructor

All faculty appointments need to be made using YouCanBookMe. Use the link below to set up individual appointments with the instructor. 

https://cleoni.youcanbook.me/ 

The Department of Educational Services is open from 08:00–17:00 during weekdays and is closed over the weekend and on public holidays. 

The instructor will respond to emails from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. (GMT-4) during weekdays. However, be aware that the instructor is not checking email all day, so do not expect an immediate response. Emails must be professionally formatted, use professional language, and include an informative subject line. Emails without an informative subject line will be regarded as spam and will not be opened for security reasons.  

SGU email is the official email communication tool for this course and the university. All correspondence received from outside email addresses will be ignored. In the event of a university-wide system crash, an assignment may be accepted from an outside email address to avoid being counted as a late submission; however, the instructor will not respond to external emails.  

Course Materials

Textbook

Chabner, D.E. (2014). Medical Terminology: A Short Course (7^th ed./8^th ed.*). Maryland Heights, MO: Elsevier.

*You may purchase either the 7^th or 8^th edition. There is no significant difference in the editions. Please purchase what is available to you. Depending on your location, you may not have access to Vital Source. SGU’s library has a list of alternate sources for purchasing the eBook.

The Required textbook for FMC can be purchased and/or rented from:

If purchasing/renting the digital version:

7^th edition:  https://www.vitalsource.com/ or  

https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Terminology-Short-Course-Book-ebook-dp-B0148JSMCG/dp/B0148JSMCG/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1610447727  

8^th edition: https://www.vitalsource.com/ or

https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Terminology-Short-Course-Book-ebook-dpB01K4UKJLU/dp/B01K4UKJLU/ref=mt_other?_encoding=UTF8&me=&qid=1610447542  

*You can also use eBooks from other retailers. 

If purchasing the physical textbook on campus: 8^th edition: SGU Bookstore 

Daily Content

All course materials, including lecture slides, handouts, additional readings, etc. will be posted in MyCourses (Sakai).

Module Projects (45%) 

Students will complete a culminating project at the end of each of the three modules. The projects will vary. See separate guidelines and rubrics for each project, posted in MyCourses. Students will demonstrate their ability to meet the course learning outcomes and engage further with the module’s topic through the completion of these projects.   

• Module 1: Medical Research o Poster presentation (poster and reference list)
• Module 2: Medicine and the Media  o PSA (audio, video, or graphic and written argument) 
• Module 3: Narrative Medicine  o Building Your Brand (narrative writing) 

Module Assignments (25%)

Students will complete various short in class and homework assignments for each module. These assignments are designed for students to practice the relevant skills developed throughout the course and build up to the culminating project for each module. They include readings, short written assignments (e.g., summaries, paraphrases, paragraphs, reflections), vocabulary development, role plays, videos, and discussions.  Module assignments are graded using the rubric below.

	5	3	0
Completion of task	Task is thoroughly complete and submitted on time	Task is somewhat complete and submitted on time	Task is incomplete or not submitted on time
Critical engagement with task	Student response demonstrates critical engagement with the task, (e.g., it is evident student put thought and effort into task)	Student response demonstrates minimal engagement with the task (e.g., it is evident student put a bare minimum of thought and effort into task)	Student response does not demonstrate engagement with the task

Total score:  /10

Medical Terminology Quizzes (20%) 

Throughout the course, there will be an ongoing thread of medical terminology, both formal and informal. Students will take 10 quizzes on medical terminology. Students will demonstrate their mastery of medical terminology. Questions will include multiple choice, fill in the blank, and short response (both written and oral); students will be tested on meaning of words and word parts, in addition to spelling and pronunciation. See the class schedule for quiz dates and separate guidelines posted in MyCourses.  

Attendance, Participation & Professionalism (10%)

Attendance and participation are required for EMP courses.  Students can earn a maximum of 2 points per day for attendance, participation, and professionalism.

Grading  

Table 2  

Course Assessments and Percentage of Grade  

Assessment	%
Module Projects	45
Mod 1: Poster Presentation	15
Mod 2: Multimedia Project and Written Rationale	15
Mod 3: Narrative Medicine Project	15
Module Assignments	25
Medical Terminology Quizzes	20
Mod 1: 3 quizzes Mod 2: 5 quizzes Mod 3: 2 quizzes	6 10 4
Attendance, Professionalism and Participation	10

Note. Students must meet the minimum academic standards for the Preclinical program and maintain the minimum WMPG. Also, students must earn a minimum of 69.5% in each EMP English course.