Applied Medical Communication

Course Description

Applied Medical Communication is designed to help students develop communication skills for the medical interview.  Students will discuss the impact of culture on medical professionalism and how that relates to doctor-patient interaction. Students will identify culturally appropriate modes of communicating with patients.  Students will have the opportunity to practice these skills and techniques through interviewing peers and simulated patients.  Students will discuss and evaluate performances of themselves, their peers, and professionals.

This course is divided into three themed modules, allowing students to develop and apply language, skills, and strategies within a meaningful context. Each module culminates in a final standardized patient interview where students will demonstrate their mastery of the language, skills, and strategies from that module and previous modules.

The course carries 1 credit and meets for one 50-minute session per week over the 16-week term, following the calendar of St. George’s University School of Arts and Sciences.  The course is composed of interactive, face-to-face classes.  

Student Learning Outcomes 

1. Explain the role of culture in medicine and medical professionalism
2. Discuss the cultural norms for medical professionalism in a North American context
3. Demonstrate culturally appropriate communication in the medical interview
4. Demonstrate history taking 
5. Describe effective interviewing techniques
6. Develop the grammar and pragmatic skills required for effective interviewing
7. Practice interviewing skills and gain confidence in conducting medical interviews

*EMP course goals can be found in the Program Syllabus

Course Instructor

Name	Title	Email	Phone
Emily Harms	Course Director	eharms@sgu.edu	444-4175 (ext. 3263)

Contacting Instructor

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

Emily Harms:                    https://emilyharms.youcanbook.me/  

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

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, instructors will not respond to external emails. 

Communication Expectations

I will read and respond to emails Monday-Friday. I check emails in the morning and afternoon Grenada time.   

Classroom Policies

Cellphones 

The use of cell phones or other technology for non-class related purposes is not allowed. 

Laptop Use

If learning remotely, you should take part in Zoom sessions with a computer and not your smartphone. We will use computers in class to discuss readings, share documents, watch videos, do role plays, begin write-ups, and interview standardized patients.

Tardiness

You must be sitting in your seat or logged in to Zoom with the camera on when class begins. Tardiness is unprofessional, and it is distracting to your instructors and peers; as a result, frequent tardiness can significantly impact your attendance.  If you miss more than 5 minutes of a class, you will be marked absent. 

Missing Class

If you miss class, it is your responsibility to take the necessary steps to meet the requirements for missing class which include 

1. checking the 'Panopto' tab to watch the video recording from class that day
2. checking the 'Lessons' tab to access the material that was covered in class
3. asking a classmate if you have any questions about content or materials.  If you still require assistance after those three steps have been taken, please email the instructor.

Attendance and Class Expectations

SGU requires that students “attend all classes […] for which they have registered”

(SGU Student Manual, 2020, p. 7). Attendance and participation in the English for Medicine Pathways courses is mandatory and is 10% of your course grade. Students, both in-person and online, should be prepared at the start of all synchronous class sessions.  Students are also expected to complete all asynchronous (offline) class activities on time.

Attendance also includes professional conduct and active participation, as “the University considers participation to be an essential component of professionalism” (SGU Student Manual, 2020, p. 60). The required behaviors and attitudes include those identified in the Student Manual’s specific policies (pp. 59-60) and those in the statements listed below. 

• You must...
  • Be appropriately clothed o Have access to SGU’s Student Portal
  • Complete assignments on time and be prepared for class o If learning online, know how to access Zoom sessions through your course’s Sakai page  
• To actively participate, you should...
  • Ask questions when necessary
  • Add input through stating your opinions and responding to classmates o Complete in-class assignments and actively engage in discussions o Join breakout rooms or in-person small groups when asked  o If learning online, turn video on when requested
• Your computer must...
  • Be on and fully charged before the start of class o Have a stable internet connection
  • Have a working video camera and microphone
• Your location must... (if learning online) o Have minimal background distractions (i.e., no people walking behind you)
  • Be quiet
  • Have adequate lighting (we should be able to see your face clearly)
• In synchronous class sessions, you should... (if learning online)  o Join meeting and be prepared by the start of the meeting o Use ‘chat’ appropriately o Have microphone on when speaking
• If you need to take a quick break, let us know in the chat box; then turn off your camera and mute your microphone. If you will be gone more than a couple minutes, it will impact your participation score.
• In synchronous class session, you should… (if in person) o Arrive to the classroom before the start of class o Have the necessary technology set up

*If you anticipate that you will be unable to meet the attendance or participation requirements, or if an unanticipated circumstance prevents you from meeting the requirements, notify your course instructors before the next class/deadline.

*Please see the EMP Program Syllabus for policies on academic integrity.

Table 1. Attendance and participation point breakdown

 

1 attendance point per class day

0.5 point for arriving 1-4 minutes late

0. points for arriving 5 or more minutes late

1. participation point per class day

• Active participation is showing active listening and engaging in the class activities. 
• 0.5 point for partial participation 
• 0 points for no participation 

Interactive Classes

This class meets for one 50-minute class per week. This schedule is available on Sakai.

Interactive Class Format

• 20-30% Teacher-led instruction
• 70-80% In-class individual, pair, and group tasks

Textbook

 Coulehan, J. L., & Block, M. R. (2006). The medical interview: Mastering skills for clinical practice. Philadelphia: F.A. Davis Company.

E-Book

The required textbook can be purchased or rented from https://www.vitalsource.com/ or other online retailers such as:

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Medical-Interview-Mastering-Clinical-Practice/dp/080361246X  

Goodreads:

https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/956636.The_Medical_Interview  

Chegg Books: https://www.chegg.com/textbooks/the-medical-interviewmastering-skills-for-clinical-practice-5th-edition-9780803612464-080361246x  

Hardcopy

The required textbook can also be rented from the SGU library or purchased from the SGU bookstore on campus.

Course Materials

All course materials, including lecture slides, handouts, additional readings, etc. will be posted on Sakai.

Course Assignments General Information 

I. Assignment Guidelines

A specific set of guidelines is issued for each assignment. Review those carefully along with the rubric for each assignment. Guidelines are posted in the Assignment and Course Guidelines folder in Sakai Resources.

II. Submitting Assignments

You must submit an electronic copy of each assignment to Sakai unless otherwise stated. It is your responsibility to ensure that your assignments are properly submitted to Sakai. We highly recommend logging back on to Sakai five–ten minutes after you submit to confirm that your assignment is there.  

III. Deadlines

Part of learning to behave professionally is learning to follow deadlines. All tasks and assignments to be submitted for marking will have specific deadlines. All work must be submitted on or before the stated deadline. For online submissions, make sure you are submitting assignments at least 15 minutes before the deadline so if there is a technical issue during submission, you can try troubleshooting.

        IV.  Late Assignments

Late assignments will NOT be accepted unless previous arrangements are made on a case-by-case basis with the instructors. If you must miss class for a medical reason, you are required to provide a doctor’s note for the date you were absent. If we notice this becomes a habit, we will note it in your professionalism report.

Table 2. Course assessments and percentage of grade

Assessment	%
Role Plays & Reflections Module 1 Module 2 Module 3 Standardized Patient Interviews  & Reflections Module 1  Module 3   Culture Assignment	22.5 2.5 10 10 30   15 15   10
Weekly Assignments	25
Attendance & Participation	12.5

Note. Students must meet the minimum academic standards for the Preclinical Sciences Program. Refer to the Student Manual. Also, students must earn a minimum of 69.5% in each EMP English course.

Course Assignments 

      I.           Role Plays and Reflections

Students will participate in three roleplays outside of class based on given scenarios within the context of the medical interview.  The role plays allow students to practice skills and concepts covered in class to prepare for each of the standardized patient interviews. Students will work in pairs or groups of 3 and record their roleplays so they can reflect on their performance and their peer’s performance in these role plays and submit written reflections. These assignments will be worth a set number of points each and will be evaluated using guidelines and rubrics found on Sakai.  Students will be assessed based on their mastery of skills and concepts covered in class as well as their self-awareness in the reflection.

      II.   Standardized Patient Interviews and Reflections 

Students will conduct two medical interviews with a standardized patient to demonstrate mastery of skills and concepts covered in class through effective doctor-patient communication. Students will reflect on their performance and submit reflections.  These assignments will be worth a set number of points each and will be evaluated using guidelines and rubrics found on Sakai. The weeks we have standardized patients, students will work in smaller groups and may have to meet at a different time. 

      III.        Culture Assignment

In order to engage with culture, students will complete a project where they investigate elements of their cultural identity including socioeconomic status, gender identify, race, ethnicity, and religious identity and reflect on how these could impact their work with their future patients especially in the context of the medical interview. 

      IV.        Weekly Assignments 

Students will complete various course assignments. These assignments are designed for students to practice the relevant skills developed throughout the course and prepare students for role plays and standardized patient interviews. They include readings, quizzes, short written assignments (e.g. summaries, paraphrases, paragraphs, reflections, and responses), vocabulary development, videos, and discussions. Each of these assignments is worth 2 points.  These assignments (except for the quizzes) will be evaluated holistically on whether students have demonstrated the learning outcome(s) for the task. Please see below for how course assignments will be graded.  

	2	1	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

       V.      Attendance and Participation 

See information about attendance and participation above. Each day you are in class, you will receive 1 attendance point. If you are late to class, a half point (.5) will be deducted from your daily attendance record. If you are 5 or more minutes late, you will not receive an attendance point.  

In class, you can earn 1 participation point by actively listening and engaging in the class activities. 

Course Evaluation 

Table 2. School of Arts and Sciences Grading Scale

                                                      Letter                                  Grade Point                                      Percent

Grade

                       

                                                           A+                                              4.0             100

1. 4.0 90-99

                                                           B+                                               3.5         85-89

2. 3.0 80-84

                                                           C+                                               2.5          75-79

3. 2.0 70-74
4. 1.0 65-69

                                                        F                                          0                   0-64

 

 

 

Course Schedule

Applied Medical Communication Schedule: Fall 2021

 

ALL ASSIGNMENTS ARE DUE AT THE BEGINNING OF CLASS UNLESS OTHERWISE

NOTED 

 

Date	Topic	Homework
Module 1: Foundations of the Medical Interview (Angina)
Week 1	Intro to the Course and Medical Interviewing
January 18	Syllabus review  Q & A Introduction to the Medical Interview	• Review the syllabus
Week 2	Foundations of the Medical Interview
January 25	Chapter Activities  Chapter 1: Interviewing as a Clinical Skill Chapter 3: Chief Complaint and Present Illness (end at page 65)	Review Ch. 1 & 3 Take the Sakai Quiz
Week 3	Foundations of the Medical Interview Continued
February 1	Chapter Activities Chapter 4: Other Activities Problems, Past Medical History, and Family History	Review Chapter 4 Review Angina Article Chapter 4 and Angina Article Assignment
Week 4	Foundations of the Medical Interview Continued
February 8	•    Independent Interview  Practice	•    Role Play & Reflection
Week 5	Foundations of the Medical Interview Continued
February 15 & 17	•    Standardized Patient Interview	• Standardized Patient Interview Reflection
	SP Interview SCHEDULE
Tues Feb 15 11:30 am – 12:30 pm   Jubril Leatile	Wed Feb 16 11 am – 12 pm   Yanmife Bisola Chioma Thurs Feb 17 10 – 11 am   Rita Onome Anita
	Module 2:  Empathy & Culture (Pain)
Week 6	Empathy
February 22	Chapter Activities  Chapter 2: Respect, Genuineness, and Empathy	Review Ch. 2 Take the Sakai Quiz
Week 7	Empathy Continued
March 1	Chapter Activities  Chapter 2: Respect, Genuineness, and Empathy	•    no HW
Week 8	Empathy Continued
March 8	•    Empathy Roleplay	•    Module 2 Role Play & Reflection
Week 9	Culture
March 15	Chapter Activities Chapter 12: Cultural Competence in the Interview Assign and Discuss Culture Project	Chapter 12 Assignment
Week 10	Culture Continued
March 22	• Chapter 12: Cultural Competence in the Interview	Culture Assignment

 

Module 3: Challenges of the Medical Interview
Week 11	Sexual History Part 1
March 29	• The Sexual History: Activities and video analysis	Sexual history assignment Take Sakai Quiz
Week 12	Sexual History Part 2
DLA No synchronous class	Video analysis Sample sexual history scripts End of Module 2 Anonymous Survey
Week 13
Roleplay No synchronous class	Sexual History Roleplay  Roleplay and reflection
Week 14	Challenging Patients Part 1
	• Chapter Activities • Chapter 3: Chief Complaint and Present Illness (pages 65-69)	Review Chapter 3(only pages 65-69)  Complete DLA
Week 15	Challenging Patients Part 2
April 12	Chapter Activities Chapter 13: Difficult Patient-Clinician Interactions	Review Chapter 13  Chapter 13 assignment
Week 16	The Final Showdown
May 3	• Standardized Patient Interview     Note: Interview times to be determined based on final exam schedules	Standardized Patient Interview Reflection Course Feedback

Note. This schedule may change. Students will be notified of all changes through Sakai.