Medical Assistant Interpersonal & Communication Skills Syllabus for 2015-2016
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Instructor Information

Course Information

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Disability Statement

Any student who, because of a disabling condition, may require some special arrangements in order to meet course requirements should contact disAbility Services (Student Service Center room 119, phone 371-5436) as soon as possible.

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As a student you may experience a range of issues that can cause barriers to learning, such as strained relationships, increased anxiety, alcohol/drug problems, feeling down, difficulty concentrating and/or lack of motivation. These mental health concerns or stressful events may lead to diminished academic performance or reduce a student's ability to participate in daily activities. Amarillo College offers services to assist you with addressing these and other concerns you may be experiencing. If you or someone you know are suffering from any of the aforementioned conditions, you can learn more about the broad range of confidential mental health services available on campus by calling the AC Counseling Center at 806-371-5900. The AC Counseling Center website is https://www.actx.edu/counseling/ . Also, if you are in need of social services (affordable housing, utilities, transportation, food, clothing, childcare, medical/dental/vision, legal), please call the AC Advocacy & Resource Center at 806-371-5439. The AC Advocacy & Resource Center website is https://www.actx.edu/arc

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Course

MDCA-1210-001 Medical Assistant Interpersonal & Communication Skills

Prerequisites

Course Description

Emphasis on the application of basic psychological principles and the study of behavior as they apply to special populations. Topics include procedures for self-understanding and social adaptability in interpersonal communication with patients and co-workers in an ambulatory care setting.  

Student Resources Student Resources Website

Department Expectations

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Hours

(2 sem hrs; 2 lec)

Class Type

Online Course

Syllabus Information

Textbooks

Health Professional and Patient Interaction    Ruth Purtilo, Amy Huddad and Regina Doherty

Supplies

Access to a reliable computer

Reliable internet access

Student Performance

Learning Outcomes: Cognitive (Knowledge): Identify styles and types of verbal communication Identify types of nonverbal communication Recognize barriers to communication Identify techniques for overcoming communication barriers Recognize the elements of oral communication using a sender-reciver process Define coaching a patient as it relates to: health maintenance disease prevention compliance with treatment plan community resources adaptions relevant to individual patient needs Recognize elements of fundamental writing skills Discuss applications of electronic technology in professional communication Psychomotor (skills) Use feedback techniques to obtain patient information including: reflection restatement clarification Respond to nonverbal communication Use medical terminology correctly and pronounced accurately to communicate information to providers and patientsj Coach patients regarding: office policies health maintenance disease prevention treatment plan Coach patients appropriately considering: cultural diversity developmental life stage communication barriers Demonstrate professional telephone techniques Document telephone messages accurately Affective (Behavior) Demonstrate: empathy active listening nonverbal communication Demonstrate the principles of self-boundaries Demonstrate respect for individual diversity including: Gender race religion age economic status appearance Explain to a patient the rational for performance of a procedure Learning Objectives from NHA Study Guide for CMAA: Interact appropriately with patients and other health care professionals.            Office Procedures Related to People Greet patients and other visitors appropriately. Screen and triage patients and other visitors, and after ascertaining their purpose, route                      them to the appropriate team member who is notified of their arrival. Interrupt scheduled appointments for an emergency and explain to the other waiting. Explain to new patients the policies and procedures of the practice. Check in an escort patients and others to the appropriate rooms. Check out patients at the end of the visit.     Learning Objectives from NHA Study Guide for CCMA: Document medical information using approved medical terminology. Communicate with other health care professionals using medical terminology. Adhere to HIPAA regulations regarding protected health information (PHI). Reinforce patient understanding of medical information. Observe the chain of command in a health care setting. Report abnormal patient values to appropriate health care providers. Conduct written communication with patients and other health care professionals. Conduct communication with patients and fellow health care professionals using information technology. Explain general office procedures to patients. Modify communication with patients based on special considerations. Locate community resources and information for patients/employers.

End-of-Course Outcomes: Explain basic psychological principles and developmental stages of life; differentiate between verbal and non-verbal communication; identify behaviors that interfere with effective communication; identify elements of active listening; discuss the stages of grief; identify relationships among various health care professions; and describe and demonstrate professionalism of an effective health care worker.

Students Rights and Responsibilities

Student Rights and Responsibilities

Log in using the AC Connect Portal

In order to receive your AC Connect Email, you must log in through AC Connect at https://acconnect.actx.edu .

If you are an active staff or faculty member according to Human Resources, use "Exchange". All other students, use "AC Connect (Google) Email".

Expected Student Behavior

Refer to Students Rights and Responsibilities publication of Amarillo College.

Work Ethics

Amarillo College and the Clinical Medical Assistant program are committed to developing knowledge, skills, attitudes, and behaviors in students so that they can obtain entry-level employment and advance in their chosen profession.

It is the students responsibility to log into class no less than TWO times a week to check assignments and participate in discussions.

Assignments have due dates that must be met, you can not wait until the last minuet to do your work,

If you don’t understand an assignment or are having difficultly understanding the material you must contact the instructor!

I am here to help!

Contacting me using black board email is the best method, this keeps record for you that your reached out to me.

Grading Criteria

No grades will be dropped, No grades will be rounded

If the students grade average falls below 70% the student will be required to make an appointment with the Program Director, Kendra Hubbard kdhubbard@actx.edu or call 806-354-6098.

Papers 30% – 2 papers at 15% each

Exams 30% – 3 Exams at 10% each

Community Service Project 20%

Discussions 20% – discussion postings and replies

Grades will not be rounded

Grade of 90 to 100 is "A"

Grade of 80 to 89.9 is "B"

Grade of 70 to 79.9 is "C"

Grade of 69.9 and below is "F"

A grade of “D” is not considered as passing for Allied Health Courses

If you receive a “D” or “F” in this course you will be required to retake the course

Tests will be comprehensive in nature

 

Discussions:

• We will hold 3 online discussions, which will represent 20% of your overall course grade. Your participation in the on-line discussions is crucial to your success in this course. Everyone must contribute in order to ensure a lively discussion. The on-line forum rules are as follows:

1. Your postings to the Discussion Forums and your replies to your classmates’ postings will make up a significant portion of your grade in this class. Points are earned based on the quality of your responses and your compliance with the required number of discussion postings (at least one) and substantive replies (at least two). In order to receive credit for your discussion postings, you must respond to the discussion assignments with quality comments that demonstrate you have completed the online and textbook readings and have given significant thought to the question. Prompts for each posting (in other words, the question or questions you are supposed to answer or the topic you are supposed to discuss) are located within the respective online lesson for that week’s discussion. You must read the online lesson to find out what to post.
2. Postings should be approximately one to three paragraphs long. (each paragraph should be about 4-5 sentences or approximately 150-250 words.) Proofread and spell check your work.
3. You must post by or before the specified deadline for each initial posting and reply within the specified time in order to receive credit for your comments.
4. Help out your fellow classmates and respond to the original question early so everyone will have something to comment on and discuss.
5. An “I agree” or “great answer” will NOT earn you participation points. Replies must have sufficient detail to merit credit. Students who attempt to meet the discussion postings quota by simply making posts such as “tht happened to me too” or “I coundn’t have sid it better” are not really contributing to the discussion and will ot receive points. Teal online contribution takes time and work.
6. Quantity is not a substitute for quality. Take time to formulate your thoughts carefully, and then draft your responses.
7. You must focus on the specific topic of the discussion as assigned. The introduction of irrelevant subjects is not permitted. Violators will be asked to leave the discussion and a grade of “0” will be recorded for that assignment.
8. Flaming and controlling behavior are not permitted. “Flaming” is posting abusive or insulting messages. Controlling behavior includes, but is not limited to m attempts to dominate a discussion by posting threads excessively, intentionally changing the discussion topic or exhibiting an inappropriate or argumentative attitude. Violators will be asked to leave the discussion and a grade of 0 will be awarded.
9. Do not type in all capital letters, IT IS LIKE SHOUTING!
10. Never copy someone else’s work without permission or citation. Failing to credit your sources within emails or discussions is a form of plagiarism, which is grounds for receiving a 0 on the assignment..
11. Students who are required to leave a discussion will be notified of this consequence in a private email.

Papers:

Two  2 – page papers will be assigned during the semester. Each paper will be worth 15% of your final grade. Papers must be submitted by 11:59 PM on the due date. Twenty points will be deducted for every day a paper is late. Assignment instructions are available through Blackboard.

 

Exams:

Two online open-book multiple choice exams will be given. Each exam will be worth 10% of your final course grade. Exams will be available one week prior to the due date.

Final exam is MANDATORY even if you could pass the course with a “0” on the final exam failing to take the final will result in failing the course!

 

Community Service Project:

The Community Service Project is worth 20% of the final grade. The project will require you to contact a non-profit organization or charity and serve as a volunteer for at least 3 hours. During this time, you will observe some of the interpersonal communication principles, methods and theories we learned about during the semester as they apply to the “real world”.

After you have completed your volunteer hours, have the person in charge of your complete the Service Learning Contract for verification and evaluation. This form will be available in Black Board.

Next you will write a 3 – 4 page reflection paper. 

The grading rubric will be available in Black Board.

 

 

Attendance

Regular attendance is mandatory for success in this course!

Do not be mislead into thinking that you do not have to participate regularly in an on-line course.

On-line and self paced are two different things!

This course is on-line NOT self paced.

 

Students must log into the course at least twice a week, assignments/discussions must be submitted by the due date.

Do not wait until the last day of the discussion to submit your original post this does not give your classmates time to respond.

Attendance will be determined by student participation in online activities to include discussions, quizzes exams and critical thinking activities,

 

If you do not respond to an email from the instructor within 48 hrs, this is also considered as nonparticipation!

 

It is your responsibility to drop this course if you choose to do so, your lack of attendance/participation will not automatically drop you from the course you must contact the instructor and the registers office and notify them of your intent to drop.

 

Calendar

Additional Information

In the event that you need additional financial or other resources, please visit www.actx.edu/resources .

Amarillo College is dedicated to your success.