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Informal Report on Medical Professional Discourse

Informal Report on Medical Professional Discourse

Paige Melzer

Arizona State University


Informal Report on Medical Professional Discourse

Abstract

This is an informal investigative report on the professional discourse in a medical setting. I

investigated the topic through an interview with someone in the professional field and

researched secondary sources online. The interview was from Erika Roark, an Administrative

Assistant at North Scottsdale Pediatrics. Secondary sources used for this research were articles

by Nordness and Beukelman, Supporting Patient Provider Communication Across Medical

Settings, as well as an article by Niglio Figueirdo et al., ComOn-Coaching: The effect of a varied

number of coaching sessions on transfer into clinical practice following communication skills

training in oncology. The purpose of this report was to gain a better understanding of the

communication processes in a medical setting. The following memo presents the information

found.
Informal Report on Medical Professional Discourse

Professional Discourse within Medical Setting


Memo

To: Professor Michael Pfister, ENG 301

From: Paige Melzer

Date: January 27, 2019

Subject: WP1: The Informal Report 1 interview and 2 articles

Gaining an understanding of the different forms of communication and discourse in the


profession one is interested in pursuing is necessary to succeed in the field. My degree is in
Nutrition, which will one day be used in a medical setting such as a doctor’s office or hospital.
Understanding the fundamentals of communication in the field will be crucial to my success and
work in the field. This report has informed me of the professional discourse methods and
processes used to communicate and report in a medical setting.

My Findings

The purpose of this investigative report is to report on the role of communication and different
forms used in the medical field. I interviewed an Administrative Assistant from a pediatric
doctor’s office as a primary source for this report. I also researched the topic through two
secondary sources in the form of online articles. Also discussed as follows are the importance of
e-mails, social media, and special terminology used in professional discourse in this field.

Interview with Erika Roark (Administrative Assistant, North Scottsdale Pediatrics)

As mentioned, I interviewed an Administrative Assistant from North Scottsdale Pediatrics. Her


focus and degree are in Nutrition. The Pediatric Medical Office has two locations, nineteen
Medical Doctors on staff, Nurses, numerous administrative employees and other staff. Between
the two locations with a large staff of people working at each and interactions with patients
makes effective communication crucial to the everyday efficiency of the office.

We discussed how important it is to conduct oneself professionally to the doctors, nurses,


patients and other staff through emails, text, social media, and patient portals. Roark informed
me that messages must be short and to the point, leaving out anything that isn’t crucial to the
goal of the message. When she needs a response to a message, she tries to state that and give
the best way to reach her. Throughout her day she sends hundreds of emails and messages
through the patient portal that must all be professional, and proof read to maintain the
credibility of both the facility and herself. When I asked her how professional discourse came
into her daily job, she said it had to do with the language used in the medical setting. How it
maintains a competent, experienced, and educated tone and wording.
Informal Report on Medical Professional Discourse

Online Findings

The secondary source used to further my understanding of professional discourse came from
the article Supporting Patient Provider Communication Across Medical Settings by Nordness and
Beukelman. The article discusses how poor communication may be to blame for medical errors
which have become the third-leading cause of death (Nordness, 2017). Nordness and
Beukelman wrote the article to explain some strategies to improve communication and
consistency in the medical setting. Some of these strategies include redefining communication
policies and procedures, devolving and educating on communication tools and patient-specific
supports, and becoming familiar with how to communicate with patients who have
communication disabilities or may speak a different language (Nordness, 2017). So not only is
effective communication important to decrease errors in the medical setting, but they also have
to be able to communicate and speak in an understandable language with all kinds of patients
to keep them informed.

The other secondary source used for this research was the article ComOn-Coaching: The effect
of a varied number of coaching sessions on transfer into clinical practice following
communication skills training in oncology: Results of a randomized controlled trial by Niglio de
Figueiredo et al. The article evaluates how effective communication skills in a medical setting
can be improved by coaching sessions (Niglio de Figueiredo, 2018). Physicians went through
workshops conducted by psychologists to learn how to better deal with emotions and
communicate with patients about a difficult subject (Niglio de Figueiredo, 2018). So, while these
are highly educated physicians, they don’t always know how to or see the importance of
communicating on a level that patients can understand while still being sympathetic and remain
professional. The need to simplify the medical jargon and language so patients can understand
what’s going on with them and what to do next is sometimes overlooked.

E-mails in a Medical Setting

Compiling the research conducted, e-mails are a very important communication tool in the
medical profession and how they are written is crucial. After speaking with Erika Roark, she
guessed that she sends and reply’s to over a hundred emails a day, and the intended recipient
determines how she will write the email. If it’s with doctors or staff within the facility she keeps
things short and to the point while keeping a professional tone and language. If the e-mail is
with a patient she must use wording that they can easily understand and keep the message
informative and to the point. E-mails in a medical setting are used to set up appointments,
notify doctors or patients of a change, report on results, communicate general administrative
happenings at the facilities, and so many more reasons. It being the main tool of
communication means you have to know how to professionally interact through emails and be
able to adjust your language and tone depending on the recipient.

Social Media in a Medical Setting


Informal Report on Medical Professional Discourse

Social media and networking have become an interesting development in the medical setting
over the past couple years. Previously social media was used mainly as an unprofessional tool of
communication, but now all professions and fields are utilizing it. Doctor’s offices and hospitals
use platforms like Facebook to get their facility out there and communicate events and things
going on. Twitter accounts can be used to informally educate on new advances and information.
Social networking can even be used for job recruiting and applications. Hospitals now have
entire departments responsible for managing their social media sites. This advancement is
complex because everything posted on these sites must maintain a professional tone and
language since it represents the credibility and competence of the hospital or medical facility.
Everything must be accurate and scientifically backed up because of the source that is
presenting the information.

Common Terms in a Medical Setting

The medical field is filled with terms and jargon only understood by medical professionals. The
scientific terminology used throughout the field is enormous and very difficult to understand if
you’re not educated on the specific specialty. Terminology used within the field can refer to
treatments, prognosis, medications, diseases, conditions, acronyms, the lists are endless. This
being the case, it is important that professionals in this setting understand this and make what
they’re trying to communicate discernable to others. Confusing terms and jargon can make it
very confusing for a patient to figure out results and treatments personally affecting them.

Recommendations

The research conducted gave me an incredible beginning to my understanding of professional


discourse in the medical field. Originally, I thought professional discourse had to do with using
the right language and terminology for the specific field, but it involves so much more than that.
The importance of conveying oneself professionally is so important as well as learning how to
communicate through e-mails and social media. This communication expands to leaning how to
converse with different types of people in the field such as doctors versus patients. This report is
only the start to developing my knowledge of communication in a medical setting.
Informal Report on Medical Professional Discourse

References

Nordness, Amy S., and Beukelman, David R. “Supporting Patient Provider Communication

Across Medical Settings.” Topics in Language Disorders, vol. 37, no. 4, 2017, pp.334-347.

Niglio de Figueirdo, Marcelo, et al. “ComOn-Coaching: The effect of a varied number of

coaching sessions on transfer into clinical practice following communication skills

training in oncology: Results of a randomized controlled trial.” PLoS ONE, vol. 13, no.

10, 2018, pp 1-20

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