Saddleback College
Introduction to Allied Healthcare Readiness Pilot Project:
Fast Track to Student Success
March 2012 - January 2014
Component: Professional Communications/Academic Reading
Faculty:
Cheryl Altman, Professor Emeritus Reading
Irene Renault, Professor and Co-Chair Reading Department
SUMMARY OF PROJECT:
The Professional Communications component to the readiness project was designed
to prepare students with the necessary skills to organize, evaluate and assimilate
knowledge in college level textbooks found in the Allied Healthcare field. The readability
levels of college textbooks typically range from a 12.0 to 15.9 grade level. Therefore, the
materials used in the Professional Communications component of this program were
excerpts from short passages to entire textbook chapters, from a range of Allied Health
texts, providing students with a meaningful contextualized learning experience. The
materials and study skills strategies presented for the pilot project are universal in nature;
they are the same skills required of students in order to be successful in all academic
classes be it in high school, college, or healthcare programs.
Our goal was to introduce students to reading comprehension, critical thinking, and study
skills that are essential for success in college as well as in the Allied Health field and to
develop content literacy by introducing medical terminology. As part of the program,
students, also, completed a career research project. They attended 8 class sessions over a
two-week for approximately 1½ hours each session. The Reading faculty created a
completely contextualized learning experience addressing academic reading skills by using
exercises, group activities, Power Points and assignments developed from textbooks
currently used at Saddleback College such as Phlebotomy Essentials by McCall & Tankersley,
Hematology in Practice by Ciesla,and Emergency Care by Limmer and O'Keefe.
Student Learning Objectives:
By the end of the project students had been introduced to and demonstrated knowledge of:
1. Locating essential information from a textbook reading which included recognizing major/minor
details, understanding the central point or main idea, and recognizing the main pattern of organization.
2. Annotating a textbook
3. Mapping information
4. Taking Cornell Notes from a textbook and lecture
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5. Developing listening and note taking skills
6. Summarizing information
7. Enhancing memorization and concentration strategies
8. Enhancing critical thinking skills by reading and applying information found in charts, graphs and
anatomical diagrams.
9. Developing test taking strategies
10. Increasing knowledge of Latin and Greek roots found in medical terminology
11. Enhancing writing skills through journal writing
12. Researching, outlining, writing and orally presenting information focused on a career of interest
in allied health.
Inventory of materials developed:
1. Power Points
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Academic Reading
Concentration
Main Idea/Details
Patterns of Organization
Cornell Notes
Critical Thinking/Application
Aids to Recall
Medical Terminology: roots, prefixes, suffixes; body parts; doctors and types of illnesses they
treat; and a Jeopardy game using learned vocabulary.
2. Assessments for Pre and Post Evaluations
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Reading Assessment
Medical Terminology/Word Parts Assessment
Learning Style Inventory
Writing Sample
Student Evaluation of program
3. Practice Exercises and Handouts
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Main Idea and Details practice
Patterns of Organization/Signal Words
SQ3R with Textbook Chapter “Vital Signs”
Cornell Notes exercise with template from simulation sessions with phlebotomy, medical
assisting and vital signs
Journal Assignments
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Word Parts assignments and exercises
Mnemonics exercises
Graphics and diagram exercises
Group Mapping Assignment
Career Research Project Outline
Career Research Project Cornell Note Template
Orientation Session:
Students took an assessment tool developed by the Reading Faculty. The assessment had four sections:
1. Vocabulary: Twenty-five vocabulary items were presented which required students to identify Latin
based word parts used in the medical field as well as medical terminology. Vocabulary items were
presented in context.
2. Comprehension: a criterion-based reference test was developed using allied health texts which
included 20 multiple choice items. Each passage was followed by a specific question that addressed
identifying the main idea, finding the major details, making use of inferences and identifying the
meaning of words used in context.
3. Learning Evaluation Survey: students were presented with 15 questions referring to their study skills
practices. Questions ranged from focus on listening skills to reading textbooks to taking notes. At the
end of the program, student responses were evaluated for any changes in their self-assessed study skills
techniques.
4. Writing Sample: (given to take home and then turn in 1st class session)
Summary of Sessions and Sample Lessons
 Session One: Stages of Reading: Preparing to Read Material
Instruction began with an introduction to active reading and the reading process focusing on specific
strategies to use:
1. Before reading a textbook (previewing, predicting, questioning)
2. During textbook reading (asking questions, reacting, relating, annotating)
3. After reading the chapter (review, Cornell notes, mapping, memorization, thinking).
Students previewed a range of textbooks from Allied Health and completed a type of scavenger hunt
finding relevant textbook sections (glossary, index, appendix, etc.). The emphasis here being that the
textbook is a major tool for learning and it is essential to use.
The session ended with students introduced to Medical Terminology and analysis of a medical term
"pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanokoniosis” which lead to an introduction of Latin and Greek
roots, prefixes and suffixes used in the Allied Heath fields. Students worked in groups to examine word
parts found in Chapter 10 of Intro to Healthcare and Careers.
Students were given instructions on how to create concept cards for learning new terminology;
students were given index cards and designed cards for study-review using the word parts found in the
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Lippincott textbook, Intro to Healthcare and Careers – an outside of class assignment. The cards were to
include the word, word parts and their meaning, along with the word used in context.
Additionally, students were presented with journals and journal writing. The focus of each journal
entry was a self- reflection on the day’s sessions: what did students recall learning, what was helpful ,
what questions were unanswered, what was important?
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Session Two: Strategies for Learning in Allied Health: SQ3R and Connecting
Stages of Reading
This session began with the review of medical terminology and further assistance with
understanding word parts and structural analysis. Students viewed a PowerPoint demonstrating how
medical terms are broken down into roots, prefixes and suffixes. The group then worked in the
Lippincott customized textbook to create additionally word part concept cards. Some essential points
stressed with the use of concept cards was how these cards aided recall and memory if students drew
simple illustrations for each new term or derivative.
Next, students applied new textbook study-reading strategies to a chapter on “Vital Signs" taken
from the EMT textbook. Students practiced the SQ3R strategy by previewing the chapter, and then
anticipating and predicting what the reading was going to be about. For each subsection of the chapter,
students established a purpose for reading by creating questions from the subheadings and then read to
find the answers from the content. At this point, students, also, received instruction on how to set up
an outline from the textbook chapter headings.
The next activity was to read and annotate the chapter. Students were given a section of the
chapter to outline in a “jigsaw” type strategy and were asked to complete a template on their assigned
section.
The note taking technique of Cornell Notes was introduced and students then created Cornell notes
from their outlines. As practice with this system, students created Cornell Notes during the next
application workshop session in the afternoon.
The last part of Session 2 concluded with the introduction of 10 new vocabulary terms emphasizing
word parts in Anatomy.
 Session Three: Strategies for Annotating an Allied Healthcare Textbook,
Identifying the Main Idea and Major Details
Session 3 introduced students to recognizing the main idea or central point in Allied Health
textbooks and follow-up by annotating the essential information. A Norman Rockwell painting was
examined where students identified the message of the painting and the details that communicated this
message. The connection was made that writers just like artists include details that are essential to a
central message, major details, and minor details that add interest to the picture or to writing. Students
then read a passage on “Blood Smears” and “Glucose Tolerance tests”, annotating and noting main
ideas and details and responding to questions. Students then applied textbook reading strategies to the
chapter on “Vital Signs" from the EMT textbook. Students, additionally, received instruction and a
demonstration on the Cornell Note taking system for textbook reading and were assigned an additional
section to annotate and create Cornell Notes.
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The practice activity was having students divided into groups to create a set Cornell Notes with those
students who had been assigned the same section of "Vital Signs.” The group then posted their notes
on large poster paper and shared their work orally with the rest of the class. To Students shared the
Cornell Notes that were taken in the previous days’ application session.
Session ended with Vocabulary skill development, focusing on words in Context. Students played a
game of Simon Sez to further increase word knowledge and retention of medical terminology.
 Session Four: Academic Thought Patterns of Organization in Allied Healthcare
Reading; Connecting Organization and Mapping
Students received instruction on common Patterns of Organization found in Allied Health textbook
readings (Listing, Definition, Sequence, Compare/Contrast, Cause and Effect); students viewed a
PowerPoint demonstrating how signal words and the author’s organizational thought patterns can assist
comprehension. Examples were used from Allied Health textbooks including the chapter on "Vital
Signs."
A presentation on mapping as a method of recording information was made - connecting this skill with
recognizing the organization of the details. Prior readings were re-examined as examples of each type
of organizational pattern.
The second half of this session focused on teaching medical terminology. Students viewed a PowerPoint
on interfacing the types of doctors who treat various body parts. Emphasis was once again placed on
the Latin and Greek roots, prefixes and suffixes in each term. Students were engaged in groups to fill-in
missing information on an activity sheet.
 Session Five: Practice with Organizing Content of Allied Healthcare Textbook
Readings
The comprehension component of this session was a continuation of employing thought
patterns of organization passages for practice with mapping. Students viewed a PowerPoint on
how to use mapping strategies with allied health readings. They then practiced, in collaborative
groups, by designing maps on poster paper for additional passages. These maps were hung
around the classroom for sharing – “Words on Walls.”
The Career Research Project and essential tools for research were introduced. Students
were asked to examine the various career options in Allied Health and to choose one area to
focus on by session eight.
Students completed activities for the week’s review of medical terminology.
 Day Six: Critical Thinking and Application in Allied Health
The topic of developing critical thinking skills and application of information was addressed along
with the skills of reading graphic illustrations, charts and diagrams in Allied Health. A Power Point on
critical thinking and application was presented. Students then used I-pads to complete exercises on
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reading graphics and applying the information contained in them. The diagrams analyzed included the
respiratory system, the ear and layers of skin.
To increase awareness of academic writing standards, students were introduced to MLA (Modern
Language Association) format.
The session ended with practice in Medical Terminology
 Day Seven: Strategies to Improve Concentration for Learning in Allied
Healthcare
In this session, emphasis was on the importance of concentration. Students viewed a PowerPoint
on the topic and were asked to rapidly read two contemporary news articles; one was of high interest
and one of low interest. Students then had to compare their retention of the information from each
article.
Article #1 was concerned with texting while driving; student comprehension was high. Article #2,
demonstrated that though a topic might be extremely important, retention was low when reading about
the U.S. economy. Factors that contribute to and improve comprehension were discussed.
Strategies regarding active reading and concentration were then applied to a reading from an EMT text
on "Obstructed Airways." The instructor demonstrated in a “think aloud” the strategies of an active
reader to improve concentration using this passage and then checked for student recall of the details.
Retention of this information was high. Students practiced the “think aloud” strategy with a 400-word
timed reading of passages in Allied Health.
Once again, this session ended with an activity related to Medical Terminology.
 Session Eight: Strategies to Improve Memory in Allied Health Researching a
Career In Allied Health
The focus on the first part of this session was to give students strategies for enhancing their memory
skills. A Power Point on mnemonics was presented focusing on acronyms and acrostic sentences.
Students were then able to practice creating mnemonics with a partner. Topics used included blood
draw vials and the order they should be used, parts of the body, and the various sounds involved in
obstructed airways. Students worked in groups and then shared the acronyms and acrostic sentences
they created on poster paper with the class.
The second half of the session, students took a “field trip” to the Reading Center using the computers to
research the career they had chosen to explore in the field of Allied Health. Students gathered
information in Cornell Note formats. Subtopics of the research included discovering what one does in
the career, the personal characteristics and qualities required for the job, the education requirements,
the expected salary and the job outlook. Instruction was given on how to this organize information for
writing and for the oral report.
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 Additional Session: Session Nine and Ten
1. Post assessment testing and wrap up
2. Student Evaluation of Communications’ Component
3. Sharing Career Research Reports
PowerPoints and Additional Handouts can be found on our WEBSITE:
http://www.saddleback.edu/faculty/pquigley/healthcare
For additional ideas and videos for strengthening student success –
Visit the Saddleback College Academic Reading Center Website:
http://www.saddleback.edu/la/rl
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