Medical Office Prep
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Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Medical Office Prep Unit Materials Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 1 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Table of Contents Page 3 4 5 6 7 8-9 10 11 12 13 14 15-16 17-18 19 20-23 24 25-26 27 28 29 30 31-33 Item Teacher Checklist – Benchmarks Student Checklist – Goals Medical Office Prep Class Schedule Schedule Scan Worksheet Schedule Scan Key Job Summary Teacher Notes Job Summary Cards Visit from Medical Office Prep Student: Questions and Notes Respiratory System – Teacher Notes Respiratory Video Sentence Strips Respiratory Vocabulary Pop-Up Cards Respiratory System Diagram (labeled), Terms and Definitions Respiratory System Test Conversations at Work: Scheduling – Teacher Notes Conversations at Work: Scheduling I Need to See the Doctor! – conversation starter cards Scheduling calendars – open, busy Professional Behavior at Work – Teacher Notes Professional Behavior at Work Decision-Making at Work – Teacher Notes “Now What?” Scenarios – cards Decision-Making at Work Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 2 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Class: English for Careers Unit: Medical Office Prep Benchmarks (E = emerging, A = approaching, P = proficient) *Measuring instrument (Activity Product-AP, Culminating Activity-CA, Post Test-PT, Daily Observation-DO, Hand-out-HO, etc.) Learner Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 1. Summarize key information (SP 1) 2. Label a diagram (SP 2) 3. Listen for key words (AP 3 in SP 3) 4. Create a problem-solving conversation at work (CA) 3 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Student Checklist Name: ________________________ Class: Unit: Completion Date: Medical Office Prep English for Careers Circle the word that shows how you feel about your skill in each goal. Goals 1. Summarize key information 2. Label a diagram 3. Listen for key words 4. Have a problem-solving conversation at work Before Unit Difficult So-so Easy Difficult So-so Easy Difficult So-so Easy Difficult So-so Easy After Unit Difficult Difficult Difficult Difficult So-so So-so So-so So-so Easy Easy Easy Easy 4 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Medical Office Prep – Class Schedule January Medical Terminology Thursday 14 Respiratory System Tuesday 19 Urinary System Thursday 21 Urinary System Tuesday 26 Thursday 28 Male/Female Reproductive System Male/Female Reproductive System February Tuesday 2 NCRC Test Wednesday 3 NCRC Test Thursday 4 NCRC Test Tuesday 9 Musculoskeletal System Thursday 11 Musculoskeletal System Tuesday 16 Final Review Thursday 18 Celebrate! Next Steps Assessment Office Skills Homework Study for Respiratory System Quiz Respiratory System Quiz Phone skills Phone Skills Urinary System Quiz NCRC Prep NCRC Prep Study for Urinary System Quiz NCRC Prep Scheduling Appointments NCRC Prep Resume NCRC Prep Complete Computer Skills Outcomes Complete Computer Skills Outcomes Study for Male/Female Reproductive System Quiz Male/Female Reproductive System Quiz Musculoskeletal System Quiz Final Exam Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 Resume Complete final draft of Resume Job Search / Interview Skills Study for Musculoskeletal System Quiz Interview Skills Study for Final Exam Award Certificates 5 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Schedule Scan 1. Which two months are on this schedule? _____________________________________________________________________ 2. Write the names of the four body systems you will study. 3. Look at the information in the “assessment” column. What’s another word for assessment? a. internet. b. test c. study d. male 4. Write the name of the first quiz you’ll take. ____________________________________________________________________ 5. Write the dates you will study using the phone at work. 6. Will you study how to write a resume? 7. Will you study how to make copies? yes yes no no 8. Write the date you will study making appointments. ______________________________________________________ 9. What days does the class usually meet? a. Tues/Thurs b. Mon/Weds c. M-F d. Tues/Weds 10. Will you do all your work in class, or will you need to work at home, too? all in class some at home 11. How many different office skills will you learn (do not include award certificates)? a. 8 b. 5 c. January & February Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 d. 146 6 Schedule Scan Answer Key Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials 1. Which two months are on this schedule? Jan & Feb 2. Write the names of the four body systems you will study. Respiratory, Urinary, Male/Female Reproductive, Musculoskeletal 3. Look at the information in the “assessment” column. What’s another word for assessment? b. Test 4. Write the name of the first quiz you’ll take. Respiratory System Quiz 5. Write the dates you will study using the phone at work. Tues, Jan 19 Thurs, Jan 21 6. Will you study how to write a resume? yes 7. Will you study how to make copies? no 8. Write the date you will study making appointments. Tues, Jan 26 9. What days does the class usually meet? a. Tues/Thurs 10. Will you do all your work in class, or will you need to work at home, too? some at home 11. How many different office skills will you learn (do not include award certificates)? b. 5 Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 7 Medical Assistant: Job Summary Teacher Notes Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Students will use bls.gov to find info about jobs and take notes on key information. They’ll each take notes on one or more sections. You’ll compile the summaries into a finished document. (The language at bls.gov is challenging, even for a fairly high ELL 4 class. Either emphasize that this is great, if difficult, practice for the real world, or use information from www.iseek.org instead.) Demo the site and web navigation first. Discuss the table of contents and “Significant Points” sections together, then demo taking notes on key information in the first paragraph of “Nature of the Work”. If note-taking/locating key information is new to them, do more demos. Let them know that they’ll do more note-taking during the student visit. Put navigation instructions on the board. Students can work alone or in pairs. Assign students a section (or subsection) of the page to review. Give each student a summary card. A list of the current sections is found below. As students finish, review their notes. If they’re good, assign another section. If not, ask them to revise (almost always “make it shorter”). Before the next class, compile the summaries/notes and share them with the students. They’ve now got a summary of the job written in their own words. Options for fast finishers: additional sections, they compile the document Options for big classes: two sets of notes and two compiled documents, compare as a class Navigation Instructions for Instructors: Go to www.bls.gov Search for “medical assistant” Click on the heading “medical assistant” Scroll to section of interest Current sections (and subsections) of BLS Medical Assistant page: Significant points Nature of the work o Medical assistants o Administrative medical assistants o Clinical medical assistants o Opthalmic medical assistants… Work environment Training, other qualifications, and advancement o Education and training o Other qualifications o Certification and advancement Employment Job outlook o Emplyment change o Job prospects Projections data (recommend skipping) Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 8 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Earnings Related occupations Sources of additional information (recommend skipping) O*NET-SOC code coverage (recommend skipping) Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 9 Job Summary Cards Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Name: Section: Summary of key information: Name: Section: Summary of key information: Name: Section: Summary of key information: Name: Section: Summary of key information: Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 10 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Visit from Medical Office Prep Student: Questions and Notes We will have students from the Medical Office Prep class come to our room to talk about their work. What questions would you like to ask them? Write them here. There is room for you to take notes on their answers. You can take notes during or after the visit. Your questions: 1. ______________________________________________________________________________ Notes: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 2. ______________________________________________________________________________ Notes: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 3. ______________________________________________________________________________ Notes: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 4. ______________________________________________________________________________ Notes: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ 5. ______________________________________________________________________________ Notes: ______________________________________________________________________ ______________________________________________________________________________ Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 11 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Respiratory System Teacher Notes Video found at http://www.anatomyarcade.com homevidoesstudybeatrespiratory Intro Watch the video once, discuss, watch again, and ask comprehension questions. It’s important for the students to view, discuss, and work with the concepts in the video multiple times because we’re presenting advanced material to an intermediate-level class. Video Sentence Strips Make copies of the Video Sentence Strips on different colored sheets of paper. Give each student three of the Video Sentence Strips. Students read the sentences, put the strips in order, then watch the video again to check their answers. Next, partner students (make sure partners have the same color paper to avoid duplicates), order the sentences, and watch the video again to check. Extension: Students copy their sentences and/or students continue to add, order, and check sentences until complete. Vocabulary Pop-Up Give each student a Vocabulary Pop-Up card. As they watch the video again, students listen for the term and hold up their card when they hear it. Diagram The vocabulary terms in the video and diagram differ slightly. Some words on the diagram will be new. Introduce the labeled diagram of the resp. system and the terms to the class (discuss each and elicit definitions from students). Tips for tricky words: oxygen—a gas used to change food to energy carbon dioxide—a waste gas tube—bring a straw cartilage—inside nose & ears gas—breathe on your hand; what you feel is a type of gas Respiratory Flashcards: Tell students they will be tested on words-definitions and labeling of the diagram. They have to study outside class to master the material. Introduce flashcards as a useful study tool for this purpose, and for any material in current classes, college or at work that requires memorization. Demo making flashcards from the respiratory terms and definitions. Provide notecards for students to use. They make flashcards of the respiratory system terms – word on one side, definition on other side. Demo studying with flashcards, putting ones you can define in a “yes” pile and ones you get wrong in a “no” pile, and continuing to study from the “no” pile. This is a new study skill for most of the students; allow ample time to practice in class. Labeling Warm-Up Tell the students in advance that there will be a diagram test. Conduct warm-up activity on or before the test day: project the diagram without labels. Give each student a post-it with a respiratory term on it and ask him/her to put it on the correct line. Correct as a class. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 12 Respiratory Video Sentence Strips Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials We breathe in oxygen. Breathing is only one part of respiration: inhaling and exhaling. The average person breathes more than 20,000 times in just one day. Your respiratory system consists of the lungs, the throat, and the passageways that lead to the lungs. Breathing is controlled by muscles. Your nose is the primary passageway into and out of the respiratory system. The inside of your nostrils are lined with cilia and mucus, which trap particles that are found in the air. The air moves down into the throat, or the pharynx. The epiglottis prevents food from entering into the trachea, or windpipe. The trachea carries air from the pharynx to the lungs. When air reaches the lungs, it moves through smaller and smaller passageways, called bronchi. Through the alveoli, oxygen passes into the blood stream and carbon dioxide passes out of the blood. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 13 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Respiratory Vocabulary Pop-up Cards nasal cavity mouth pharynx (throat) epiglottis cilia trachea (windpipe) lungs mucus bronchial oxygen tubes/bronchi Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 alveoli 14 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 15 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Respiratory Terms and Definitions nasal cavity—a large fluid filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face mouth—receives food and begins digestion pharynx (throat)—a tube that extends from the mouth and nasal cavities to the larynx. Food and gas pass through the pharynx. epiglottis—a flap of elastic cartilage tissue covered with a mucus membrane, attached to the root of the tongue. thyroid cartilage (adam’s apple)—the largest part of the cartilage structure in and around the trachea that contains the larynx. trachea (windpipe)—a tube that connects the larynx (voice box) with the bronchial parts of the lungs. lungs—organs of respiration, they transport oxygen from the atmosphere into the bloodstream, and release carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into the atmosphere. pleura—body cavity around the lungs bronchial tubes/bronchi—tubes that branch from the trachea and lead to the lungs bronchioles—small airways/tubes branching off the bronchi. They look like upside down trees. alveoli—tiny air sacs within the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. They look like bunches of grapes. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 16 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials RESPIRATORY SYSTEM TEST Read each definition below and write the matching word next to it. alveoli bronchial tubes nasal cavity pharynx bronchioles pleura epiglottis right lung left lung thyroid cartilage mouth trachea 1. _________________ a flap of elastic cartilage tissue covered with a mucus membrane, attached to the root of the tongue. 2. _________________ a large fluid-filled space above and behind the nose in the middle of the face 3. _________________ a tube that connects the larynx (voice box) with the bronchial parts of the lungs. 4. _________________ a tube that extends from the mouth and nasal cavities to the larynx. Food and gas pass through it. 5. _________________ body cavity around the lungs 6. _________________ one of two organs of respiration, they transport oxygen from the atmosphere into the bloodstream, and release carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into the atmosphere. 7. _________________ receives food and begins digestion 8. _________________ small airways/tubes branching off the bronchi. They look like upside down trees. 9. _________________ the largest part of the cartilage structure in and around the trachea that contains the larynx. 10. _________________ the second of two organs of respiration, they transport oxygen from the atmosphere into the bloodstream, and release carbon dioxide from the bloodstream into the atmosphere. 11. _________________ tiny air sacs within the lungs where oxygen and carbon dioxide are exchanged. They look like bunches of grapes. 12. _________________ tubes that branch from the trachea and lead to the lungs Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 17 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Write the respiratory system terms on the correct lines of the diagram. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 18 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Conversations at Work: Scheduling Teacher Notes Practice typical appointment-scheduling conversation before handing out the worksheets. Students are the callers; you’re the Medical Office Assistant. Start small, then work up to asking for full name, spelling of last name, and phone number. Model first, then move to students taking one, then both roles. Hand out the “Conversations at Work: Scheduling” packet and work through the activities. It’s great to use real phones for the conversation exercises. Explain that the dark gray areas on the calendar are times when Dr. Madrigal is not in the office. Key for “Who can see Dr. Madrigal this week?” yes/no appointment requests: 1. no 2. yes 3. no 4. no 5. no 6. yes 7. yes 8. no I Need to See the Doctor! Students work in pairs to write a conversation based on the “I Need to See the Doctor!” scenarios and the calendar of your choice (“Open” calendar for low-level classes, “Busy Week” calendar for high classes). Each pair gets one scenario, creates a scheduling conversation, and presents it to the class. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 19 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Conversations at Work: Scheduling Congratulations! You got a job as a Medical Office Assistant in Dr. Madrigal’s office. One of your duties is to schedule appointments. It’s very important for you to understand how to answer the phone correctly, remember Dr. Madrigal’s rules for scheduling, and write down new appointments as you make them. Practice this sample conversation with a partner: A: Hello, Dr. Madrigal’s office. May I help you? B: Yes. I’d like an appointment on Monday morning. A: Okay. The doctor can see you at 10:00. B: Great. Thank you. A: What’s your full name? B: Susan Barnes. Barnes is spelled B-a-r-n-e-s. A: Okay. What’s your phone number? B: It’s 651-228-1172. A: 651-228-1172? B: Yes. A: All right, we’ll see you on Monday, March 22nd at 10:00. B: Thank you. A: You’re welcome. Is there anything else I can help you with? B: No thanks, that’s it. A: Have a nice afternoon. B: You, too. A: Thank you. Goodbye. B: Bye. Conversation practice Find a partner. Choose one person to be the Medical Office Assistant and one person to be the patient. Practice calling to make appointments using your names and phone numbers. Switch roles and practice again. Grammar note Use “could I”, “I would like”, or “I’d like” when making appointments. They are more polite than “can I” and “I want”. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 20 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Dr. Madrigal’s Scheduling Rules Answer the phone with these words: “Dr. Madrigal’s office. May I help you?” Before you hang up, ask, “Is there anything else I can help you with?” Dr. Madrigal is in the office from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday. The last appointment of the day is at 5:00. Do not schedule any appointments after 5:00. On Thursdays, Dr. Madrigal arrives at 1:00. Dr. Madrigal goes on a lunch break from 11:00-12:00 every day. Each appointment is one hour long. Block out the times Dr. Madrigal is not available. Sun, Mar Mon, Mar Tue, Mar Wed, Mar Thu, Mar 21 22 23 24 25 Fri, Mar 26 Sat, Mar 27 8:00 :30 9:00 :30 10:00 :30 11:00 :30 12:00 :30 1:00 :30 2:00 :30 3:00 :30 4:00 :30 5:00 :30 6:00 :30 Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 21 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Who can see Dr. Madrigal this week? Read each appointment request. Check Dr. Madrigal’s schedule for the week (below) to see who can get the appointment they want. Write yes or no after each appointment request. 1. I’d like to see Dr. Madrigal on Monday morning. ______________ 2. I’d like an appointment on Tuesday morning. ____________ 3. I want to come in at 8:00 on Wednesday morning. ________________ 4. I’m free on Thursday morning. Can Dr. Madrigal see me then? ______________ 5. I need to see the doctor as early in the morning as possible. Could I come in at 7:30 a.m.? ___________ 6. Could I come in at about 2:00 on Tuesday afternoon? ________________ 7. On Thursday, I’m free between 9:00 and 11:30 and any time after 2:00. Can I see the doctor on Thursday? _______________ 8. I’d like an appointment on Friday afternoon at about 1:00. ________________ Dr. Madrigal’s Schedule Mon, Mar 22 Tue, Mar 23 Wed, Mar 24 Thu, Mar 25 Fri, Mar 26 8:00 Xiong, Maya Thao, Yang :30 651-228-9825 612-773-5421 Wallace, 9:00 Shaun :30 612-309-2278 10:00 Kareem, Abdi :30 651-235-4982 11:00 :30 12:00 :30 1:00 Lor, Mai :30 651-290-1289 2:00 Winston, Kate :30 612-224-0826 3:00 Hassan, Maryan :30 952-285-0045 Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 22 Scheduling Practice Write the “yes” appointments in the schedule. Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Say “No” Politely Here are two good ways to say “no” politely when you’re scheduling appointments. When you tell someone no, it’s a good idea to suggest a time that is available. “I’m sorry, we don’t have anything available at 1:00, but you could come in at 2:00, 3:00, or 4:00.” “There aren’t any openings on Tuesday morning, but Wednesday looks good. You could come in at 9:00 or at 11:00.” Conversation Practice Look at the appointment requests. Circle the number of each request marked “no.” Work with a partner and practice saying no politely to the callers. Suggest a different appointment time and write the new appointment on the schedule. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 23 I Need to See the Doctor! Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials My son has a sore throat. He can’t miss his 10:00 a.m. math class. I have a bad cough. I work until 2 p.m. every day. I have asthma and need to come in for a yearly check-up. I am free Monday, Wednesday, and Friday mornings, but busy the rest of the week. My daughter has bronchitis. She saw the doctor last week, but isn’t getting better. I’m very worried and will take her to the doctor at any time. I was out running yesterday and had a very difficult time breathing. I’m free on Wednesday and Friday afternoons. I need to come in for a chest x-ray. I’m free on Monday morning, Tuesday afternoon, and Friday afternoon. My chest hurts and I’m tired all the time. I think I may have pneumonia. I’m free all day on Thursday. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 24 Sun, Mar 21 Mon, Mar 22 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Tue, Mar 23 Wed, Mar 24 Thu, Mar 25 Fri, Mar 26 Sat, Mar 27 8:00 :30 9:00 :30 10:00 :30 11:00 :30 12:00 :30 1:00 :30 2:00 :30 3:00 :30 4:00 :30 5:00 :30 Open 25 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Sun, Mar 21 8:00 :30 9:00 :30 10:00 :30 11:00 :30 12:00 :30 1:00 :30 2:00 :30 3:00 :30 4:00 :30 5:00 :30 Mon, Mar 22 Tue, Mar 23 Xiong, Maya 651-228-9825 Wallace, Shaun 612-309-2278 Kareem, Abdi 651-235-4982 Wed, Mar 24 Thu, Mar 25 Fri, Mar 26 Sat, Mar 27 Thao, Yang 612-773-5421 Lor, Mai 651-290-1289 Winston, Kate 612-224-0826 Hassan, Maryan 952-285-0045 Jergen, Michael 651-825-7442 Vasquez, Mario 651-644-7092 Busy Week Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 26 Professional Behavior at Work Teacher Notes Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Lead a discussion about professional behavior before students independently read the handout. Discuss each of the vocabulary words and practice pronunciation. Elicit stories of their experiences with these traits at work (or at school, home, etc. if they haven’t had a job before). The material here is adapted from: Young, Alexandra P. Kinn’s The Administrative Medical Assistant 6th Edition. St. Louis: Saunders, Elsevier, 2007. Print. (Chapter 4 Professional Behavior in the Workplace, p. 50) 27 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Professional Behavior at Work Professional behavior is defined as being courteous, conscientious, & businesslike at work. Employees who are professional at work are the ones most likely to get raises, promotions, and the manager’s trust. To be professional, you must be: Loyal—You appreciate the opportunities you are getting and help the company by doing your best every day. Dependable—You show up and you follow through. Show up: You are on time and do your best to be at work every day. Follow through: You finish all your assignments on time and ask for help if you need it. Courteous/polite—You are kind, calm, patient, and positive, even when you’re nervous or having a tough day. You say please and thank you to everyone. Ready to take initiative—You look for ways to help patients, co-workers, and managers; you look for jobs that need to be done and do them. You are always busy at work. Confidential—You respect the privacy of all patients. You never talk about them or their problems without their permission. The only time you share patient information is with other medical professionals in order to help with patient care and treatment. Flexible—You can change to do what’s needed. If your job changes, someone needs help on an important assignment, or there is an emergency, you can stop your old task and start the new work quickly and with a good attitude. You understand that no person or company is perfect, and try to make the best of it. Ethical—You work hard to understand what is right and what is wrong in a complicated, fast-changing job. You always try to do what is best for you, the company, your co-workers, your management, and your patients. Describe yourself and real-life events. Choose two of the words that describe you. Talk with one or more classmates. Ask and answer these questions: 1. Which two professional behavior words best describe you at work? 2. Choose one of your words from #1. When did you display that behavior at work (or at school, home, etc.) and what happened? 3. Think of a co-worker or another student who does a great job. Which professional behavior best describes him/her? 4. Do you have that quality, or is it something you want to work on? Writing practice: On the back of this paper, write about your answer to #2. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 28 Decision-Making at Work Teacher Notes Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials Elicit a definition of what decision-making is and ask students for stories of decision-making at work. Discuss what happened, what they did, and whether they were happy with the outcome. Emphasize that there are no perfect answers or solutions. Read “Decision-Making at Work” and practice the future tense using “____ will” and “_____ won’t.” The class does two “Now What?” scenarios together. Next, students partner up. Give each pair a “Now What?” scenario. Partners answer the questions and share scenario & answers with the class. If more than one pair has the same scenario, remind the class that different answers are fine. Read “Steve’s Decision: Tell the Manager in Person” and practice the dialogue as a class, then in pairs. Lead a discussion, asking students to find things that Steve said or did that were good ideas for an important conversation. Emphasize that these tips are helpful for any important conversation. Use the tips below as a guide or to fill in any gaps. Tips for Important Conversations 1. Choose a good time. Make sure you have enough time for a 10-15 minute conversation. Think about the other person’s schedule: Does s/he have time right now? The very beginning and end of the workday are not great times to have serious conversations; people are usually busy. 2. Ask the other person if s/he has a few minutes. If not, ask for a good time to talk. 3. Close the door if you need to (ask first) or go to a quiet area. 4. Stay calm, focused, and honest. 5. Thank him/her for the time and/or for listening. Extra tip (not present in the story): Choose what you want. During the conversation, use this goal to help you focus, decide what to say & what not to say. Some people practice saying important things before the real conversation. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 29 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials “Now What?” Scenarios A. Steve sends his manager an email saying, “Debbie steals medicine! She’s a terrible employee! You should fire her today!” B. Steve has a conversation with his manager, Caroline, and tells her what happened. C. Steve doesn’t talk to anyone at work about what he saw. He’s not a manager and he doesn’t want Debbie to get into trouble. Steve only tells his wife what happened. D. Steve talks to his friend that evening and asks for help deciding what to do. The friend tells Steve to wait a week to see if it happens again. If it does, then talk to the manager. E. Steve talks to Debbie and tells her to stop stealing. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 30 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials DECISION-MAKING AT WORK At any job, there will be problems and some difficult choices. When you see something at work that seems wrong, you need to decide what, if anything, to do about it. Although there are no perfect answers, good decision-making and conversation skills can help you through difficult times at work. Steve’s Story Steve works in a doctor’s office. He’s a Medical Office Assistant. He schedules appointments, orders supplies, answers the phones, and welcomes patients. On Tuesday, he walks past the supply room and sees his co-worker Debbie putting some asthma medicine into her purse. Her 8-year-old son has asthma, her husband is out of work, and they can’t pay some of their bills. Behavior This is a serious problem. Look at the “Professional Behavior at Work” paper. Choose one behavior that you think is related to Steve’s story and write it below. _________________________________________________________ Find a partner and share your answers. “Now What?” with the Class Your teacher will share a “Now What?” idea with the class. Write the “Now What?” sentence(s) here: 1. Who did Steve talk to? How does that person feel after the conversation? 2. How will Steve feel after the conversation? Why? better the same worse 3. Will Debbie change because of Steve’s decision? 4. Will Steve’s decision help the patients or the clinic? 5. Did Steve make a good decision? Why or why not? Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 31 Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials “Now What?” with a Partner Your teacher will give you and a partner a “Now What?” idea. Write the “Now What?” sentence(s) here: 1. Who did Steve talk to? How does that person feel after the conversation? 2. How will Steve feel after the conversation? Why? better the same worse 3. Will Debbie change? 4. Will Steve’s decision help the patients or the clinic? 5. Did Steve make a good decision? Why or why not? Write about what you would do. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 32 Steve’s Decision: Tell the manager in person. Medical Office Prep_Unit Materials 1. Dialogue S = Steve C = Caroline (Steve’s boss) S: Excuse me. C: Yes? S: Do you have a few minutes to talk? C: Sure. Come on in. S: Is it all right if I close the door? C: Go ahead. Is anything wrong? S: Yes. I’m concerned about something I saw today. I think you should know about it. C: Okay. What is it? S: I saw Debbie take medicine from the supply room and put it in her purse. I saw this on Tuesday. I don’t want her to get in trouble, but I don’t think it’s okay for her to take medicine from the clinic. C: I’m sorry to hear that. Thanks for letting me know. S: Thank you for listening. Tips for Important Conversations Discuss the conversation with the class. Find things Steve did or said that are good ideas for important conversations. Write them here. Eloise Teisberg-Hubbs Center EL Civics 4/30/10 33
