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HSC 3661 & RCS 4415
Therapeutic Communication Skills for Health Professionals
2 credits lecture, 1 credit lab
Fall, 2014
Lecture: Friday, 9:35 to 10:50, HPNP Auditorium
Instructor:
Nicole M. Cranley, MS
Doctoral Candidate
Department of Behavioral Science and Community Health
College of Public Health and Health Professions
e-mail: ncranley@phhp.ufl.edu
Office Location: HPNP 3121
Times &
Location:
Lecture: Friday, 9:35 to 10:50, HPNP Auditorium
Labs:
Lab 1, Section 1217: Tuesday: 9:35 – 10:50, G108
Lab 2, Section 1261: Tuesday: 9:35 – 10:50, G109
Lab 3, Section 1282: Tuesday: 11:05 – 12:20, G108
Lab 4, Section 1287: Tuesday: 11:05 – 12:20, G109
Lab 5, Section 1298: Wednesday: 9:35 – 10:50, G108
Lab 6, Section 1310: Wednesday: 9:35 – 10:50, G109
Lab 7, Section 1349: Wednesday: 11:05 – 12:20, G108
Lab 8, Section 1360: Wednesday: 11:05 – 12:20, G109
Lab 9, Section 1364: Thursday: 8:30 – 9:45, G110
Lab 10, Section 1369: Thursday: 8:30 – 9:45, G111
Lab 11, Section 1371: Thursday: 10:00 – 11:15, G110
Lab 12, Section 1377: Thursday: 10:00 – 11:15, G111
Office
Hours:
By appointment
Teaching
Assistants:
Jarred Gray:
Sabrina Islam:
Joshua Kirton:
April Morrissett:
jarred.gray@ufl.edu
si13@phhp.ufl.edu
joshuakirton@phhp.ufl.edu
amorrissett@ufl.edu
Labs 1, 3, 10, 12
Labs 2, 4
Labs 5, 7
Labs 6, 8, 9, 11
Course Description: Through lecture, discussion, and role-playing in large and small groups,
students learn appropriate verbal and nonverbal behavior to be used with patients, families, the
health care team, and the greater community.
Course Objectives:
During this class, students will:
1. Develop knowledge of the potential impact of effective versus ineffective communication
used in a health care environment with patients, clients, consumers, families, the health
care team and the greater community.
2. Demonstrate basic verbal and nonverbal therapeutic communication skills and
professional behavior important in the health care setting.
3. Develop sensitivity to basic issues of diversity in health care communication.
4. Summarize and apply the criteria for mass communication health campaigns
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Required Textbook:
van Servellen, G. (2009). Communication skills for the health care professional: Concepts,
practice, and evidence (2nd ed.). Las Angeles, CA: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Instructional methods:
1. Lecture using Powerpoint presentations. Lectures will be posted on Sakai
(www.lss.at.ufl.edu). In many cases these will be posted prior to class but in some cases
it may be the morning of class or after class. You should always be prepared to take
your own notes.
2. Experiential labs where you will reinforce your skill development by practice and
feedback.
Topic outline (this is tentative and may be modified as needed during the semester):
Date
Topic
Assignment/ Reading
Aug. 29
Course introduction
Ch.’s 1-3 (3 – 65)
Sept. 2-4 LABS
Introduction to Labs
Sept. 5
Confirmation & Empathy
Ch. 5 (87 – 103)
Trust
Ch. 6 (105 – 118)
Sep. 9 – 11 LABS
Practice Skills
Sep. 12
Online Discussion #1 Due
6pm
How Do You Ask a Question?
Ch. 7 (121 - 133)
Use of Silence/ Pauses
Ch. 8 (135 – 146)
Sep. 16 – 18 LABS
Practice Skills
Sep. 19
Self-disclosure
Ch. 9 (149 – 161)
Reflection and Interpretation
Ch. 11 (173 – 187)
Sep. 23 – 25 LABS
Practice Skills
Sep. 26
Exam 1
Sep. 30 – Oct. 1-2
Exam 1 Feedback
LABS
Oct. 3
Confrontations
Ch. 12 (189 – 200)
Communicating with the Family
Ch. 19 (335 – 351)
Oct. 7 – 9 LABS
Practice Skills
Oct. 10
Chronic/ Life Threatening Illnesses
Ch. 14 (229 – 246)
Crisis 101
Ch. 15 (247 – 263)
Oct. 8 – 10 LABS
Practice Skills
Oct. 11
Cultural Issues in Communication
Ch. 4 (67 – 80)
Low Literacy Communication Issues Ch. 13 (205 – 224)
Oct. 14 – 16 LABS
Practice Skills
Oct. 17
NO CLASS (Homecoming)
Oct. 21 – 23 LABS
Practice Skills
Oct. 24
Movie
NA
Oct. 28 – 30 LABS
Reflection on movie
Oct. 31
Paper due by beginning
of class
Online Discussion #2 Due
by 6pm
Ethical Concerns
Ch. 20 & 21 (355 – 374)
Nov. 4 – 6 LABS
Practice Skills
Nov. 7
Macro Level Communication
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Nov. 11 – 13 LABS
Nov. 14
Nov. 18 – 20 LABS
Nov. 21
Nov. 25 – 27 LABS
Nov. 28
Clinical Case Scenarios (no class
Nov. 11)
No Class
Clinical Case Scenarios
Exam 2
NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
NO CLASS (Thanksgiving Break)
Student evaluation:
1. Two exams, each consisting of approximately 25 questions which may include multiplechoice, true/false, fill-in-the-blank, and short-answer.
2. Online discussion posting #1 on a communication experience with a provider (details will
be posted on Sakai)
3. Online discussion posting #2 based on your reflection for this course (details will be
posted on Sakai)
4. A paper assignment in response to a movie which will be shown in class (details will be
provided later in the semester)
5. A graded clinical case scenario in which the students interview a mock patient will be
conducted at the end of the semester.
6. Attendance will be taken at the beginning of each lab meeting. Excessive tardiness will
constitute an absence.
7. Professionalism. This includes issues such as being present in lecture from the start
through the end of class, being respectful to others, and not talking or using the internet
for non-class related activities (e.g., Facebook). Lab attendance is calculated separately,
as specified above.
8. In-class assignments for extra credit points will be included in lectures at the discretion
of the instructor. Students cannot earn more than 3 bonus points throughout the
semester. Although TA’s will keep track of student bonus points, it is up to the student to
make sure that they do not exceed more than 3 bonus points.
Graded Assignments
Two exams (Exam 1- 50.0 points; Exam II- 50.0
points)
Clinical case scenario
Movie Reaction Paper
Lab attendance (3 points each day)
Two online discussion posts (5 points each)
Professionalism & Participation
Total Points
Grading scale:
Grade
Percent
Points
A
AB+
B
BC+
93 - 100
90 - 92
87 - 89
83 - 86
80 - 82
77 - 79
186 - 200
180 - 185
174 - 179
166 - 173
160 - 165
154 - 159
Points
100
35
20
30
10
5
200
4
C
D+
D
DE
70 - 76
67 - 69
63 - 66
60 - 62
less than 60
140 - 153
134 - 139
126 - 133
120 - 125
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Online Faculty (and Teaching Assistant) Evaluation Process. Students are expected to
provide feedback on the quality of instruction in this course by completing online evaluations at
https://evaluations.ufl.edu. Evaluations are typically open during the last two or three weeks of
the semester, but students will be given specific times when they are open. Summary results of
these assessments are available to students at https://evaluations.ufl.edu/results/
Expectations of Students. Due to the experiential nature of this course, class attendance is
required and significant grade penalties for absences are built into the grading system.
Students will be allowed to make up missed work only with University approved and
documented medical or family emergencies. Students should notify the instructor or appropriate
TA as soon as possible about any problems or conflicts with attendance. Students are
expected to come to class on time, ready to learn and to participate actively. Please turn off cell
phones and social media websites and limit other distractions so as to make this the best
learning environment for everyone. Multiple unexcused absences, tardiness, or inappropriate
classroom behavior may result in additional grade penalties at the instructor’s discretion. Please
see the University of Florida Absence Policy for additional information:
https://catalog.ufl.edu/ugrad/current/regulations/info/attendance.aspx
Academic Integrity. Students are expected to act in accordance with the University of Florida
policy on academic integrity. As a student at the University of Florida, you have committed
yourself to uphold the Honor Code, which includes the following pledge: “We, the members of
the University of Florida community, pledge to hold ourselves and our peers to the highest
standards of honesty and integrity. “ You are expected to exhibit behavior consistent with this
commitment to the UF academic community, and on all work submitted for credit at the
University of Florida, the following pledge is either required or implied: “On my honor, I have
neither given nor received unauthorized aid in doing this assignment.”
It is your individual responsibility to know and comply with all university policies and procedures
regarding academic integrity and the Student Honor Code. Violations of the Honor Code at the
University of Florida will not be tolerated. Violations will be reported to the Dean of Students
Office for consideration of disciplinary action. For additional information regarding Academic
Integrity, please see Student Conduct and Honor Code, the Graduate Student Handbook and
these web sites for more details:
https://www.dso.ufl.edu/sccr/process/student-conduct-honor-code/
Cheating. The improper taking or tendering of any information or material which shall be used
to determine academic credit. Taking of information includes, but is not limited to, copying
graded homework assignments from another student; working together with another
individual(s) on a take-home test or homework when not specifically permitted by the teacher;
looking or attempting to look at another student's paper during an examination; looking or
attempting to look at text or notes during an examination when not permitted. The tendering of
information includes, but is not limited to, giving of your work to another student to be used or
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copied; giving someone answers to exam questions either when the exam is being given or
after taking an exam giving or selling a term paper or other written materials to another student;
sharing information on a graded assignment.
Accommodations. The course instructor wants every student to have the opportunity for a
positive learning experience. This includes my willingness to provide accommodations to
students with disabilities. If you require classroom accommodation because of a disability, you
must first register with the Dean of Students Office (http://www.dso.ufl.edu). The Dean of
Students Office will provide documentation to you, which you then give to the instructor when
requesting accommodation. The College is committed to providing reasonable accommodations
to assist students in their coursework.
Counseling and Student Health. Students may occasionally have personal issues that arise
in the course of pursuing higher education or that may interfere with their academic
performance. If you find yourself facing problems affecting your coursework, you are
encouraged to talk with an instructor and to seek confidential assistance at the UF Counseling &
Wellness Center, 352-392-1575. Visit their web site for more
information: http://www.counseling.ufl.edu.
The Student Health Care Center at Shands is a satellite clinic of the main Student Health Care
Center located on Fletcher Drive on campus. Student Health at Shands offers a variety of
clinical services, including primary care, women’s health care, immunizations, mental health
care, and pharmacy services. The clinic is located on the second floor of the Dental Tower in
the Health Science Center. For more information, contact the clinic at 392-0627 or check out the
web site at: www.shcc.ufl.edu
Crisis intervention is always available 24/7 from:
Alachua County Crisis Center:
(352) 264-6789
http://www.alachuacounty.us/DEPTS/CSS/CRISISCENTER/Pages/CrisisCenter.aspx