This blog post is a writing assignment for MAST 1060: Medical Office Procedures, part of the Health Care Management (HC23) Associate of Applied Science Degree program at Southern Crescent Technical College.

Job Skill 4-1 involves “role-playing” between two people for each body language type described in Chapter 4. The first person demonstrates a body language type, and the second person reads the body language and guesses the feelings the first person shows:

1. Eyes: Sarah looks down and around the exam room, avoiding eye contact and not watching the medical assistant’s demonstration. The medical assistant reads Sarah’s downcast and wondering eyes as preoccupation with her thoughts and feelings after initially hearing the diagnosis. She also may be avoiding the diagnosis by not paying attention to the directions (French, 2019, 4-2b, Job Skill 4-1).
2. Mouth: Betsy sits in the waiting room, and her mouth forms a firm grimace. The medical assistant reads her expression on her mouth as impatience and frustration, likely due to the exceptionally long wait that day (French, 2019, 4-2b, Job Skill 4-1).
3. Face: The medical assistant takes the blood pressure of a patient, Heather. As the blood pressure cuff tightens around Heather’s arm, her face contorts into a grimace. The medical assistant realizes the patient is sensitive to the tightness of the cuff and thinks it is uncomfortable or even painful to her (French, 2019, 4-2b, Job Skill 4-1) (McCorry, 2020, p. 18-20).
4. Gait: The medical assistant calls Joe from the waiting room. She watches him approach from where he sat, walking very slowly and limping towards her. The medical assistant thinks Joe is likely in pain from an injury or condition in his leg (French, 2019, 4-2b, Job Skill 4-1).
5. Gestures: David has a speech impairment and often uses gestures to help communicate or replace words with gestures. The medical assistant gives directions and asks David if he has any questions about his treatment plan. David shakes his head side to side, indicating to the medical assistant that he understood and has no additional questions (French, 2019, 4-2b, Job Skill 4-1) (McCorry, 2020, p. 16-18).
6. Hands: The medical assistant clarifies directions about the doctor’s changes to Jack’s care. She tells Jack that he must now check his blood sugar twice daily instead of once. Jack is a proud veteran and salutes her, and the medical assistant accepts this hand gesture as an indication that he understands and will follow the changes (French, 2019, 4-2b, Job Skill 4-1).
7. Posture: The medical assistant is gathering information from the patient, Jada, who sits slumped in the exam room with her head hanging down and shoulders sagging. The medical assistant believes Jada does not feel well due to her illness (French, 2019, 4-2b, Job Skill 4-1) (McCorry, 2020, p. 26-27).
8. Touch: A medical assistant needs to talk with Michael, a patient with a hearing impairment. She sits on his left side, the side from which he hears best. She gently touches his arm to ensure she has his attention and searches for eye contact and a response. Michael immediately turns to make eye contact with the medical assistant and smiles, indicating to her that he is paying attention and is not offended by the gentle touch. He feels she cares about him and his health (French, 2019, 4-2b, Job Skill 4-1).

References

French, L. L. (2018). Administrative Medical Assisting. (8th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.

McCorry, L. K. & Mason, J. (2020). Communication Skills for the Healthcare Professional. (2nd ed.). Baltomore, MD: Wolters Kluwer.

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