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.

“Scenario: Mr. Osborn, a 60-year-old man, comes into the office with a large hearing device on his right ear. He is there for a physical examination, and it has been several years since his last appointment. You are responsible for obtaining a new history form and updating his registration information. Role-play the communication between the administrative medical assistant and the patient” (French, 2019, Job Skill 4-6).

This scenario requires two people. The first person is Mr. Osborn, a hearing-impaired patient with a hearing device, and the second person is Amy, a medical assistant. Mr. Osborn approaches the front desk to check in for his appointment for a physical examination. Two children play noisily in the waiting room behind him. Amy notices his large hearing device. She looks directly at him, making eye contact and smiling warmly. Amy points to Mr. Osborn’s left and says to go left through the door to the counter.

This new area is the check-out area, but Amy asked Mr. Osborn to go there to eliminate as much background noise as possible. This area is quieter without the children and with fewer people around. The alerts on the computers are also not as audible there. She can give him her undivided attention. They stand facing each other, separated by the counter, but she moves as close as possible to the counter and a little toward his left side, which is the side of his good ear without the hearing device. She hopes he can hear her better in this position and can read her lips if he needs to since she faces him in good lighting.

Amy begins talking to Mr. Osborne. She speaks slowly in a low, natural tone while clearly pronouncing her words and using short, simple sentences. She does not shout or exaggerate her words, facial expressions, or mouth movements when speaking. He looked away briefly. Amy reaches out and lightly touches his arm to get his attention. When he looks back at her, she says, “Mr. Osborn, it has been a long time. We need updated info. Could you fill out new forms?” Amy hands him a clipboard with new forms and a pen after she finished speaking to not distract him from her face and what she said.

Mr. Osborn did not hear everything Amy said. He asks her to repeat it. She repeats it using the same care she took the first time. He still has difficulty, so she writes a message on scrap paper and places it on top of the forms on the clipboard. The note says, “We need updated info. Please fill out new forms.” He smiles and says, “Oh, okay.” He takes the clipboard returning to the waiting area to complete them. He returns to the check-out area and hands Amy the clipboard. She asks Mr. Osborne for his insurance card. She makes a copy and returns the card to him. Then she tells him she will come to get him when they are ready for him (French, 2019, 4-3g, Procedure 4-4, Job Skill 4-6).

References

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

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