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Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen
Schreiner)
Lesson Plans
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan
Goals of the Lesson:
Cognitive: Students will become familiar with a variety of theories associated with human development and
behavior.
Motor: Students will role-play the challenges of overcoming communication barriers when working with adolescent
patients.
Affective: Students will become sensitive to the variety of factors that can affect human psychological
development—both their own and that of their patients.
Learning Objectives:
The lesson plan for each objective starts on the page shown below.
3-1
Demonstrate an understanding of human growth and development. ........................................................................... 3
3-2
Explain cognitive development theory ........................................................................................................................ 4
3-3
List and describe Freud’s three major systems or forces. ............................................................................................ 6
3-4
Define the reality principle and the pleasure principle. ............................................................................................... 9
3-5
List and describe Erikson’s eight psychosocial crises. ................................................................................................ 10
3-6
Explain the principle of mutuality. .............................................................................................................................. 13
3-7
Define operant conditioning. ....................................................................................................................................... 14
3-8
Discuss the impact of reinforcement on behavior. ....................................................................................................... 15
3-9
Explain the significance of understanding developmental theories as they relate to approaches to
communication ............................................................................................................................................................ 16
3-10
Demonstrate a basic understanding of the challenges of communicating with each age group .................................. 17
3-11
Describe a holistic approach to healthcare communication ......................................................................................... 18
3-12
List communication techniques for working with children ......................................................................................... 19
3-13
Describe communication techniques for working with adolescents ............................................................................ 21
3-14
Identify communication techniques for working with adults ...................................................................................... 23
3-15
List and describe the therapeutic communication techniques for an older population ................................................ 25
Page 1
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Selected Key Terms
cognitive
id
instinct
pleasure principle
reality principle
ego
superego
conscience
ego ideal
crises
epigenetic principle
autonomy
initiative
ego identity
intimacy
isolation
generativity
stagnation
ego integrity
mutuality
operant conditioning
continuous reinforcement
intermittent reinforcement
holistic
pediatric
adolescence
dignity
respect
geriatric
cue detection
empathy
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 2
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-1
Demonstrate an understanding of human growth and development.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
Text
page
53–55
 Growth and development
theories
 Factors that affect growth
and development
o Biological: Inherited traits
such as eye an hair color
o Social: Friends, religion,
and culture
o Psychological: Selfesteem, stress, and
learning
 Understanding growth and
development gives insight
into patient experience and
aids communication
PPT
slide
Figures, Tables, and
Features
1–3
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Divide the class into small
groups and assign to each
a biological, social, or
psychological “factor”
such as hair color, peer
group, or stress. Have each
group write an account of
how the factor could affect
the development of an
individual.
Discuss as a class the
possible developmental
consequences of each
factor.
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 3
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to reflect
in their personal journals
about the factors they
believe have affected their
own development.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-2
Explain cognitive development theory.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
 Cognitive development learning
theory
 Cognitive development
refers to the ability to think
and reason logically and
learn new ideas
Text
page
55–56
PPT
slide
Figures, Tables, and
Features
4–8
 Jean Piaget’s theory of cognitive
development
 Learning based on
interaction with your
environment.
 Four stages of interaction
with environment
o Sensorimotor activities:
Zero to two years of age,
interact using senses and
motor skills
o Preoperational thought:
Two to six years of age,
interact using symbols,
basic language, and
imagination
o Concrete operational
thought: Seven to eleven
years of age, interact using
logic, reasoning, and other
people’s perspectives
o Formal operational
thought: Twelve years of
age to adulthood, interact
Page 4
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Divide the class into pairs
and instruct pairs to quiz
each other on Piaget’s four
stages of interaction with
the environment. Students
should demonstrate
knowledge of age range
and mode of interaction
appropriate to each stage.
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to use the
Internet or library to locate
a scholarly article or book
chapter that discusses the
relevance of Piaget’s
theory of cognitive
development to providing
healthcare to children.
Instruct students to write
in their own words a brief
summary of the article and
to reflect on how Piaget’s
ideas affect how they think
about their future role as
medical assistants.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
using logical and abstract
thought processes
 Importance to health care
professionals
 Understanding how patients
of any age interact with their
environment helps you
communicate with them
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 5
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-3
List and describe Freud’s three major systems or forces.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
Text
page
56–60
 Freud’s psychoanalytic
development theory
 Personality composed of
three parts: Id, ego, superego
 Id: Basic animal nature at a
person’s core
o Dominates from birth to
two years of age
o Seeks pleasure
o Avoids pain
o Is impatient
 Ego: Tries to reconcile the
id’s desires with reality
o Develops at age two to
four
o Delays pleasure-seeking
until pleasure can be
realistically achieved
o Tolerates some pain if it
will eventually result in
pleasure
o Is patient
 Superego: represents ideal
rather than real behaviors
o Develops by age five
o Does what is “right” over
what is pleasurable
o Motivated by fear of
punishment or internal
values
PPT
slide
Figures, Tables, and
Features
9–17
Page 6
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Create a table of five
columns and two rows on
the board or overhead.
Label the columns:

Birth to Eighteen
Months
 Eighteen Months to
Four Years
 Three to Seven Years
 Seven Years to
Puberty
 Puberty through
Adulthood.
Label the two rows:
 Stage
 Characteristics
Ask students to name and
describe the characteristics
of each of Freud’s
developmental stages.
Write their answers in the
appropriate area of the
table.
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to use the
Internet or library to locate
a recent scholarly article or
book chapter that
discusses the relevance of
Freud’s ideas to current
ideas of child
development.
Instruct students to write
in their own words a brief
summary of the article and
to discuss what Freud’s
ideas can teach medical
assistants about working
with children.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
o Is very patient
 Psychosexual stages of
development
 Oral stage
o Birth to 18 months
o Region of focus is the
mouth
o Primary need is security
 Anal stage
o 18 months to four years
o Child develops control of
anal sphincter
o Toilet training happens
 Phallic stage
o Age three to seven years
old
o Region of focus is genital
area
o Importance of gender
difference increases
 Latency stage
o Age seven years old to
puberty
o Sexual impulses repressed
in service of learning
o Children identify with
parent of the same sex
 Genital stage
o Puberty through adulthood
o Sex drive reappears in the
adolescent
o Sexual pressures and
conflicts manifest
 Importance to healthcare
 In the healthy person, id,
ego, superego achieve
enough harmony to fulfill
basic needs and desires
 When forces conflict and
Page 7
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
harmony fails,
maladjustment can result
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 8
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-4
Define the reality principle and the pleasure principle.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
 The pleasure principle
 Characterizes the behavior
of the id
 An unconscious, essentially
selfish drive to seek
immediate pleasure and
avoid pain
Text
page
PPT
slide
57–58
18–19
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Features
Listen to this: Id, ego, and
superego
p. 59
 The reality principle
 Characterizes the behavior
of the ego
 Defers pleasure or endures
pain for the sake of later
gratification
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Ask the class to think
about childhood in light of
Freud’s ideas about the
pleasure principle and the
reality principle.
Invite students to share
accounts of childhood
behaviors they’ve
witnessed that seem to
illustrate the dominance of
the pleasure principle over
young children.
Ask students to describe
childhood behaviors that
seem to illustrate
replacement of the
pleasure principle by the
reality principle.
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 9
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to reflect
in their personal journals
on whether children
they’ve known seem to
reflect Freud’s beliefs
about when the ego
supplants the id during
child development.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-5
List and describe Erikson’s eight psychosocial crises.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
 Epigenetic principle: Erikson
believed development follows a
preset plan that requires
mastering eight psychosocial
crises
 Erikson’s eight stages
 Autonomy versus
shame/doubt
o 18 months to four years of
age
o Toddlers overcome doubt
and develop autonomy by
exploring and
manipulating their
environment
o When treating toddlers,
provide activities to ease
their fear and preserve
their sense of autonomy
 Initiative versus guilt
o Three to six years of age
o Initiative is a positive
response to challenges
o Encouraging child to seek
new experiences promotes
initiative
o Restricting child’s
learning produces guilt
 Industry versus inferiority
o Six years of age to puberty
Text
page
PPT
slide
60–66
20–28
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Features
Send and receive:
Autonomy talk
pp. 63–64
Translating ethical issues
Helping patients cope with
despair
p. 66
Page 10
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Divide the class into eight
groups and assign each
group one of Erikson’s
stages. Have each group
deliver a presentation on
the assigned stage.
Presentations should
describe the features of
each developmental stage
and the age at which each
happens.
Have each group develop
its presentation by
describing a (fictional)
individual who is
confronting the
psychosocial crisis
relevant to his or her stage
of development.
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to write
in their personal journals
about the psychosocial
stage that corresponds to
their current age. Students
should reflect on the crisis
that Erikson believed
typified their particular
stage and describe how
they see that crisis
happening in their own
lives.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.




o Children begin to seek
recognition for
accomplishments
o Praise encourages an
attitude of industry;
rejection produces sense
of inferiority
Identity versus role
confusion
o Puberty to 18 years of age
o Ego identity is knowing
how you fit into society
o Absent ego identity a
person develops role
confusion
Intimacy versus isolation
o Young adulthood
o Capacity for intimacy is
the ability to be close to
others and participate in
society
o Absent intimacy a person
slips into isolation and
loneliness
Generativity versus
stagnation
o Middle adulthood (the
“midlife crisis”)
o Generativity is concern for
other generations
o Absent generativity the
individual becomes selfobsessed
Ego integrity versus despair
o Late adulthood
o Ego integrity is ability to
reflect on and come to
terms to the life you have
lived
o Absent ego integrity the
Page 11
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
individual dwells on
regrets and slips into
despair
o When dealing with a
patient in late adulthood
be alert to signs of despair,
remind them of counseling
resources, and notify
physician if patient seems
suicidal
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 12
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-6
Explain the principle of mutuality.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
 Mutuality refers to interaction
between generations
 Erikson believed children
influence parents’
development as much as
parents influence children
 “Healthy children will not
fear life if their elders have
integrity enough not to fear
death”—Erik Erikson
 Educating patients about
Erikson’s stages helps to
increase patient selfawareness and knowledge
Text
page
66–67
PPT
slide
29
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Features
Your turn to teach: Patient
education: Child
development stages
p. 67
Tables
Erikson’s psychosocial
theory of development
p. 67
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Start a class discussion
using as a prompt
Erikson’s notion that
children influence their
parents’ development as
much as parents influence
their children. Ask the
class to provide examples
that illustrate Erikson’s
idea.
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 13
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to reflect
in their personal journals
on the following quote
from Erikson: “Healthy
children will not fear life if
their elders have integrity
enough not to fear death.”
Ask students to think
about how Erikson’s quote
affects the way they think
about being a parent, or a
child.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-7
Define operant conditioning.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Text
page
PPT
slide
67–69
 Principles of operant
conditioning
 As a person “operates” in his
or her environment his or her
behavior produces
consequences that affect
future behavior
 Reinforcement is a type of
consequence
o Continuous reinforcement:
Every time a behavior
happens, it’s reinforced
o Intermittent
reinforcement: Behavior is
reinforced only at certain
intervals
30–31
Content
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Start an in-class discussion
of how operant
conditioning affects people
at various stages of their
lives.
Ask students to provide
examples of how operant
conditioning affects
individuals during





infancy
childhood
adolescence
adulthood
late adulthood
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 14
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to use the
Internet or library to locate
a scholarly article or book
chapter that discusses
operant conditioning and
healthcare.
Students should write in
their own words a brief
summary of the article and
discuss the usefulness of
conditioning to healthcare.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-8
Discuss the impact of reinforcement on behavior.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
Text
page
69, 70
 Why operant conditioning
matters:
 Positive reinforcement for an
action makes a patient more
likely to repeat the action.
For example:
o A patient who mistakenly
takes ulcer medication
after meals will experience
discomfort and be less
likely to continue
medication
o A patient who properly
takes ulcer medication
before meals will
experience positive effects
and be more likely to
continue medication
PPT
slide
32
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Tables
Summary of some human
growth and development
theories
p. 69
Figures
The voice of experience:
Operant conditioning and
patient care
p. 70
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Begin a class discussion
by asking students to
suggest techniques that
apply the principle of
operant conditioning to
help medical assistants
work with:




children
adolescents
adults
geriatric patients
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 15
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to visit a
medical office or clinic
and to briefly interview a
medical assistant or nurse.
Students should ask the
medical professional what
techniques they rely on
when working with
children, geriatric adults,
or the chronically ill.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-9
Explain the significance of understanding developmental theories as they relate to
approaches to communication.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
 Different age groups
communicate differently
Text
page
69–70
PPT
slide
Figures, Tables, and
Features
33
 Recognizing the psychological
differences between patients of
various ages will help you choose
the best way of communicating
with a patient
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Begin a class discussion
by asking students to
describe the differences in
communication styles that
typify various age groups,
such as children,
adolescents, young adults,
middle-age adults, and
older adults.
Ask students to speculate
about what they believe
will be the challenges of
communicating with
patients of each group.
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 16
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to watch
a movie or television
program that features
characters of various ages.
Students should then write
in their personal journals a
description of the
differences between how
different aged characters
communicated.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-10
Demonstrate a basic understanding of the challenges of communicating with each age
group.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
Text
page
 As individuals grow and develop, 70–71
their self-concept, self-image,
and self-confidence change.
PPT
slide
Figures, Tables, and
Features
34
 Think about how different
approaches to communication
might have worked for you at
different stages in your life
 Understanding growth stages will
help you communicate
effectively with patients and their
families
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Instruct students to get into
pairs to interview each
other.
Interviews should cover
the following questions:
Looking back on your
personal history, describe
a time in your life when
you were (or would have
been) a difficult patient for
a medical professional to
communicate with.
Recalling who you were
then, what would have
been the best strategy a
medical professional could
have used to talk to you?
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 17
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Have students return to the
descriptions they wrote in
their personal journals of
the differing
communication styles of
characters in a movie or
television program.
Instruct students to answer
the following questions:
What might be the
challenges of
communicating with each
of the characters you
observed?
What strategies would you
use to overcome
communication barriers
with each character?
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-11
Describe a holistic approach to healthcare communication.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Text
page
PPT
slide
71–73
 Holistic healthcare
communication
 Treat the whole patient, not
just the condition
 Requires appropriate
communication strategies for
patient’s of all ages
35–36
Content
Figures, Tables, and
Features
 General principles of patient
communication
 Speak directly, giving
patient full attention
 Speak clearly
 Verify that patient
understands what you say
 Be alert to verbal and
nonverbal messages
 Write down instructions
 Communicate with ageappropriate terms
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Instruct students to take
ten minutes to write a
paragraph describing how
they understand the
phrase, “Treat the whole
patient, not just the
condition.”
Ask students to share their
reflections and to respond
to each other.
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 18
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to use the
Internet or library to locate
a scholarly article or book
chapter that discusses
holistic health.
Students should write in
their own words a brief
summary of the article and
discuss how the idea of
holistic health might alter
their own attitude toward
their future as a medical
assistant.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-12
List communication techniques for working with children.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Text
page
PPT
slide
73–76
 General guidelines for
communicating with children
 Talk at eye level
 Speak gently to ease fears
 Move slowly
 Always tell a child when you
need to touch them
 Repeat and rephrase
questions if child does not
understand
 Use toys to help break
communication barrier
 Allow children to cry and
express emotion
37–41
Content
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Features
Say it isn’t so!
Communicating with
children who are ill
p. 74
The voice of experience:
Working with children
who are fearful of
injections
p. 76
 Form a relationship: Offering a
child a book or toy will let them
know you’re there to help not
hurt
 Environment: Give a child a
quiet, private examination room
and provide activities to keep
them busy
 Listen
 Be patient: Do not interrupt
and allow child time to
answer questions completely
 Watch for nonverbal clues,
such as clutching a sore part
Page 19
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Invite two healthcare
professionals to visit the
class and discuss the
experiences they have had
overcoming difficulties
communicating with
children.
Instruct students to prepare
questions for the visitors
ahead of time.
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to reflect
in their personal journals
about particularly effective
or ineffective care that
they received as a child.
The care may have been
given by a healthcare
professional such as a
doctor, dentist, or nurse, or
a family caregiver such as
a parent, grandparent,
other relative, or childcare
professional.
Students should respond to
the following question:
If the care was effective,
what was it about the
caregiver’s strategy that
made it so?
If the care was ineffective,
what was it that the
caregiver did that failed to
work?
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.

of the body
If child must be still, ask
caregiver if she would prefer
to hold the child
 Choice
 Giving children choices
makes them feel more in
control of the situation
 During injections, have
children take a deep breath
and blow out; offer a
noisemaker to blow into
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 20
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-13
Describe communication techniques for working with adolescents.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Text
page
PPT
slide
76–81
 Talking with adolescents
 Be aware that adolescents
may not understand:
o The changes affecting
their bodies
o Sexual relations and
reproduction
o How to keep themselves
healthy
 Visual aids and diagrams can
help educate adolescents
 Some adolescents may be
reluctant to share private
matters in front of parents
o Kindly ask parent or
caregiver to leave room if
necessary
o Explain to adolescent
under what circumstances
information will be shared
with a parent or caregiver
o HIPAA privacy
regulations generally defer
to state law on issue of
parents and minors
 Choice: Provide adolescents
opportunity to make choices
about their health treatment
 Help adolescents maintain
their dignity by showing
42–45
Content
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Features
Translating ethical issues:
Adolescent patients and
confidentiality rights
p. 78
Say it isn’t so! Do parents
have the right to be
informed about an
adolescent’s medical
condition?
p. 80
Listen to this: “I”
messages
p. 81
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Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Role-playing: Divide the
class into groups of three
or four.
Instruct each group to
“write and direct” a skit in
which group members
role-play a situation in a
medical office involving
an adolescent patient, the
patient’s parent, a medical
assistant, and a physician.
Assign to each group a
separate problem to
dramatize, such as
problems related to issues
of privacy, parental
consent, respect, honesty
in communication, and
healthcare education.
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to reflect
in their personal journals
on the skit they performed
in class. Students should
describe the problem the
skit dramatized and plan
out a strategy they could
use to deal with similar
situations in the future.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.


them respect; avoid sending
messages that might seem
judgmental or belittling
“I” messages: To keep blame
and judgmental statements
out of the conversation, keep
the focus on you not them
Honesty: Adolescents are
particularly sensitive to
honesty in communication
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 22
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-14
Identify communication techniques for working with adults.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Content
 Adults face the constant stress of
managing many responsibilities
simultaneously
 Techniques for therapeutic
communication with adults
 Individual information
o Gauge how much
information the patient
wants
o Adults know what works
for them and what doesn’t
o Always verify a patient
understands you
 Delivery
o Choose words you know
the patient will understand
without treating the
patient like a child
o Always greet patients and
explain a procedure before
performing it
 Explanations
o Use simple words
o Write down important
information
o Verify understanding by
asking questions
 Planning and collaboration:
Sit down with patients and
Text
page
PPT
slide
81–84, 46–51
85
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Features
Your turn to teach: Getting
the health care message
across to adults
p. 85
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Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Begin a class discussion
about communication
strategies for working with
adults by asking students
to describe situations they
have seen in which an
adult of sound mind
created difficulty for any
kind of service
professional—whether a
doctor, nurse, receptionist,
food server, cashier, police
officer, etc.
Ask the class to discuss
what special problems
adults may present as
patients.
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Instruct students to use the
Internet or library to locate
a resource that discusses
stress management for
busy adults.
Students should write in
their own words a brief
summary of the article and
to discuss how stress
management tips might
help adult patients follow
their treatment instructions
better.
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
make sure they understand
and can follow treatment
plans
 Relationships: Connect
positively with adult patients
by:
o Assessing their needs
o Understanding your
treatment objective
o Providing a comfortable
environment and putting
them at ease
Respecting their privacy by drawing a
curtain around the examination table
and asking sensitive questions
discreetly
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 24
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
Objective 3-15
List and describe the therapeutic communication techniques for an older population.
Date:
Lecture Outline
Text
page
PPT
slide
84–94
 Remember that older patients
may suffer from memory loss
 Write down instructions in
simple words and easy-toread print
 Have patients repeat what
you write down
 If applicable, ask patients to
show how they will perform
a procedure
 Make appointment calendars
for patients to take home
52–61
Content
 Avoid mistaken assumptions: It
is untrue that older people are:
 Weak and sick
 Unable to learn
 Boring
 Lonely
 Without interest in life
 Slow at everything
 Unable to make rational
decisions
Figures, Tables, and
Features
Features
Listen to this: Memory
loss and confusion
p. 86
Send and receive:
Shattering myths about
older adults
pp. 88–89
Translating legal issues:
legal and non-legal issues
for older adults
pp. 91–92
Active learning: Part 1:
Making observations
p. 94
Active learning: Part 2:
Putting it into practice
p. 94
 Characteristics of older patients
 May have chronic conditions
that must be considered
when treating new ailments
 May be fearful of a decline
in health and the loss of their
independence
Page 25
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Resources and
In-Class Activities
In-Class Activities
Have students complete
the second Active
Learning exercise on page
94.
Outside Assignments
Evaluation
Outside Assignments
Have students complete
the first Active Learning
exercise on page 94.
Evaluation
TG: Chapter 1 Exam (40
questions: 18 multiple
choice, 18 fill-in-theblank, 2 short answer, 2
short essay)
Instructor’s Notes
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.

May be fearful of death and
should be encouraged to stay
active and social
 Goals for communication with
older adults
 Restore the patient’s sense of
control: Provide a regular
schedule of appointments
that is easy to remember
 Pace of communication:
Look for verbal and
nonverbal clues that a patient
follows what you say
 Respect and dignity
o Use the patient’s preferred
name
o Ask permission before
performing all procedures
o Take time to explain all
procedures
o Encourage questions and
pass them along to
physician
o Show courtesy by saying
“please” and “thank you”
 Reassurance: Take time to
soothe a patient who
communicates fear or
confusion with verbal or
nonverbal cues
 Cue detection: Learn to
detect nonverbal signals of
patient confusion
o Patient may look away
when confused
o Patient might blankly say,
“That’s fine” or “All
right”
o Patient may suddenly
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Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins
Medical Assisting Made Incredibly Easy: Therapeutic Communications (Kathleen Schreiner)
Chapter 3 — Communication Across the Lifespan.
change subject or want to
leave
 Empathy: The ability to
identify with the way
another person feels.
o Show sincerity and caring
with simple statements
such as, “This must be a
hard time for you. How
are you doing?”
Legend: IB: Image Bank; IRCD: Instructor’s Resource CD-ROM; PPT: PowerPoint; TG: Test Generator
Page 27
Copyright © 2009 Wolters Kluwer  Lippincott Williams & Wilkins