What Is Communication In Healthcare

Interview Questions

One of the most humbling places to work is in the healthcare industry. Day in and day out, standing face to face with the deepest and most intimate issues in people's lives, working with them at some of their lowest, most helpless points; it reminds us how frail life can be, how small we all are, and how much we need each other. Research for different cures, the discovery of different treatments, diagnosis and the care of one individual after another; these things did not come about by any one man, but by people working together, gathering information, gaining knowlegde, fighting illnesses, year after year. Regardless of race, religion, background, political view or culture, fighting death and disease is something that
unifies the human race. It is an epic battle I want to join my fellow man in fighting, and so I am equipping myself to be on the battlefield for human life.

Since the healthcare industry is a place where people work together to help other people in their most vulnerable states, strong communication skills are essential for two big reasons.
The first is that healthcare workers work together as a team and each person plays a vital role in the care of the patient. If any one person on the team is left out of the loop, or if any one piece of information is not passed from one person to another, it can be the difference between life or death for the patient. It is very important that each team member knows his or her role, and how to communicate and work with the rest of the team. The second reason communication skills are essential is because of the vulnerability, privacy, and comfort of the patient. When patients come in with health concerns they are often anxious and scared and healthcare providers need to be able to keep them feeling safe and comfortable by communicating the necessary information and by showing genuine care for their
needs. One of the most important communication skills is listening. Listening can build bridges over huge gaps of diversity. People have different points of view and different backgrounds. Listening and paying attention helps bring understanding. There are people who do not speak english well, there are those with physical and mental disabilities, and there are even times when domestic violence or child abuse needs to be recognized so it can be addressed; sometimes communicating means giving a voice to those who cannot speak up for themselves.

I grew up in a family of healthcare professionals and educators so the health field has always been a part of my life on some level.
Having it in my life has given me an appreciaiton and understanding for its necessity in society. I also grew up playing soccer at an extremely competitive level. We traveled to different states playing in many tournaments. We won the state championship five times, and came in second place at the regional championship twice. I played for the Olympic Development Team for years, for my high school and some in college as well. Playing at such a high level taught me loyalty, teamwork, leadership and followership skills, commitment, professionalism, honor, work ethic, resourcefulness, dedication and how to live with passion; I learned how to give my all for something that was not just about me. Coming in second at the regional championship twice and never quite taking that ultimate victory we worked so hard to achieve, also taught me how to deal with disappointment and loss with humility and
sportsmanship.

I am grateful for my soccer experience because it was an arena for learning and practicing life skills. These skills have benefited me greatly in life, shaping my character into someone who sees things through to the end, and overcomes challenges and obstacles. I know these skills, as well as other life experiences I have had, have equipped me with the ability, dedication, and drive to make it through the intensity of the Diagnostic Medical Sonography program. After my soccer years I went to college and got my degree in Interactive Multimedia: Digital Audio and Video. I lived in my own home and worked a third shift job to support myself while I was in school. I became very good at managing my time, organizing my life, prioritizing, and finding helpful resources to assist me as needed: the very things that I will do to juggle the responsibilities of the DMS program. With my degree I ran a photobooth business for a couple of years and later I worked as the Media Coordinator at a large church. Owning my own business required massive amounts of customer service skills. The business revolved around serving people's needs and wants to create a personalized service for their special occassions. Another way I have had customer service experience is through volunteering. I have volunteered with Habitat For Humanity, I have used my media skills to volunteer at my church, and I am a Master Gardener Volunteer in my community.

I love learning and will continue to keep growing. My desire now is to use my past experiences and knowledge to get my degree in the Ultrasound field. The skills I learned using audio and video equipment taught me how to capture images and how light and sound operate and are recorded. I want to expand my knowledge to capturing images of the human body so that disease can be found and people can be made well. While in this position, my plan is to work to see medical imaging continue to advance and I plan to work with others in the field as well as computer programmers and physicists to create new medical software and hardware, greatly increasing the resolution so that we will be able to see even deeper into the human body, catching disease at earlier stages. My hopes are to get my DMS degree through COTC starting this fall. As I said at the beginning, I want to join my fellow man in the fight, and so I am looking to further equip myself to be on the battlefield for human life. If I am not accepted into the program, I will continue on to my goals by whatever means are available to me. I am determined and will continue to knock on doors. I will walk through the ones that open. If no doors open, I will walk around and start knocking on the windows.

I am extremely grateful for the opportunity to apply to the DMS program at COTC because I know it is an excellent program and very reputable. I would also be very humbled to be part of it and grateful to get to work closely with those at COTC. Thank you for taking the time to hear me and consider me.