MODULE 1: Exploring Career Goals in Health Care

MODULE 1: Exploring Career Goals in Health Care UNIT 1: Health Care Professions and Career Paths Lesson 1 - Career Choices in Health Care Lesson 2 - Job Duties of Health Professionals Lesson 3 - Meeting People on a Health Team Lesson 4 - Future Professions in Health Care This unit will enable you to: develop familiarity with jobs in health care and begin to explore career choices identify health care job responsibilities and use them appropriately use appropriate language to introduce yourself to other health professionals recognize health care professions that will be in demand in the future 1

LESSON 1 CAREER CHOICES IN HEALTH CARE 1A Find Someone Who: Career Experiences Whole Class Survey the class about their careers and job experiences. 1. Read the statements in the Find Someone Who chart below. 2. Walk around the classroom and ask different classmates about their experiences. 3. When a classmate answers Yes to a question, write his or her name next to that idea. 4. Ask as many classmates as possible in the time allowed. Find Someone Who... Name 1. has had more than five jobs in the past. 2. has looked for a health care job in the U.S. 3. can name five jobs in health care. 4. wants to work in the dental field. 5. has taken a health care training program in the U.S. 6. was a supervisor in a past job. 7. is working in health care now. 8. was a doctor in his or her country. 9. has taken a licensing exam for a health care job. 10. wants to change jobs in the future. 2

1B Discussion: Past and Present Jobs Think About It What challenges does someone face when looking for a job in a new country? Groups In small groups, take turns answering the questions below. 1. Talk about your past jobs. a. What was your profession before you came to the U.S.? b. What training did you need for this job? c. What did you like about your job? d. What didn t you like about your job? 2. Talk about your job goals. a. What kind of work are you doing now? b. What job would you like to have in the future? Why? c. What do you want to know about this job? On Your Own Write three sentences about your career. Include information about your past job, your present job, and your future job goal. 1C Listening: A Radio Interview about Changing Careers Pairs You will hear a radio interview with Boris, who is talking about his career. Part 1 1. Read the questions below. 3

Part 2 2. Then listen to the first part of the interview. 3. After you listen, ask and answer the questions with your partner. a. What was Boris job in his country? b. What was Boris first job in the U.S.? How did he feel about this job? c. How did Boris find out about health care professions in the U.S.? d. What does Boris do now? e. Why did he choose this career? 1. Read the questions below. 2. Then listen to the second part of the interview. 3. After you listen, ask and answer the questions with your partner. a. What does Boris do on a usual day at his job? b. What does he like about his job? c. What doesn t he like about his job? Whole Class Discuss the questions below with your classmates. 1. Do you think Boris made a good career change? Why or why not? 2. Do you think it is difficult for most people to change careers? Why or why not? 3. What methods have you used to learn about health professions in the U.S.? What have you learned so far? 4

LESSON 2 JOB DUTIES OF HEALTH PROFESSIONALS 2A Brainstorming: Jobs in Health Care Think About It Do all health professionals work directly with patients? If not, what other types of services might a health professional provide? Groups 1. Make a list of jobs in the field of health care with your group. Include as many jobs as you can in the chart below. 2. Make two new lists using the jobs you wrote. In which jobs do these people work directly with patients? In which jobs do they provide support services with no direct patient contact? 3. Discuss your lists with the class. Add other jobs your classmates mention to your lists. 4. Check any jobs you might like to do in the future. Jobs in Health Care Works with Patients Provides Support Services 5

2B Pronunciation: Word Stress Pairs 1. Take turns saying each word below and decide if the stress is on the first, second, or third syllable. 2. Write each word in the correct column in the chart on the next page. 3. Underline the stressed syllable in each word. 4. Note similar patterns in words with the same endings, for example ian, -ist, and ologist. Can you think of other professions with these endings? assistant internist psychiatrist technician dentist oncologist radiologist technologist dietitian pharmacist registered nurse therapist gynecologist phlebotomist surgeon urologist Stress on first syllable Stress on second syllable Stress on third syllable assistant 2C Matching: Job Titles and Job Duties Groups 1. Match the job titles in the first column with the responsibilities in the second column below. Write the correct letter on the line. 2. Then take turns talking about what each person does. Practice using correct word stress. 3. When you finish, take turns describing other health care jobs you know. For example, A pediatrician treats children and teenagers. 6

Example A: What does a surgeon do? B: A surgeon operates on patients. JOB TITLES 1. surgeon 2. dental assistant 3. internist 4. physical therapy assistant 5. oncologist 6. pharmacy technician 7. urologist 8. gynecologist 9. respiratory therapist 10. dietitian MAJOR RESPONSIBILITES a. treats diseases of the internal organs (lungs, blood, kidneys, heart) b. uses nutritional science to plan and supervise menus and food preparation; teaches about nutrition c. prepares, packages medications; keeps records d. operates on patients e. treats conditions of urinary tract in men and women, and the reproductive system of men f. diagnoses and treats cancers and tumors g. treats conditions of the reproductive system of women h. helps dentists; prepares, examines, and treats dental patients i. diagnoses and treats patients with respiratory problems j. treats patients under supervision of physical therapists, such as through massage and exercise 2D Information Gap: Job Duties for Health Professionals Pairs You will exchange information with your partner about job duties. 1. Find a partner. One student is A; the other is B. 2. Turn to the appropriate page (Student A or Student B). Look only at your page. Do not look at your partner s page. 7

3. You will each read information about two jobs and the job duties for these jobs. 4. Ask your partner questions about the missing job duties on your chart on your page. Complete the chart. 5. Answer your partner s questions using the information in your chart. 6. If you don t understand your partner, ask him or her to repeat the information. 7. When you finish, compare your charts and add any information you missed. Example A: What are the job duties for a radiology technologist? B: A radiology technologist sets up examination rooms and takes patient medical histories. A: Okay. He or she sets up exam rooms, and can you repeat the last part? B: Sure.... Useful Language Asking about job duties What are the job duties for a radiology technologist? What does a radiology technologist do? What else does he or she do? Asking someone to repeat information Could you repeat that, please? I m sorry. I didn t catch the last part. Could you say that again? Could you speak more slowly, please? I m writing this down. 8

Student A Job Title Job Duties Radiology Technologist Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) takes temperatures, pulse, and blood pressure keeps medical charts helps patients keep clean prepares patients for exams gives prescribed medicines and injections draws blood and gives IV fluids Clinical Laboratory Technologist Medical Assistant assists doctors and nurses with clinical duties and paperwork schedules appointments manages medical records answers telephones takes patient medical histories takes vital signs assists with medical examinations 9

Student B Job Title Job Duties Radiology Technologist sets up examination rooms takes patient medical histories prepares patients for exams operates equipment to take X-ray images monitors patients conditions Licensed Vocational Nurse (LVN) Clinical Laboratory Technologist does lab tests on blood analyzes fluids, tissues, and cells prepares specimens for examination uses equipment such as microscopes to do tests sets up and checks lab equipment Medical Assistant 10

LESSON 3 MEETING PEOPLE ON A HEALTH TEAM 3A Listening: Introductions in Health Care Settings On Your Own Jaylynn Lee is a new R.N. at General Hospital. It is her first day on the job. She meets several people on her health team. First Listening 1. You will hear four short conversations. 2. Listen and match the names and job titles for each person below. 3. Write the correct letter on the line. A. Aracely Munoz B. Than Nguyen C. Nora Pauwels D. Lateef Johnson 1) physician 2) CNA (certified nursing assistant) 3) social worker 4) LVN (licensed practical nurse) Second Listening 1. Listen to two of the conversations again. How do the health team members introduce themselves? 2. Check the phrases you hear in each conversation. Conversation A Conversation B I don t think you ve met. I don t think we ve met. My name is... I m... It s nice to meet you. It s a pleasure to meet you. I d like to introduce... I d like you to meet... Pleased to meet you. Nice to meet you, too. Glad to meet you, too. 11

3B Role Play: Meeting Colleagues Groups of 3 Imagine you are all employees at General Hospital. You are taking a break. 1. Student A is a new employee. Students B and C have worked at General Hospital for a long time. 2. Decide your job title. (You can choose any job.) 3. Student B, introduce yourself to Student A. 4. Then Student B, introduce Student A to Student C. 5. When you finish, change roles. Practice the conversation three times. 6. Be prepared to act out your role play for the class. Useful Language Introducing yourself My name is... I m... I don t think we ve met. I m... Introducing another person I d like to introduce... I d like you to meet... I don t think you ve met. This is... This is... Whole Class Now imagine you are at a work party for the hospital. 1. Walk around the room. Introduce yourself or the people you met in the previous activity to your colleagues. 2. See how many people you can meet in the time allowed. 3. Take turns introducing one of you classmates to the rest of the class. 12

LESSON 4 FUTURE PROFESSIONS IN HEALTH CARE 4A Reading: The Fastest Growing Professions in Health Care Groups Which jobs in health care do you think are growing the fastest in the U.S.? Why? 1. Decide which jobs will be in the greatest demand in the future. 1. Make a list of the five fastest growing jobs in health care in the U.S. 2. After reading the article, compare your list with the information provided. The Five Fastest Growing Jobs 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. On Your Own Read the article and answer the questions that follow. The Fastest Growing Professions in Health Care Do you know what the fastest growing jobs in health care are? Many people may think that the answer is nursing jobs. It is true that there will be a great need for more nurses in the future. In fact, studies show that there will be a shortage of about 800,000 nurses by the year 2020. However, there is another area of health care where the jobs are growing even faster. There will be an even greater need for allied health professionals in the future. About 60% of the U.S. health care force is made up of allied professionals, a total of about six million professionals. So what do allied health professionals do? They assist physicians and other health care professionals, but they do different kinds of jobs. Some provide specialized services; some work directly with patients, and others run the high-tech machines used in health care today. There are two general categories of allied health professionals: technicians 13

and assistants, and therapists and technologists. The first group usually performs procedures, such as taking X-rays, giving massage, or testing blood, depending on the profession. The latter group has more training because these health care professionals need to evaluate patients, diagnose problems, and develop treatment plans. According to the U.S. Department of Labor in 2004, about half of the thirty fastest growing occupations for all jobs in the U.S. are in the allied health professions. Some of the jobs on this list include medical records and health information technicians, physical therapist aides and assistants, occupational therapist aides and assistants, dental assistants, respiratory therapists, and physician assistants. (For a complete list of the thirty fastest growing jobs in the U.S., go to www.bls.gov/emp/emptab3.htm.) Why is there a shortage of allied health professionals? One reason is that the U.S. population is aging, so there is an increase in the need for health care and services. Second, the allied health workforce is also getting older, and people in these jobs are retiring or moving up to other positions. Finally, there are currently not enough educational programs to train the number of allied health professionals needed. For example, in 2004 in California, there were hundreds of job openings for medical technologists, but there were only nine training programs. Only about fifty people graduated each year! This is good news for people who want to enter the health care workforce or retrain in another area of health care. More people will need health care because the population is getting older. In addition, people working in the allied health field will retire. This means that in the future there will be more job openings in allied health care, and salaries for these jobs will continue to rise. Adapted from: Kimball, B., O Neil, E. Healthcare s Human Crisis: The American Nursing Shortage. Princeton, NJ: Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. April, 2002. Centering On The Majority of the Health Care Workforce. <www.alliedhealthcouncilnc.org/news/2002archive/11-05-2002.html.> Retrieved on 7/15/04. Shi, L. and Singh, D.A. 2003. Delivering Health Care in America: A Systems Approach. Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers, Inc. Centering On The Stealth Health Care Crisis. <www.futurehealth.ucsf.edu>. Retrieved on 7/15/04. 14

Questions About Reading 1. What is the fastest growing field in health care today? What is another field in health care that is growing very fast? 2. What are some examples of allied health jobs? Name at least five. 3. What do allied health professionals do? Give examples. 4. What are three reasons that there will not be enough allied health professionals in the near future? 5. What kinds of skills do you think allied health professionals need? 15

4B Vocabulary Practice On Your Own Complete the sentences below using the words and phrases in the box. Use each word or phrase only once. a shortage an increase are made up of currently high-tech move up retrain the latter to rise workforce 1. Most ESL classes students from many countries and language backgrounds. 2. Some hospitals in the Bay Area have had to limit the number of patients that can stay there because there is of nurses in California. 3. Some health experts predicted in the number of West Nile infections in the summer of 2004. 4. Many people in the U.S. change careers in their lifetime. They often need to because they need new skills to do a different job. 5. The health care needs to grow in the future, so there will be enough trained professionals to take care of the growing elderly population. 6. Workers often need advanced computer skills for jobs. 7. The cost of health care insurance continues, and many working families can t afford insurance. 8. A nurse who is trained as an LVN can go back to school to get another license. Then he or she can to the position of R.N. 9. Poor eating habits and smoking can both cause serious health problems. can lead to lung cancer. 10. There is a great need for technicians and assistants, but there are not enough educational programs to train them. 16

MODULE 1 - UNIT 1 Project Work Researching a Career: Part 1 Outside of class, you will research three health professions on the Internet. 1. Choose health care jobs you are interested in. You can use the jobs in this unit or others you know about. 2. Go to the Occupational Guides for the California Employment Development Department. Type in www.calmis.cahwnet.gov. 3. For each job, click on Occupational Guides under Careers and Occupations in the middle of the page. Then click on the first letter of the name of the job you want to look up. For example, click on P to look up Pharmacist. 4. Fill in the chart on the next page with information about the jobs you chose. Be ready to tell your classmates a little about these jobs in your next class. Note: You don t need to write all of the information you find on the website. Write only key points and important ideas. Use your own words as much as possible. 17

Job #1 Job #2 Job #3 Job Title (What is the name of the job?) Job Duties (What do they do every day?) Employment Outlook (Is this field growing, staying the same size, or getting smaller?) 18