Assignment Description: You will locate a medical case report and translate it into more common language. This assignment is designed to enhance your capacity to read and interpret medical terminology, as well as your ability to conduct independent research on topics you find interesting or relevant. There will be two case study assignments – one report and one presentation. These assignments are worth 25 points each. You will also receive points for selecting topics for both assignments. The point breakdown is as follows:
- Topic Selection (for your report): 5 points
- Case Study Translation (written report): 20 points
- Topic Selection (for your presentation): 5 points
- Case Study Presentation (submitting slides and presenting during lab): 20 points
In total, case study assignments contribute 50 points to your total grade for this course. No part of the case study assignment is dropped from your final grade.
Case study Assignment 1: Translation (Report)
For the first assignment, you will identify a medical case that you find interesting and/or relevant, submit it to your instructor as a case topic for approval, and upon approval write a 1-2 page summary of the case using relatively simple language (a good way to test this is to get a friend or relative that has not had anatomy/physiology training and make sure they can understand it). When writing your summary, you do not have to use every single element of the case – include the parts of the case report that are relevant to the admission, diagnosis, and treatment of the patient, and exclude irrelevant details that may make your report lengthy or confusing.
Your report should follow the flow of the case study you selected. These reports typically take you from the patient’s admission to the hospital, through initial symptoms and progression, into what types of tests and procedures medical staff decide to complete, to what those tests made led medical staff to think was wrong, and finally how those tests impacted the diagnoses and/or patient consultation. Make sure that the case you select has at least 10 words of medical terminology that are difficult to understand and will need translation! You will not receive credit for simply spelling out medical acronyms, you need to explain what that test/disease/etc. is or does. For example, telling me that MRI is magnetic resonance imaging will not receive credit, but telling me that MRI is magnetic resonance imaging and uses magnets and radio waves to create images of internal structures will receive full credit.
Further requirements for each part will be as such:
Case Study Topic Approval by Due Date – 5 points: – finding a fun and interesting case can be tough work, so you deserve some points for it! Identify a case you enjoy and submit the topic to your instructor for approval. There are links to various websites with case studies on your Blackboard page where you can search for studies using specific diseases, body parts, diagnostic tests, etc. (for example: you can search for patella, type 2 diabetes, or dialysis). Once you find a study you are interested in, post your study for instructor approval by adding a thread to the “Topic Selection” forum located on Blackboard. If posted before the due date at midnight you get 5 points! (NOTE: Case topics are first come first serve, if you choose a case another student has chosen it will be rejected.)
Translation Report – 20 points:
- Accuracy of Translation – 10 points – for every difficult term of medical terminology that you accurately translate for a general audience you will receive 1 point, up to 10 points total. No credit is given for simply spelling out acronyms, or for translation of non-medical or non-anatomical words.
- Accuracy and Quality of Summary – 6 points – These points are earned by properly summarizing your original case (building a good story of how the case progressed and being accurate to the case report writers’ original facts, getting rid of information unnecessary to your story). A good way to test this is to have someone read your summary without accessing the case study and asking if they understand everything and if they are left with any major questions.
- Formatting – 4 points – Reports should be between 1 and 2 full pages of double-spaced text. Points will be deducted for reports less than 1 page or more than 2 full pages. This page length does not include the cover page, which should include the title of your case study, your name, and a link to access the study you chose. Points will be deducted for poor grammar and spelling.
Submit this report using the submission box located on your Blackboard page.
Case study Assignment 2: Presentation (Slides)
Once you have summarized a case study, it’s time to present one! Using this case or a new case, you will create a short (2-6 slide) PowerPoint presentation and walk the class through your breakdown of that case by presenting (3-6 minutes) the story of the case, handling medical terminology translation, and answering class questions as needed. The rubric for this assignment will be as such:
Further requirements for each part will be as such:
Case Study Topic Approval by Due Date – 5 points – If you are satisfied with the case you selected for your report, you can use that same case study for your presentation! If you would like to select a new study for your presentation you are welcome to do so (note: you will not have to write another report if you wish to select a new study).
Whether you stick with the same study or select a new study, you will need to post in the topic selection #2 forum to let me know. This discussion forum will look almost identical to the first topic selection forum. If you are using the same study, simple type “same” for the thread name and description. If you are selecting a new study, post the name of the study as the thread name and the link to the study as the description (identical to the first forum). If posted before the due date at midnight you get 5 points!
Presentation (slides and presentation) – 20 points:
- Accuracy and Quality of Slides– 10 points – slides presented should cover the case study details and the medical/anatomical terminology translated. Definitions/translations not written on the slides should be verbally stated during the presentation. The onset of symptoms, diagnostics, and resolution of the case should all be covered in the slides. The PowerPoint should be 2-6 slides in length. Feel free to include any relevant pictures or images from the case study selected.
- Accuracy and Quality of Presentation – 10 points – These points are earned by properly summarizing your original case (building a good story of how the case progressed and being accurate to the case report writers’ original facts, getting rid of information unnecessary to your story), and using your slides as supporting materials. The presentation should be about 3-6 minutes long. Be prepared to answer any relevant questions asked by your instructor or classmates. If a word or picture is included in your slides, be able to interpret it!!