Real-Life Communication
Good communication skills are essential for a cytotechnologist.
"I need to be able to verbally communicate with physicians, nurses and other
laboratory personnel," says Beth Gardino Walsh, a cytotechnologist working
in a health center.
"[Cytotechnologists] speak over the phone to many
clients, and we communicate closely throughout the day with pathologists and
other cytotechnologists."
You are a cytotechnologist working at a large
health center. You spend your days hunched over a microscope in a laboratory,
examining cell samples taken from patients.
Most of the samples you
examine contain healthy, normal-looking cells. In these cases, you write up
a report of your findings for the patient's physician. But whenever you see
anything unusual, you check your results with a pathologist. Then the two
of you work together to arrive at a final diagnosis.
One morning, you
receive a telephone call from a young woman who is obviously upset. Two weeks
ago, she went to her physician's office for a Pap smear. This morning she
received a letter from your laboratory stating that her Pap smear showed abnormalities.
It advises her to make an appointment with her physician to discuss the results.
Nearly
crying now, the woman tells you that she can't get in to see her doctor until
next week. She wants you to explain the results to her. "Am I going to get
cancer?" she asks in a trembling voice.
Trying to reassure the woman,
you take her name and promise to call her back immediately. As soon as she
hangs up, you find her chart in the files. Checking it over, you find the
woman has been diagnosed with "mild dysplasia."
You sigh with relief.
Of all possible forms of abnormality, this is the least severe. Still, you
can see how it would be upsetting to receive such a letter. What can you say
to reassure the woman?