If you or a loved one has ever experienced an ailment that involves a hospital stay, you know that the hospital environment can be a very frightening experience. When dealing with a hospital stay, it's not uncommon to feel like you've lost all control. It's an environment where people feel helpless and immobile, with no idea what's in store for their near future. Many patients, especially older patients, upon admission to hospital, will feel disorientated in their new environment and may become uncooperative (Grace). This is the time when effective communication is most needed. During the summer months, I spend forty hours a week working at Faxton-St. Luca Health Center. I am a healthcare assistant in the operating room. As part of my job I have the responsibility to retrieve patients from another floor and deliver them to the surgical unit. Surgery is a very intimidating thing and I am in contact with the patient when they are most scared. I have learned a lot from interpersonal communication and have come to realize that everything I have learned can be put to good use next summer. I am confident that the skills I gain in this course will better prepare me to communicate effectively with patients and make their hospital experience less scary. Now I'm more excited to communicate with people I know and don't know. This summer I will constantly evaluate myself in many different communication scenarios within a hospital setting. I will use my new skills not only with patients, but also with my colleagues in the Operating Unit. In a hospital environment everyone is competent in each of the important areas of communication. However, the best solution…is the middle of the paper…when I return to my job at the hospital, I will be able to use my new communication skills in the ways above. I will be able to communicate on a higher level not only with patients, but also with family members, doctors and colleagues. I can use the opportunity to hone these skills and take them with me as I pursue my career in the medical field. I've learned that messages are like icebergs...what you see may not be the whole picture. I now have a conscious awareness of my communication opportunities, and from here on out, I will have a better view of the entire iceberg. Works Cited Jensen, Arthur and Sarah Trenholm. Interpersonal communication. New York, 2008. 338-343. Grace, Patricia. Effective communication in the hospital setting. Examiner.com. July 1, 2009. >