Understanding Clinical Culture: Organizational Communication in the Clinical Practicum

Abstract
In recent years, health practitioner educators and researchers have devoted an increasing amount of attention to the improvement of communication in the clinical setting. One aspect of communication--organizational communication--occupies relatively little space in practitioner education and research. Yet, contemporary clinical practice relies heavily upon organizational structures to facilitate the coordination of care. Understandably, overcrowded practitioner curricula may not accommodate the addition of explicit pedagogical material related to organizational communication. However, clinical instructors can help students understand and integrate into the organization of the clinical setting by introducing basic concepts of organizational communication. This can be through comments and questions during debriefing and discussions during and following the clinical experience. This article provides an overview of concepts central to organizational communication scholarship to guide students’ implicit learning about the organizational aspects of the clinic.