Welcome to your first week at Sunnydale Family Health Clinic! Dr. Elena Martinez, the clinic director, is excited about an upcoming partnership with the American Red Cross for a community blood drive. She has asked you to handle the digital communications for the event.
This is your chance to show off your Outlook skills — composing professional emails, creating calendar appointments, and navigating sensitive healthcare communication scenarios.
Your Tasks
Complete all four tasks below. Each one demonstrates a different Outlook skill you learned this week.
Compose a professional email to Dr. Martinez confirming the blood drive logistics. Your email must include all five of these details:
- Date: Saturday, March 15, 2026
- Time: 9:00 AM – 3:00 PM
- Who: American Red Cross + Sunnydale Family Health Clinic
- Expected donors: 50–75
- Red Cross contact: Jamie Thompson
Your email should demonstrate:
- A clear, descriptive subject line
- Proper professional greeting
- Well-organized body with all key details
- Appropriate professional sign-off
Create a calendar event in Outlook for the Blood Drive Planning Meeting with the following details:
- Title: Blood Drive Planning Meeting
- Date & Time: Friday, March 7, 2026, 2:00 PM – 3:00 PM
- Location: Conference Room B
- Invitees: Dr. Elena Martinez, Nurse Jackie Rivera, Sam Chen (Office Manager)
- Body/Notes: Include a short agenda (e.g., review logistics, confirm volunteer list, finalize supply order)
Send an email to all clinic staff announcing the blood drive. Use Reply All appropriately (as if responding to an existing staff thread). Your message must answer:
- Use Reply All appropriately — or explain why you would not use Reply All in this situation
- Include the key details: who, what, when, where
- Ask for volunteers to help during the event
- Maintain a professional but enthusiastic tone
A patient named Mrs. Rodriguez calls asking if she can donate blood while on her current medication. Write a response email to Mrs. Rodriguez that appropriately handles patient privacy.
In your response, you must address:
- What you CAN include in an email about a patient's medical information
- What you CANNOT include in an email about a patient's medical information
- How you would direct the patient to get the information they need securely
Think about what you learned regarding HIPAA and email communication. Patient medical details should never be sent via unsecured email.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Follow these steps to complete and submit your assignment:
- Open Microsoft Outlook (desktop app or Outlook on the web).
- Compose each email as a new message. You may save them as Drafts rather than sending them.
- For the calendar appointment, switch to the Calendar view and create a New Event.
- Take a screenshot of each completed item (all 3 emails and the calendar event). Need help taking screenshots?
- Open Microsoft Word and paste all 4 screenshots into a single document. Label each screenshot clearly (e.g., "Task 1: Professional Email to Dr. Martinez").
- File is named LastName_Week1_Assignment.docx
- Submit through the course learning management system before the deadline.
Requirements Checklist
Before submitting, verify that your work meets all requirements:
- Professional email includes all 5 blood drive details and a clear subject line
- Email uses a clear subject line, greeting, and sign-off
- Calendar event has correct date, time, location, invitees, and agenda
- Calendar event includes an agenda in the notes field
- Staff announcement answers who, what, when, where and asks for volunteers
- Staff announcement asks for volunteers
- Staff announcement addresses proper use of Reply All
- HIPAA email correctly identifies what can and cannot be shared
- HIPAA email directs the patient appropriately
- All screenshots are included and clearly labeled
- File is named correctly: LastName_Week1_Assignment
Grading Rubric
| Criteria | Description | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Professional Email to Dr. Martinez | All details included, clear subject line, proper greeting and sign-off, professional tone throughout | 15 |
| Calendar Appointment | Correct title, date, time, location, all invitees added, agenda included in notes | 10 |
| Staff Announcement Email | Key details covered (who/what/when/where), volunteer request included, Reply All addressed, enthusiastic but professional | 15 |
| HIPAA Email Scenario | Correctly identifies CAN/CANNOT share, appropriate patient direction, demonstrates privacy awareness | 10 |
| Total | 50 | |
Submission
Submit your completed assignment through the course LMS:
- Format: Word document (.docx) or PDF (.pdf) containing all 4 screenshots
- File name: LastName_Week1_Assignment.docx
- Deadline: End of Week 1 (check your course calendar for exact date)
Late submissions may receive a grade penalty per the course syllabus policy.
Need Help?
Here are some resources to guide you through this assignment:
If you need additional help, visit office hours or post a question in the Week 1 Discussion Forum.