An approach to structuring and teaching health communication to health practitioners is presented in this paper. Following an introduction to the need for instruction in health communication, a general course description is provided, the course's purposes are discussed, and course goals are listed. The remainder of the paper contains descriptions of the following study units for a course in health communication: (1) an overview of health communication; (2) human communication processes and theories; (3) interpersonal, small group, and organizational communication in health care; (4) intercultural communication in health care; and (5) therapeutic interaction and holistic approaches to health care. Instructional objectives are listed for each unit of study. (RL)