We believe that at the heart of a positive doctor/patient relationship lies a foundation of clear and compassionate communication – because residency training is more than diagnosis and treatment – it’s about developing skills that can build rapport and trust when people are at their most vulnerable. The Interpersonal Communication Course is created for Residency Program Directors to address the ACGME Core Curriculum Requirements.
The instructor: The Course was created by Psyphera Principal, Gurdev Singh, MD., who is double boarded in General Surgery and Internal Medicine. He is also an Communication Specialist, certified in the Process Communication Model®(PCM), trained in verbal/non-verbal interactions and Crucial Conversations.
Program design: The Course is co-designed by Sheila Walsh, M.Ed., an experienced Instructional Designer, who has created curricula and program evaluations for medical schools, and Community Health Centers.
The course: Ten (10) didactic sessions include materials and interactive learning using role-play/discussions and polls. Pre/post-testing evaluate participants’ progress towards the objectives. A final project evaluates application of knowledge in a variety of scenarios.
Course objectives: Developed based on core competency requirements of the ACGME (Pages 22 – 23):
- Communicate effectively with patients, families and the public as appropriate across a broad range of socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds
- Effectively use verbal and non-verbal skills to create rapport with patients/families
- Use communication skills to build a therapeutic relationship
- Utilize patient-centered education strategies
- Engage patients/advocates in shared decision-making for difficult, ambiguous or controversial scenarios
- Demonstrate sensitivity to differences in patients including, but not limited to race, culture, gender, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status, literacy and religious beliefs
- Actively seek to understand patient differences and views and reflect this in respectful communication and shared decision-making with the patient and the healthcare team
- Communicate effectively with physicians, other health professionals and health agencies in various scenarios