Using Action to Effect Change
ROLE TRAINING
Regardless of whether you’re a doctor, a nurse or a PA, learning a new role takes practice. In the course of preparing to work in the medical field, most of the focus is on science and technique, rather than on communication and medical professionalism. Yet, once you’re “on the job”, knowing how to communicate well in conversations with patients and their families will be essential. But how do you prepare for them?
Through the technique of role training - actually practicing the behavior in a supportive learning environment - you can master your communication skills, and improve your medical professionalism.
Studies have shown that when the medical staff communicates well, their patients remain less anxious and more focused on their recovery. Moreover, when patients feel heard, understood and treated with respect, they are far less likely to pursue malpractice suits.
Role training allows participants to practice hands-on skills, so that they’ll know what to do when situations arise. This will ensure greater confidence in themselves, and that will then be communicated to their patients, allowing for an increased therapeutic alliance.
COMMUNICATION SKILLS
You wouldn’t think of doing a procedure on a patient without first having studied the technique and observed others doing it. So why do we think that medical personnel should know how to effectively communicate with patients and their families with no skill building or practice?
“Just like anybody else, doctors avoid things they may have discomfort doing,” says Dr. Michael Rodriguez, a researcher and family practitioner at the University of California, Los Angles. Therefore, it’s important to create an atmosphere of learning to assist doctors - and other medical personnel - in just how to follow through on those conversations that they sometimes would prefer to not have.
Effective communication is a skill that can be taught and, with practice, can be mastered. When we learn this skill, our first inclination is to imitate others who are effective in their communication. By so doing, it allows the intern or resident to learn all the “good” habits of their attending, but it also means they often adopt poor communication skills. With time and practice, we can develop our own style, so that it becomes part of who we are, but this takes direction, time and practice. Moreover, those skills are best practiced in a safe and supportive environment, to allow for appropriate risk taking that won’t have negative implications for patients and their families, or with colleagues.
STRESS AND BURNOUT
Working in the medical field is extremely taxing, and without proper self-care, stress and burnout will occur. Our workshops are designed to help identify causes of stress, build support for the individual, and provide skills that can help individuals to decompress.
© 2007, Action Institute of California
P.O. Box 5055
Sherman Oaks, CA 91413
Phone: 310-909-9780
E-mail: actioninstitute@mac.com
Website: www.theactioninstitute.com
