Course Description
COVID19
All courses scheduled for our Virtual Training Rooms are running as normal. They use video meeting software to provide you with the same interactive experience as our face-to-face courses. This means you receive the same CPD certificate as you would at any of our other venues. Available dates for these courses are listed above.
Government guidance and the ability of individual venues to open safely determines if and when we provide our courses at physical locations. Current circumstances mean these are on hold. You will find more information about the Virtual Training Room version of this course below.
You can read more about our COVID-19 safeguarding and contingency plans here.
Overview of the Advanced Patient Communication Skills Course for Doctors.
The doctor-patient relationship is at the very heart of compassionate, effective healthcare. Demands of modern practice make it essential for doctors to continually review and develop communication skills. Yet issues with communication and behaviour are often listed among the top reasons for patient complaints. Improving communication is vital for improving both patient outcomes and their experience. It plays a vital role in increasing efficiency, reducing errors and minimising complaints. And, of course, we should never underestimate the challenges of breaking bad news and doing it well. But it can be difficult to know how to improve. So choose this one day course and make a difference. Our approach is to advance your skills by building upon your existing knowledge and experience.
What will I learn?
This 1-day course increases your self-awareness. It also clarifies factors which affect behaviour and provides you with realistic steps to improve communication. We begin by identifying your personal challenges and work towards solutions. We establish what both you and your patients want to communicate – and why. This is important because if you know what you want to achieve then you can adjust the approach you take. Next, we explore the factors which affect the way we communicate. This helps you develop clearer insight to your patient’s behaviour. It also helps you to increase your personal awareness. Both aspects enable you to improve your empathy and rapport. So this approach opens the door for you to improve your interaction. Achieving concordance and improving your ability to break bad news with compassion follow from there. We also explore tactics for receiving complaints when the need arises.
Altogether, this day develops your ability to connect with your patients. At the same time, it improves your confidence and your personal resilience. This in turn has benefits for everyone.
What is the format?
It’s important to develop these skills with an interactive approach. So your tutor is an experienced clinician, skilled in facilitation. We limit delegate numbers to 18. But there’s a wealth of experience in the room with doctors from a range of specialties and grades. Your tutor makes the most of this as they guide you through a range of exercises. These include discussions on experiences and opinions. We regularly ask you to see things from your patient’s perspective. You can also practise difficult scenarios in the safe environment we create. Our approach helps you learn from your own experiences and reflections. It also helps you learn through your interactions with fellow delegates and from your tutor.
We start the day at 09:00 and take regular breaks so that you can reflect. Typical finish time is between 16:30-17:00 dependent on delegate numbers and interaction. Along the way, we refer to the Advanced Patient Communication Skills for Doctors guidebook (retail price £29.99). You receive a print copy on the day of the course when you attend in-person and the digital version when you book a Virtual Training Room course. It’s a valuable asset which you can use for future reference to sustain your development.
What about courses in the Virtual Training Room?
Courses in our Virtual Training Rooms cover the same content as our face-to-face courses. We use secure video meeting software for this format. This enables your tutor to lead group interaction where you learn together with other doctors. So you will receive the same CPD certificate as you would at any of our other venues. If you book a Virtual Training Room course, then you receive the digital copy of the Advanced patient Communication Skills for Doctors guidebook. As an added bonus, you also have complimentary access to our Advancing patient Communication Skills Online Course (normal retail price £180). This provides you the opportunity to gain an additional 3 CPD points with a separate certificate as evidence of further training in communication skills. Please note. This additional online course is only provided as part of your package when your course takes place in our Virtual Training Room.
Is this course right for me?
Doctors off all grades and specialties give us excellent feedback about this course. This is because it moves you forward from wherever you are at present. Their unedited reviews are publicly available to read on TrustPilot. We establish your personal challenges at the start of the day and work from there. Along the way, we and encourage you to share experiences with your fellow delegates and tutor. And we don’t limit this to your experiences as a clinician. We also consider the times we have been patients, carers or family members. So it’s accredited by CPD healthcare as appropriate for all doctors.
What other courses should I consider?
The Advanced Patient Communication Skills Course for Doctors concentrates on direct interactions with patients. Other courses which may interest you from our range include:
- Advancing Patient Communication Skills Online Course – An interactive online course with videos, animations, text, infographics and reflective exercises. 3 CPD points.
- Advanced Team Communication Skills Course for Doctors – A 1-day course to improve performance by developing your interactions with colleagues, regardless of their grade or discipline.
- 2-Day Advanced Communication Skills Course for Doctors – Combine our Advanced Team and Advanced Patient Communication Skills Courses on consecutive days and save £140 on your booking fees.
