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A communication assessment and skill-building exercise (CASE) for first-year residents
Craig S Roth1, Kathleen V Watson, Ilene B Harris
1General Internal Medicine, Veterans Affairs Medical Center, University of Minnesota Medical School, Minneapolis, 55417, USA. rothx009@tc.umn.edu
Summary
This pilot program successfully taught and assessed essential communication skills for new internal medicine residents, boosting their confidence in challenging patient interactions. The exercise also provided valuable faculty development and informed curriculum design.
Area of Science:
- Medical Education
- Communication Skills Training
- Resident Assessment
Background:
- Effective communication is crucial for residents entering postgraduate medical training.
- There is significant variability in communication skills among medical school graduates.
- A need exists for structured programs to develop and assess these essential skills early in residency.
Purpose of the Study:
- To teach essential interviewing and communication skills to new residents.
- To assess resident skills and confidence in various interview scenarios.
- To develop faculty teaching and assessment abilities and guide curriculum development.
Main Methods:
- A pilot program, the Communication Assessment and Skill-Building Exercise (CASE), was implemented during residency orientation.
- First-year internal medicine residents (n=26) rotated through four 10-minute stations with standardized patients (SPs).
- Residents practiced skills like handling angry family members, smoking cessation counseling, agenda setting, and delivering bad news, receiving direct feedback from faculty and SPs.
Main Results:
- Residents reported acquiring important skills and increased confidence in managing stressful communication situations.
- Faculty and residents found the exercise rewarding, effective for skill assessment and teaching, and beneficial for faculty development.
- Individual resident performance profiles proved valuable for identifying learning needs and informing curricular adjustments.
Conclusions:
- The pilot program successfully met its objectives of teaching, assessing, and building confidence in resident communication skills.
- The exercise served as an effective tool for faculty development and enhanced interaction between faculty and new trainees.
- Future plans include expanding the program's scenarios and participant range, and integrating it into faculty development initiatives.