Communication Skills

The student graduating from this medical school will be able to:

Build rapport with each patient

  • Demonstrate respect for each patient as a person
  • Establish an effective empathic relationship
  • Respect the patient in the context of their social and cultural environment
  • Communicate effectively non-verbally
  • Handle patient emotions effectively

Communicate effectively

  • Use effective interview processes (such as Segue process)
  • Effectively gather data effectively
  • Ask questions of patients that are appropriate to their cultures
  • Make a competent presentation of a patient encounter
  • Utilize medical transcription services in an effective manner,
    for example - dictation
  • Interview patients with the aid of a medical interpreter
  • Obtain Informed Consent from patients

Document effectively

  • Prepare a competent medical interview report
  • Document a competent written patient progress note (in SOAP format for both inpatient and outpatient encounters)
  • Communicate orders for common diagnostic tests for common conditions
  • Document inpatient admit note and admit orders for common conditions

Complete a comprehensive medical history to be used during medical evaluation and diagnosis

  • Take a comprehensive history from an Adult
  • Take a history of possible domestic violence from all 'at risk' patients
  • Take a thorough occupational history from all employed patients
  • Take a comprehensive history from a Child
  • Take a comprehensive history from an Adolescent
  • Take a comprehensive history from a Senior patient
  • Take a comprehensive history from an Adult Female:
    as per adult history with modifications that include:
    • Menstrual history: Age of menarche, interval between menses, duration of menses, last menstrual period, menopause
    • Obstetrics history: written in Gravida-Para FPAL format
    • Gynecologic history: prior history of gynecologic disease and/or treatment, STD, PID, sexual history, contraception
  • Take a comprehensive history from a patient with Psychiatric Illness: as per adult history with modifications such as:
    • Assessment of depression and suicidal risk
    • Assessment of delirium
    • Assessment of mental status
  • Take a comprehensive genetic history (such as extended family history of inheritable disordersfor specific common conditions)

Provide appropriate, basic patient education and behavior change recommendations

  • Educate healthy patients about prevention of future illness (primary prevention)
  • Educate patients with common illnesses about their illness
  • Educate patients with common illnesses about prevention of further illness (secondary prevention)
  • Provide patients with basic education concerning change of common unhealthy behaviors (example: cigarette smoking, lack of exercise, poor diet)
  • Educate patients about their use of common medications and expected common side-effects (example: respiratory inhalers, anti-inflammatory medications, anti-hypertensive medications).