Teaching Interpersonal and Communication Skills

Abstract

The Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education mandates that radiology residency programs provide instruction and assessment in six core competencies. Among these are professionalism, interpersonal and communication skills, and patient care. Although no one contests the importance of these competencies, many faculty members, program directors, and residents express uncertainty about how they should be taught. Traditional instructional methods such as lectures and readings exhibit shortcomings. Consider the teaching of interpersonal and communication skills. Methods such as lecture and reading tend to place learners in a passive mode, merely absorbing information. Learning by doing is often preferable and more productive. What we need are opportunities for more active participation that facilitate role modeling and the development of practical skills. We need to develop opportunities to learn such skills that do not place patients at risk, while enabling learners to practice what they are learning. One relatively recent innovation is the development and implementation of medical simulations. Most of these have focused on the development of technical skills, such as intubation, catheterization, and resuscitation. But simulation can also be used to develop other dimensions of clinical practice, such as interpersonal and communication skills. Just as people can become more adept at catheter placement and manipulation by placing and manipulating catheters, so they can become more effective communicators by communicating with patients and families. We recently attended the Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills (PERCS), which is sponsored by the Institute for Professionalism and Ethical Practice. The daylong session took place at Boston Children’s Hospital. Although the institute’s programs are targeted at a variety of medical and health care fields, this session was part of a series designed for radiologists, and participants included faculty