Medical Schools
"The modules offer a well-grounded framework for teachers and students with a rich set of scenarios for communication situations, where they can observe competent role models practicing challenging communication in various settings; gain insight into different communication situations by interacting with a large set of prepared communication situations; and learn and use cognitive mindsets to approach various communication situations appropriately." Professor Sissel Guttormsen; Universitat Bern
"We have used the modules at Stanford for years in our educating medical students and have found many of them very helpful. They have helped us make engaging interactive sessions that have been well received by our students and faculty preceptors" Lars Osterberg, MD, MPH; Associate Professor (Teaching) of Medicine; Stanford University
"At the West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine, one of our most helpful tools for teaching medical communication skills has been the modules. First, second and third-year students do over 25 of the modules. We are gratified that, currently, our school is ranked #1 out of all of Osteopathic Medical Schools on the Humanistic Domain of the COMLEX, Level II-PE, the national board exam involving patient interaction. We believe that the modules are an important part of this success. Our school was the only one among the 21 osteopathic schools to have 100% pass rate on the Humanistic Domain of the COMLEX. In the class of 2008, we scored the highest in the Humanistic Domain …. We attribute this to our Communication Skills program, an important feature of which has been the modules." Gretchen Lovett, PhD; Associate Professor; West Virginia School of Osteopathic Medicine
"We use the modules in small groups of 10 medical students. We watch the videos and utilize the questions to provoke dialogue and guided practice in a safe environment. I really appreciate the practical approach to difficult-to-teach conversation skills. It makes learning these skills an enjoyable, interactive experience. I highly recommend this tool!" Lisa Watts, DO; Regional Director of Medical Education; A.T. Still University's School of Osteopathic Medicine in Arizona
"Over the last five years, the modules have been a valuable and readily accessible resource for teaching medical interviewing to our first-year medical students. The videos demonstrate and model behaviors and trigger discussions. With our more senior students and residents, we currently use more advanced modules for teaching about difficult conversations. We will be using the module on Teams to help improve communication among members of our newly formed medical home teams." Craig Roth MD; University of Minnesota
"We use the modules in all three years as part of our required curriculum and have used it for resident remediation as well. We are sold and would be glad to talk to residencies who want to make it part of their communication curriculum." Bob Arnold; Professor of Medicine, Leo H Criep Chair in Patient Care; University of Pittsburgh Section of Palliative Care
"Both the faculty and the students love the modules." Forshing Lui, MD; Neurology Clerkship Director; California Northstate University College of Medicine
"Our instructors absolutely love the modules. They mainly use it for remediation purposes. Students have gotten a lot out of the modules. We’re thankful to have such a great resource at our disposal." Amanda Worthington, MLS, Library Specialist, Medical Education Media Center; UMKC School of Medicine
Residency Programs
"One resident told me she literally 'replayed' the words used in the video and couldn't believe what transpired. She reorganized the conversation toward partnership and said, 'Wow, this stuff really works!' It was very rewarding." Beth Lown, MD; Harvard Medical School
"I tell our residents, 'to become a great doctor you need to learn and employ the skills in the modules.'" Julie Taw, MD, MPH; Associate Program Director, Internal Medicine; Englewood Hospital
"The modules definitely contribute to our communication skills teaching. The modules’ format and layout stimulate knowledge gains and also motivate skills acquisition through annotated video demonstrations. Interactive discussion questions, and MCQ assessments encourage engagement in learning and document progress towards competence." Yvonne Murphy, MD; MacNeal Family Medicine Residency, Chicago
"I used the modules to remediate one of my residents who was in real trouble because of his poor doctor-patient relationships. It made a great difference. I think DocCom may have saved his career." Richard Paluzzi; Internal Medicine Residency Director, Philadelphia
"The modules are making a noticeable difference in the communication skills of our resident physicians. And the feedback we get from them is consistently positive; they're grateful for teaching, which is dedicated to this very important, but frequently overlooked, competency." Steve Hines, MD, Core Faculty, Internal Medicine Residency Program at Methodist Dallas Medical Center
Physician Assistant Programs
"The modules are a great resource—during the debriefing of sexual history taking with a Patient Instructor, one student commented that he felt ready for this experience after completing the module. He also admitted to modeling his interaction with the patient from the good video examples." Kris Healy, MPH, PA-C; Associate Director - Physician Assistant Program, Assistant Professor - Medical Education; Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine
"Our physician assistant program uses the modules in our Patient Communications Course, which is one of the first courses taught in our curriculum. PA students have easy access to the learning modules, videos and self-assessment questions. Teaching materials are provided for faculty on module topics to enhance small group and online discussions. The modules guide students in becoming aware of differing health beliefs, values and expectations of patients and other health care professionals that can affect communication, decision-making, patient compliance and health outcomes. It assists students in learning about inter-professional practice and supports students in applying these principles in a clinical setting. Students find topics “interesting and informative” and indicate that the modules “prepare them for success in their clinical encounters.” Nina Multak, MPAS, PA-C; Associate Professor, Physician Assistant Department, Drexel University
"I think this is an amazing program!" Christine Holland, MMS, PA-C; Instructor, Midwestern University PA Program
Physicians
"The modules are a phenomenal resource for both young and old physicians who want to learn how to be more effective communicators with their patients." James Binder, MD; Professor of Pediatrics, Cabin Creek Health System, West Virginia
"Kudos on the extensive array of materials that are available! I think the material is detailed and well done." Mark A. Rudolph, MD, SFHM; VP, Physician Development & Patient Experience; Sound Physicians
"I found the communication skills to be extremely useful, not just for me to become a better doctor, but also for my own satisfaction of being a doctor. I feel satisfied when I can help people. But when I started rotations as a medical student, I did not find myself being as helpful as I imagined to patients in dire situations. Too often, I felt I just helped to prolong the suffering. I know that I would have felt differently if I had learned the communication skills taught in the modules when I was a student, because I could have provided comfort and support when medical intervention was no longer helpful."
"When I look at it retrospectively, it is strange that I never considered communication skills as something that can be learned. I always felt very bad when a patient or a friend was sad, but I did not know what to do or say to help them. I kept avoiding those situations because I did not realize that I could learn to deal with them until I started to watch the modules when I was attending Drexel's Physician Refresher/ Re-entry Program. It felt like a life-changing experience for me. I am so glad that I was assigned to do the modules!" Soleil Schutte MD; Assistant Project Scientist; University of California, Irvine
"I just listened to the module on Unwanted Outcomes by Dr. Barnett, and I think it is outstanding. This will be immensely helpful to me as a clinician and as a medical educator. Thank you so much." Shadia Constantine, Vice-Chair Clinical Training Committee, Sapporo Tokushukai Hospital, Hokkaido, Japan
Students
"On my internal medicine ambulatory rotation, I met a 60-something-year-old woman with severe diabetes and peripheral artery disease status post left foot amputation and multiple lower extremity arterial grafts. She also had over a 50-pack-year smoking history. She told me she had “quit” multiple times in her life but always went back. She also had a granddaughter on the way. I was concerned this lady did not understand the amplitude of effects that her smoking had on both her future and her future granddaughter. We had a lengthy discussion about her desire to quit and the effects of smoking on her health. Her daughter was also in the exam room and joined in on the discussion. By the end of our 20-minute talk, we had a solid plan to help her quit smoking and she had chosen a quit date. The daughter thanked me for helping get through to her mother. This simple display of gratitude reminded me that I still could make a huge difference in a patient’s life. If I did not have the proper training with the module in smoking cessation, I probably would not have had the impact I did on this patient.”K.M., Drexel University College of Medicine 3rd year student
"The modules helped me recognize the best time to show empathy. Although they reaffirmed things I already knew, the videos helped me practice exactly when to say certain things." Second Year Medical Student; Chicago Medical School