Communication: Learning outcomes

Last updated: Friday, August 03, 2018

‹ BACK TO INTRODUCTION
After completing this tutorial, you will be able to:
  • Recognise and use aspects of body language to improve your communication with other people face-to-face.
  • Assess and enhance your own phone skills. 
  • Appreciate the value of writing well and know some methods for improving your written communications.
  • Send a professional email and deal with an upsetting email.

You should allow 90 minutes to complete this tutorial, including the Learning Exercises.

Competencies

This tutorial is aimed at hospital trainee pharmacists, and will help you achieve GPhC learning outcomes such as these:
  • LO 1 Demonstrate empathy and keep the person at the centre of their approach to care at all times
  • LO 3 Demonstrate effective communication at all times and adapt their approach and communication style to meet the needs of the person
  • LO 4 Understand the variety of settings and adapt their communication accordingly
  • LO 5 Proactively support people to make safe and effective use of their medicines and devices
  • LO 6 Treat people as equals, with dignity and respect, and meet their own legal responsibilities under equality and human rights legislation, while respecting diversity and cultural differences
  • LO 10 Demonstrate effective consultation skills, and in partnership with the person, decide the most appropriate course of action

If you are a foundation pharmacist, this tutorial may help you meet competencies from the RPS framework including:
  • 1.6  Provides appropriate written and verbal information.
  • 2.3  Effective communication skills.

Continuing professional development


Finally, here are some CPD activities you could consider:

★  Analyse a communication that has not gone well. It might be one that you've been involved with or it might be something you have observed involving other people. Prepare a reflective account of how the communication problem might have been improved or overcome.
★  Next time you send a professional email, keep a copy and ask a colleague to comment on it critically as a form of peer review. What did you learn?
★  Does your department have a guide to email etiquette? If not, why not look online and see what examples exist as a piece of planned CPD. Did you pick up any good tips to help you? Can you draft an email guide for your own department or team?