Effective Communication & Interpersonal Skills
Our graduates will demonstrate verbal and non-verbal communication and interpersonal skills and strategies that result in respectful, compassionate and effective decision-making and exchanges of information with patients, families, members of the healthcare team and other colleagues.
Expand the entries below to learn more about benchmarks in these competencies.
ECIS - 1Listen empathically and effectively to patients, colleagues and teachers.
Listen empathically and effectively to patients, colleagues and teachers.
- Does Not Meet: Does not demonstrate engaged, active listening. Is either disengaged or impedes conversation.
- Phase 1 Benchmark: Listens in an engaged and empathic manner, verbally (e.g. facilitating remarks) and nonverbally (e.g. eye contact and body language). Uses open-ended questions and demonstrates understanding through summary and clarification.
- Phase 2 Benchmark: Listens in an engaged and empathic manner, verbally (e.g. facilitating remarks) and nonverbally (e.g. eye contact and body language). Uses open-ended questions and demonstrates understanding through summary and clarification.
- Phase 3 Benchmark: Listens in an engaged and empathic manner, with verbal and nonverbal facilitation, open-ended questions and demonstration of understanding. Expresses understanding of nuanced communication, and can redirect discussion if needed.
- Aspirational Behavior: Listens in an engaged and empathic manner, with verbal and nonverbal facilitation, open-ended questions and demonstration of understanding. Expresses understanding of nuanced communication, and can redirect discussion if needed, even in challenging situations.
ECIS - 2Effectively conveys written information at an appropriate level for patients, colleagues, and teachers.
Effectively conveys written information at an appropriate level for patients, colleagues, and teachers.
- Does Not Meet: Written communication is unclear or overly wordy.
- Phase 1 Benchmark: Written communication is clear and succinct.
- Phase 2 Benchmark: Written communication is clear, succinct, and appropriate for the audience, whether writing a self-reflection, clinical note, scientific paper, or other.
- Phase 3 Benchmark: Written communication is clear, succinct, and appropriate for the audience. Can produce written work efficiently.
- Aspirational Behavior: Written communication is clear, succinct, efficient, and audienceappropriate. Expresses independent, novel ideas which may improve the field.
ECIS - 3Communicate information clearly to patients, colleagues and teams. Demonstrate closed loop communication skills.
Communicate information clearly to patients, colleagues and teams. Demonstrate closed loop communication skills.
- Does Not Meet: Fails to contribute information or speaks unclearly. Appears to ignore or disregard communication barriers.
- Phase 1 Benchmark: Speaks in a poised and clear manner. Uses closed-loop communication to ensure information sharing was understood by patient. Aware of some communication barriers.
- Phase 2 Benchmark: Speaks in a poised, clear, efficient manner, attending to the understanding of the recipient with closed-loop communication. Is able to bridge some communication barriers.
- Phase 3 Benchmark: Speaks in a poised, clear, efficient manner without relying on notes. Shows situational awareness by attending to timing as well as the understanding of the recipient with closed-loop communication. Is able to bridge some communication barriers.
- Aspirational Behavior: Speaks in a poised, clear, efficient manner without relying on notes. Shows situational awareness by attending to timing as well as the understanding of the recipient with closed-loop communication. Is able to bridge communication barriers, even in challenging situations.
ECIS - 4Facilitate difficult health care conversations with patients and colleagues. Display awareness of barriers including language, health literacy and psychosocial needs.
Facilitate difficult health care conversations with patients and colleagues. Display awareness of barriers including language, health literacy and psychosocial needs.
- Does Not Meet: Unable to demonstrate effective skills in difficult conversations.
- Phase 1 Benchmark: Demonstrates beginning skills in some difficult communications.
- Phase 2 Benchmark: Exhibits some effective strategies in difficult communications.
- Phase 3 Benchmark: Exhibits effective strategies in difficult communications; bridges some barriers of moderate complexity.
- Aspirational Behavior: Exhibits exemplary strategies in difficult communications in complex situations; avoids potential pitfalls; diffuses hostile conversations.
ECIS - 5Utilize shared decision making to promote patient-centered communication by eliciting and incorporating patient preferences.
Utilize shared decision making to promote patient-centered communication by eliciting and incorporating patient preferences.
- Does Not Meet: Fails to assess patient's response to or agreement with the diagnosis or plan. Does not elicit or incorporate patient preferences into plan.
- Phase 1 Benchmark: Partially assesses and elicits patient's response to or agreement with the diagnosis or plan. Does not incorporate patient preferences into plan.
- Phase 2 Benchmark: Fully assesses and elicits patient's response to or agreement with the diagnosis or plan. Begins to incorporate patient preferences into plan.
- Phase 3 Benchmark: Fully assesses and elicits patient's response to or agreement with the diagnosis or plan. Incorporates patient preferences to tailor plan.
- Aspirational Behavior: Fully assesses and elicits patient's response to or agreement with the diagnosis or plan. Fully incorporates patient preferences to tailor plan, even in challenging situations.