Professional Interactions: Negotiation and Expression for Future Physicians and Healthcare Providers

Abstract

The rapid pace of change in medicine requires doctors to be effective conflict mediators and negotiators in the clinical workplace, and a multitude of research connects strong physician-patient communication to improved patient outcomes. Disparities in such skills exist among medical students and professionals, and are neither taught nor evaluated in a standardized fashion in U.S. medical school curriculums. A structured course would benefit patients by providing protected time for medical students to refine these skills. Our proposed course, titled "Professional Interactions: Negotiation and Expression for Future Physicians and Healthcare Providers" and referred to hereafter as PINE, is outlined here to provide a starting point for those seeking to create or supplement a similar course at their institutions. PINE, ideally, would tap the multidisciplinary expertise of leaders in medicine, the humanities, business, local community organizations, and education to facilitate student engagement with a variety of topics in interpersonal communication and negotiation.