An instructional program like Learning Branch Communication Skills for Health Care Professionals is essential in light of the growing diversity of healthcare employees and the increasing complexity of their jobs. Powerful features of this program are: fully online and self-paced, allowing students to record their own voices and compare to the model.

The Communication for Health Care Professionals lessons model appropriate communication techniques – and sometimes inappropriate for contrast—in a variety of health care settings. Students practice their skills by choosing communication strategies, formulating, and then recording their responses. The scenarios, which include Overcoming Communication Barriers, Assertiveness on the Phone, and Showing Empathy, present realistic situations that any health care professional needs to handle.   A new feature will allow instructors or classmates to listen to students’ recordings and then score the responses or make online suggestions.

I would strongly recommend the Learning Branch Communication Skills for Health Care Professionals program as valuable for any course in which health care communication is addressed.

Ann Rackl ESL/Basic Skills Instructor for Nursing Assistant Certified Program,

South Seattle Community College  http://www.southseattle.edu/