This course helps equip students with advanced skills in six essential areas crucial for delivering high quality patient-centered care. By course completion, students will achieve a greater understanding of the following topics: health literacy (7 modules), cultural humility (5 modules), LGBTQ+ affirming care (4 modules), social determinants of health (5 modules), motivational interviewing (8 modules), and/or shared decision-making (3 modules).
Students will begin by learning about the profound impact of health literacy on patients' well-being and honing effective communication skills. They will work to master the art of conveying complex medical information in a patient-friendly manner. The course then emphasizes the significance of cultural humility, instilling lifelong learning and self-awareness to enhance sensitivity to diverse cultural backgrounds, ultimately leading to more effective care provision.
Next, students will acquire the competencies to provide affirming and supportive care to LGBTQ+ patients while respecting their unique healthcare needs. Understanding the critical role of social determinants of health will follow this, as students explore how these determinants influence patient engagement and access to care. This module will help students gain a better understanding to address barriers that hinder healthcare access and participation among underserved populations.
The course continues with an in-depth exploration of motivational interviewing techniques and their application within the transtheoretical model. Students learn to assist patients in initiating and sustaining health behavior change through effective communication.
In the final module, students work to increase their experience with the fundamentals of shared decision-making, which enables patients to actively participate in healthcare decisions. This empowers them to improve patient outcomes and satisfaction.