When Dr. Susan Wedam, director of the Veterinary Technology Program at Yakima Valley College, began building formal communication training into her technology program’s core curriculum she turned to the WSU College of Veterinary Medicine’s Clinical Communication Program for its expert help.
Through the partnership and devised around the learning objectives of Dr. Wedam and her instructional team, multi-day workshops are designed and facilitated by the Clinical Communication Program on the campus of Yakima Valley College. The workshops include topic-specific cases and scenarios with local actors who have been trained to serve as simulated clients.
The Clinical Communication Program offers preparatory training for new and developing coaches who lead student groups through the simulation process. The trainings, which help coaches learn to facilitate live role-play and structure effective debrief conversations, are led by the program’s director and master coach, Dr. Julie Cary.
“The coaches in training raved about the lessons they had learned both in terms of improving their communications with students and with clients in their own employment settings,” Dr. Wedam said. “All are excited to return and have been eager to attend additional training sessions with the Clinical Communication Program.”