Working with and for people in the healthcare environment may be enjoyable and rewarding but also challenging. The purpose of this course is to give nurses and allied health professionals seeking to strengthen their interprofessional and professional competencies in clinical settings, the skills to facilitate effective communication and invaluable tools that will enhance patient relations and care. Such topics as professionalism, ethics, conflict management, the psychological and sociological implications of stress, causes, manifestations and strategies for coping and preventing burnout, human development, aging and altered body image, death, dying and grief, abuse and harassment, patient identification and proper documentation, and error prevention are explored.

This course is accessible to learners at all stages of their healthcare career. Other health care professionals may also benefit from this course. No psychology background is needed.

Upon successful completion of the course, learners will be able to:

• Identify and counteract the psychological and sociological implications of stress
• Identify the causes, manifestations, and strategies for coping and preventing burnout
• Understand the impact of non-verbal communication relating to healthcare practice
• Implement effective conflict management strategies
• Understand Maslow’s Hierarchy of needs and the characteristics of Normal Human Development
• Identify the role of the healthcare provider in relation to patients with altered body image
• Understand clinical and cultural attitudes toward death
• Recognize the medical management of the dying patient
• Identify abuse and harassment in the health care setting
• Understand the law as it pertains to allied health professionals
• Understand the importance of, and what constitutes, competent documentation of patient records
• Recognize the actions that must be taken when errors occur and how to prevent errors
• Apply the steps in ethical decision-making