Course Offerings

Boston Children's Hospital Initiatives:

Challenging Conversations with Surgical Patients & Families
Complex Neonatal Care and Neurosurgery
Cardiovascular & Critical Care
Difficult Conversations for Residents
Neurology
Parent Presence

Local and Regional Initiatives:

Coaching for Disclosure after Adverse Events (in association with CRICO/RMF)
Difficult Prenatal Conversations
Donation after Cardiac Death
Informed Consent for Anesthesia
Neonatal Intensive Care
On Becoming a Spiritual Generalist
Pediatric Primary Care (in association with Children's Emotional HealthLink)
Radiology
Special Care & Newborn Nurseries

National / International Initiatives:

Difficult Conversations in Healthcare: Pedagogy and Practice (in association with the Harvard Macy Institute)

Boston Children's Hospital Initiatives

CHALLENGING CONVERSATIONS WITH SURGICAL PATIENTS & FAMILIES
Title	Challenging Conversations with Surgical Patients & Families: Opportunities to Improve Quality of Care
Description	Studies show that clinicians feel unprepared and lack confidence in communication skills, particularly advanced communication skills such as speaking with children about serious illness, giving bad news, dealing with the "difficult" patient/parent and understanding patients' perspectives. Other studies have reported that poor communication was the most commonly cited source of conflict between care teams and families. Clinicians on the inpatient surgical units are routinely faced with challenging situations that require astute communication skills. Each half-day workshop brings together interdisciplinary professionals across experience levels to engage in a day of learning that focuses on the unique communication and relational skills needs of patients and their families in surgical settings. Each workshop offers didactic presentations, realistic enactments with professional actors and group discussion. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to difficult conversations with patients and families.
Course Director	Elaine C. Meyer, PhD, RN at elaine.meyer@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Interdisciplinary participants working in the field of surgery at any level of experience are invited to enroll including but not limited to: Physicians Nurses Social workers Psychologists Chaplains Medical Interpreters Workshop enrollment size: 15-25 participants
Format/ Time	Half-day workshops from 8:00am-12:00pm and from 1:00pm-5:00pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	No dates are currently scheduled
Registration	Please contact IPEP for further information.

COMPLEX NEONATAL CARE & NEUROSURGERY
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills: Difficult Conversations in Complex Neonatal Care & Neurosurgery
Description	This course was inspired and designed based on the needs for improved interdisciplinary and inter-subspecialty communication identified by the family of Paul Contini, a former patient at Boston Children's Hospital. Each day-long workshop brings together interdisciplinary professionals across experience levels to engage in a day of learning that focuses on the unique communication and relational skills needs of young neurologically complex patients and their families. Each workshop offers didactic presentations, realistic enactments with professional actors, videotape feedback and debriefing, and group discussion. Each workshop emphasizes the importance of the patient and family perspectives through the use of videotaped family interviews and actors as patient and parent ethical understudies. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to difficult conversations with patients and families.
Course Director	Elaine C. Meyer, PhD, RN at elaine.meyer@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Interdisciplinary participants working in the fields of neonatology, neurology, neurosurgery, and anesthesiology at any level of experience are welcome to enroll including but not limited to: Physicians Nurses Social workers Psychologists Chaplains Medical Interpreters Workshop enrollment size: 15-25 participants
Format/ Time	Day-long workshop from 9:00am-3:00pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Workshops are complimentary for Boston Children's Hospital employees. Made possible by the generous support of the Paul G. Contini Palliative Care Education Fund.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	Tuesday, May 28, 2013
Registration	Please register online here.

CARDIOVASCULAR & CRITICAL CARE
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills (PERCS): Cardiovascular & Critical Care
Description	PERCS: Cardiovascular & Critical Care is the original course developed by the Institute. Each day-long workshop offers interdisciplinary participants the opportunity to learn about helpful communication skills and relational abilities when having difficult conversations in the pediatric and cardiovascular critical care units. Each workshop offers didactic presentations, realistic enactments with professional actors, videotape feedback and debriefing, and group discussion. Each workshop emphasizes the importance of the patient and family perspectives through the use of videotaped family interviews and actors as patient and parent ethical understudies. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to difficult conversations with patients and families. *This course is offered based on a three-year rotating curriculum that includes versions of workshops focusing on: (1) Pediatric End of Life; (2) Children with Special Healthcare Needs; and (3) Communicating about Adverse Events Within a Culture of Safety.
Course Director	Robert J. Graham, MD at robert.graham@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Interdisciplinary participants working in the fields of pediatric and cardiovascular critical care at any level of experience are welcome to enroll including but not limited to: Physicians Nurses Social workers Psychologists Chaplains Medical Interpreters Administrators Workshop enrollment size: 15-25 participants
Format / Time	Day-long workshop from 8:30am-3:30pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	To be funded by participant's institution, department or self-pay. Please contact IPEP for further information.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	The Department of Nursing Staff Development at Boston Children's Hospital has determined that this workshop meets the definition of continuing nursing education and meets the criteria set by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Commission on Accreditation. This continuing nursing education activity carries 5.6 Contact Hours. This program has been approved for 4.5 Social Work Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. Collaborative of NASW and the Boston College and Simmons Schools of Social Work.
Upcoming Workshops	Tuesday, October 9, 2012 Tuesday, December 11, 2012 Tuesday, February 12, 2013 Tuesday, April 9, 2013
Registration	Please register online here.

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS FOR RESIDENTS
Title	Difficult Conversations for Residents
Description	This course offers residents the opportunity to learn about helpful communication skills and relational abilities when having difficult conversations with patients and families. Each workshop offers didactic presentations, realistic enactments with professional actors, videotape feedback and debriefing, and group discussion. Each workshop emphasizes the importance of the patient and family perspectives through the use of videotaped family interviews and actors as patient and parent ethical understudies. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to difficult conversations with patients and families.
Course Co- Directors	Director: Elizabeth A. Rider, MSW, MD at elizabeth.rider@childrens.harvard.edu Co-Director: Robert D. Truog, MD at robert.truog@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Residents in the Boston Combined Residency Program in Pediatrics at Boston Children's Hospital Workshop enrollment size: TBA
Format / Time	TBA Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	No dates are currently scheduled
Registration	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Additional Information	This course is the main component of the Difficult Conversations for Residents Program, which includes additional learning opportunities.

NEUROLOGY
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills: Neurology
Description	This course uses a case scenario methodology to enhance communication skills by neurology residents in a consultation setting. The scenarios involve informing the family of a critically-ill premature infant about the changing aspects of their child’s neurologic situation and prognosis. The scenarios involve actors portraying the parents of the infant, as well as physician, social work and nursing staff from the NICU. The scenarios portray typical family meetings as a child’s course progresses. Videotaping will permit the trainees to assess their skills in communicating difficult and often uncertain information, and together seek areas of improvement to benefit their care of patients and families.
Course Director	David M. Browning, MSW, BCD, FT at david.browning@childrens.harvard.edu David K. Urion, MD at david.urion@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Neurology residents & fellows are welcome to attend. Workshop enrollment size: 10-12 participants
Format / Time	Day-long workshop from 8:45am-3:15pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Workshops are complimentary for employees of Boston Children's Hospital and affiliated Harvard teaching hospitals. Made possible by the generous support of the Department of Neurology at BCH.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	Monday, January 28, 2013 Monday, March 11, 2013 Monday, March 25, 2013 – PILOT SESSION Monday, May 6, 2013 Monday, June 3, 2013
Registration	Please register online here.

PARENT PRESENCE
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills (PERCS): Parent Presence during Invasive Procedures and Resuscitation
Description	This interdisciplinary course is designed for Boston Children's Hospital staff members who are likely to serve in the role of parent liaison during invasive procedures and resuscitation. Participants will learn about the patient, clinician, and family perspectives relative to parent presence, as well as the range of typical parental responses and associated strategies to provide information and emotional support that can be used to assist parental coping. Each workshop offers didactic presentation, review of the hospital guidelines on the role of the parent liaison, opportunities for sharing successful strategies and previous professional experiences, realistic enactments with professional actors, videotape feedback and debriefing, and group discussion. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to best supporting parents.
Course Director	Elaine C. Meyer, PhD, RN at elaine.meyer@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Interdisciplinary participants who are likely to serve in the capacity of parent liaison during invasive procedures and resuscitation are welcome to enroll including but not limited to: Nurses Physicians Social workers Psychologists Chaplains Child Life Specialists Medical Interpreters Workshop enrollment size: 10-15 participants
Format / Time	Half-day workshop from 8:30am-12:00pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Workshops are complimentary for Boston Children's Hospital employees. Made possible by the generous support of Cardiovascular and Critical Care Services at BCH.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	3.4 Course Director hours of continuing education credit for nurses
Upcoming Workshops	Thursday, October 4, 2012 - PILOT SESSION Thursday, February 7, 2013 Thursday, May 2, 2013
Registration	Please register online here.

Local and Regional Initiatives

COACHING FOR DISCLOSURE AFTER ADVERSE EVENTS (in association with CRICO/RMF)
Title	Coaching for Disclosure after Adverse Events
Description	This course was designed in partnership with CRICO-RMF, the malpractice insurer for Harvard healthcare organizations. Its primary goal is to help organizations develop systems to assure the availability of a cohort of coaches who can provide just-in-time training and support to clinicians on a 24x7 basis, in the aftermath of significant adverse events and medical errors.
Course Co-Directors	Robert D. Truog, MD at robert.truog@childrens.harvard.edu David M. Browning, MSW, BCD, FT at david.browning@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Interdisciplinary participants who are likely to serve as coaches in the aftermath of adverse events and medical errors, including but not limited to: Nurses Physicians Social workers Psychologists Chaplains
Format / Time	Half-day workshop in morning or afternoon format Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	No dates are currently scheduled
Registration	Registration occurs within participating healthcare organizations. Please contact IPEP for further information.

DIFFICULT PRENATAL CONVERSATIONS
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills (PERCS): Difficult Prenatal Conversations
Description	The diagnosis and treatment of pregnancies complicated by congenital fetal disorders involve a range of management alternatives – and shades of clinical uncertainty – that create a profoundly challenging decision-making arena for both physicians and prospective parents, who may face considerable time-related and psychosocial pressures. Adding to this complexity, the management of high-risk pregnancies now involves many pediatric specialists alongside obstetricians. These clinicians bring different backgrounds, experiences, and value assumptions to their interactions with the pregnant patients.
Course Director	Stephen D. Brown, MD at stephen.brown@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	This project will produce a DVD that will serve as a springboard for discussion and the education of those who provide counseling to these patients. The film will include conversations between experienced clinicians and trained actors, as well as debriefings of these conversations with these clinicians and other participants who work with this population of patients. The DVD will be used in a range of educational settings to train prenatal healthcare providers to communicate effectively with patients and colleagues in these circumstances, to encourage greater appreciation of differences in approaches, to identify areas of convergence and consensus, and to optimize negotiation where consensus cannot be achieved.
Format/ Time	TBA
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	No dates are currently scheduled
Registration	Please contact IPEP for further information.

DONATION AFTER CARDIAC DEATH
Title	Difficult Conversations in Healthcare: Donation after Cardiac Death
Description	Conversations with families about organ donation are always difficult, in that they almost always involve asking families to think about helping others in the immediate aftermath of a profound loss to themselves. While organ donation after brain death has been practiced for several decades, organ donation after cardiac death has more recently emerged as a way to meet the need for transplantable organs. Discussions with families about DCD are particularly challenging because this pathway to organ donation involves altering the end-of-life care of the patient in order to maximize the potential for organ donation. Most notably, under DCD protocols life support is withdrawn in the operating room and the family must be separated from their loved one within moments of the onset of asystole. The goal of these conversations is to inform families of the benefits and potential costs of organ donation and then to help them make the choice that is right for the patient and for them.
Course Director	Robert D. Truog, MD at robert.truog@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Although DCD is anticipated to be a relatively rare event at Boston Children's Hospital (2-4 cases per year), it is a high-stakes process for everyone involved and needs to be organized with meticulous attention to detail. We anticipate offering this program as a "live" event (using actors, enactments, and debriefings) once a year, and then we plan to develop a DVD of the training that will be available for use on a "just-in-time" basis.
Format / Time	Length of the workshop is TBA Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	No dates are currently scheduled
Registration	Please contact IPEP for further information.

INFORMED CONSENT FOR ANESTHESIA
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills (PERCS): Informed Consent for Anesthesia
Description	This course for anesthesiologists offers participants the opportunity to learn about helpful communication skills and relational abilities when having informed consent discussions in anesthesia. Each workshop offers didactic presentations, realistic enactments with professional actors, videotape feedback and debriefing, and group discussion. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to informed consent discussions with patients and their families.
Course Co-Directors	David B. Waisel, MD at david.waisel@childrens.harvard.edu Norma J. Sandrock, MD at nsandroc@bidmc.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Anesthesiology residents, fellows and attendings at any level of experience are welcome to enroll. Workshop enrollment size: 8-10 participants
Format / Time	Late afternoon workshop from 4:00pm-7:15pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Cost to be funded by participant's institution or self-pay at $400/person.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	Wednesday, August 15, 2012 Wednesday, August 22, 2012
Registration	Please register online here.

NEONATAL INTENSIVE CARE
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills (PERCS): Difficult Conversations in Neonatal Intensive Care
Description	This course offers interdisciplinary participants the opportunity to learn about helpful communication skills and relational abilities when having difficult conversations in the neonatal intensive care setting. Each day-long workshop offers didactic presentations, realistic enactments with professional actors, videotape feedback and debriefing, and group discussion. Each workshop emphasizes the importance of the patient and family perspectives through the use of videotaped family interviews and actors as patient and parent ethical understudies. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to difficult conversations with patients and families.
Course Co-Directors	Anne Hansen, MD, MPH at anne.hansen@childrens.harvard.edu Dara Brodsky, MD at dbrodsky@bidmc.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Interdisciplinary participants who work in the neonatal intensive care setting at any level of experience are welcome to enroll including but not limited to: Physicians Nurses Social workers Psychologists Chaplains Medical Interpreters Administrators Workshop enrollment size: 15-25 participants
Format / Time	Day-long workshop from 8:30am-3:00pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Workshops are complimentary for employees of Boston Children's Hospital and affiliated Harvard teaching hospitals. Made possible by the generous support of the Division of Newborn Medicine at BCH. Cost for others to be funded by participant's institution or self-pay at $495/person.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	TBA
Upcoming Workshops	Thursday, April 4, 2013
Registration	Please register online here.

ON BECOMING A SPIRITUAL GENERALIST
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills: On Becoming A Spiritual Generalist
Description	Clinicians often feel unprepared and lack confidence when recognizing, assessing and responding to the spiritual concerns of patients and their families. Although spiritual care is increasingly considered an integral part of high quality health care, there is mounting evidence that few health care professionals have received adequate preparation in this area. This full-day workshop will introduce clinicians from a range of disciplines and experience levels to the art and basic skills of spiritual care. Participants will learn to: assess patient's spiritual needs, recognize signs of spiritual distress, identify spiritual talk in both secular and religious language, build a vocabulary to respond to spiritual concerns of both patients and families, become familiar with ethical guidelines for spiritual care, and recognize when to make a referral for more in-depth spiritual care. Each workshop will include focused didactic presentations, opportunities to practice spiritual assessment and care with professional actors in realistic hospital scenarios, followed by group discussion. Participants will be encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experiences, and how these can influence their development as spiritual care generalists.
Course Director	Mary Robinson, MA, MDiv at mary.robinson@childrens.harvard.edu Elaine C. Meyer, PhD, RN at elaine.meyer@childrens.harvard.edu Mary Martha Thiel, MDiv at MaryMarthaThiel@hsl.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Interdisciplinary practitioners at any level of experience, of any or no faith, are invited to enroll including but not limited to: Physicians Nurses Social workers Psychologists Chaplains Medical Interpreters Child Life Specialists Workshop enrollment size: 15-25 participants
Format / Time	Day-long workshop from 8:15am-3:00pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Workshops are free, and made possible by the generous support of a grant from Good Samaritan, Inc.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	The Department of Nursing Staff Development at Boston Children's Hospital has determined that this workshop meets the definition of continuing nursing education and meets the criteria set by the American Nurses Credentialing Center, Commission on Accreditation. This continuing nursing education activity carries 5.25 Contact Hours. This program has been approved for 5.0 Social Work Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR. Collaborative of NASW and the Boston College and Simmons Schools of Social Work.
Upcoming Workshops	Monday, October 3, 2011 – PILOT SESSION Monday, November 7, 2011 Tuesday, January 17, 2012 Monday, March 5, 2012 Tuesday, May 8, 2012 Thursday, July 26, 2012 Monday, September 10, 2012 Tuesday, November 27, 2012
Registration	Please register online here.

PEDIATRIC PRIMARY CARE (in association with Children's Emotional HealthLink)
Title	Difficult Conversations in Primary Care Pediatrics: Depression in the Family
Description	This course is one component of the Children's Emotional HealthLink (CEHL) program, Emotional and Psychosocial Issues in Children and Families: Pediatrics for the New Millennium, for primary care pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners. The PERCS (Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills) model of high fidelity simulation (with actors), collaborative learning, and reflection and feedback is utilized. Course objectives include enhancement of pediatric practitioners' relational capacities and communication skills, and the ability to evaluate and manage emotional and psychosocial problems seen in pediatric practice with children, adolescents, families. Each workshop emphasizes the importance of the patient and family perspectives through the use of videotaped family interviews and actors as patient and parent ethical understudies. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to difficult conversations with patients and families.
Course Director	Elizabeth A. Rider, MSW, MD at elizabeth.rider@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Primary care pediatricians and pediatric nurse practitioners participating in the CEHL year-long programs are welcome to enroll. Workshop enrollment size: 12-16 participants
Format / Time	Day-long workshop from 9:00am-3:00pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates as well as CEHL Faculty
Cost	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	No dates are currently scheduled
Registration	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Additional Information	This course is included in the intervention arm of a randomized trial.

RADIOLOGY
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills: Radiology
Description	Radiologists face increasing expectations to communicate directly with patients, but few educational opportunities exist to help radiologists feel prepared and confident in their communication skills. This course offers radiology residents and fellows the opportunity to learn about helpful communication skills and relational abilities when having difficult conversations with patients about: 1) new, unexpected or difficult diagnoses; 2) radiological errors; and 3) radiation safety. Each day-long workshop will combine didactic and educational media presentations with realistic improvised enactments between workshop participants and professional actors. Enactment participants will receive feedback from the actors, faculty, and other course participants, including attending radiologists, technologists, nurses, clinicians, and patient representatives. Faculty facilitators include experts in healthcare communication pedagogy. The learning model emphasizes group collaboration among professionals of varying experiences, perspectives from patient and family representatives, and a safe environment that respects multiple viewpoints.
Course Director	Stephen D. Brown, MD at stephen.brown@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Radiology residents & fellows locally, regionally, and nationally Training program directors and other practicing radiologists interested in communication and professionalism locally, regionally, and nationally Radiologic technologists Radiologic nurses Workshop enrollment size: 15-25
Format / Time	Day-long workshop from 8:45am-3:30pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Workshops are complimentary for all attendees. Made possible by the generous support of the Radiological Society of North America (GE Healthcare / RSNA Education Scholar Grant).
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	Continuing education credits for Radiology workshops will be available starting in the fall of 2013.
Upcoming Workshops	Thursday, September 27, 2012 Tuesday, November 13, 2012 Thursday, January 24, 2013 Tuesday, March 19, 2013 Thursday, April 25, 2013 Tuesday, May 21, 2013 For information on workshops after June 2013, please contact Allyson McCrary at allyson.mccrary@childrens.harvard.edu or Stephen Brown at stephen.brown@childrens.harvard.edu.
Registration	Please register online here.

SPECIAL CARE & NEWBORN NURSERIES
Title	Program to Enhance Relational & Communication Skills (PERCS): Difficult Conversations in Special Care and Newborn Nurseries
Description	This course offers interdisciplinary participants the opportunity to learn about helpful communication skills and relational abilities when having difficult conversations in the special care and newborn nursery settings. Each workshop offers didactic presentations, realistic enactments with professional actors, videotape feedback and debriefing, and group discussion. Each workshop emphasizes the importance of the patient and family perspectives through the use of videotaped family interviews and actors as patient and parent ethical understudies. Participants are encouraged to reflect on their personal and professional experience, and how that can influence their approach to difficult conversations with patients and families.
Course Director	Dara Brodsky, MD at dbrodsky@bidmc.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Interdisciplinary participants who work in special care and newborn nursery settings at any level of experience are welcome to enroll including but not limited to: Physicians Nurses Social workers Psychologists Chaplains Medical Interpreters Administrators Workshop enrollment size: 10-15 participants
Format / Time	Day-long workshop from 8:30am-3:15pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Please contact IPEP for further information.
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	No continuing education credits are currently available for this course
Upcoming Workshops	No dates are currently scheduled
Registration	Please contact IPEP for further information.

National / International Initiatives

DIFFICULT CONVERSATIONS IN HEALTHCARE: PEDAGOGY AND PRACTICE
Title	Difficult Conversations in Healthcare: Pedagogy and Practice
Description	This day-long faculty development course offers the opportunity to learn about an innovative pedagogy for enhancing relational capacities and communication skills in physicians, social workers, nurses, and other health care professionals at all levels of professional development. The PERCS (Program to Enhance Relational and Communication Skills) model of high fidelity simulation (with actors), collaborative learning, and reflection and feedback is utilized. Discussion and consideration of how participants might usefully integrate the pedagogy into educational endeavors in their home institutions is a primary focus of this course. Each workshop provides teaching and learning strategies for the interpersonal and communication skills and professionalism competencies required by many regulatory organizations including the ACGME and LCME. The course is offered as a pre-course for two Harvard Macy Institute Programs: Program for Educators in Health Professions and Leading Innovations in Health Care & Education.
Course Director	Elizabeth A. Rider, MSW, MD at elizabeth.rider@childrens.harvard.edu
Participants/ Size	Educators in the health professions are welcome to enroll including, but not limited to: Physicians in all specialties Residency Program Directors, Clerkship Directors, Medical School Deans, Department Chairs Medical Education Leaders, Medical Educators Social Workers, Psychologists, Advanced Practice Nurses Multidisciplinary Healthcare Professionals and others involved in teaching and/or developing programs in the areas of interpersonal and communication skills, professionalism, relationship-centered care, patient-practitioner relationships and related topics Harvard-Macy Program Scholars and Faculty Workshop enrollment size: 25 participants
Format / Time	Saturday workshop from 9:30am-5:00pm Syllabus, handouts, and teaching resources will be provided
Faculty	Workshops are facilitated by Institute Leadership and Faculty Associates
Cost	Self-pay or funded by participant's institution: $495 for physicians; $435 for allied health professionals and non-physician medical educators
Continuing Education Credit per Workshop	Physicians: The Harvard Medical School is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians. The Harvard Medical School designates this live activity for a maximum of 7 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity. Nurses: Nursing Staff Development of Boston Children's Hospital #PA93 is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Massachusetts Association of Registered Nurses, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. 6.4 contact hours have been accepted for this course as it meets the definition of continuing nursing education and meets the criteria set by the American Nurses Credentialing Center's Commission on Accreditation. Social Workers: This program has been approved for 6.5 Continuing Education hours for relicensure, in accordance with 258 CMR 31.00. Collaborative of NASW-MA and the Boston College and Simmons College Schools of Social Work. Psychologists: The Division of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry at Boston Children's Hospital is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. The Division of Psychology, Department of Psychiatry at Boston Children’s Hospital maintains responsibility for this program and its content. This program offers 6 continuing education credits.
Upcoming Workshops	Saturday, March 9, 2013 Saturday, June 8, 2013
Registration	View the 2013 course brochure here!