Communication - a new subject at the Medical Faculty of Ljubljana

Changes of curriculum in medicine and dental medicine at the Medical Faculty Ljubljana according to Bologna declaration has been started in the academic year 2009/10. New curriculum at the Medical Faculty of Ljubljana introduced early clinical exposure for first-year medical students through the subject "Communication". Our aim is to present the outline and the contents of the new subject and point out our experiences and dilemmas. The decision for introducing this subject is based on the empirical recognition of the fact that previous programme lacked the necessary knowledge and experience for good interpersonal communication. With early clinical exposure we want to achieve several aims: providing students with the basic knowledge on medical psychology, teach them how to communicate with healthy people and patients, present them the rules for communication within a small group and help them understand that a good doctor-patients relationship is crucial for successful treatment. The curriculum consists of theoretical part (lectures in medical psychology) and practical part (communication in a small group using prepared vignettes, an interview with nursing home residents and observation of general practitioners' work during their 1-day practice). The training of communication skills is assessed using students' feedback. The final assessment consists of the test results and presentation of seminar papers. At the end of the course students assessed the programme. Students welcomed the curriculum and assessed it as very valuable at the beginning of their medical studies. The practical part of the programme, in which they had contact with patients and experienced the role of a physician, was highly appreciated. The acquisition of knowledge regarding communication skills by medical students may be optimized when the training is given together with extensive supervised patients' contact. The ECE helps medical students develop appropriate personal attitudes for their future professional career.