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Nurse-Physician Communication Exercise


Submitter Information


Name: Leslie W. Hall
Title: Associate Professor of Clinical Internal Medicine
Credentials: M.D
Organization: University of Missouri - Columbia
Email: HallLW@health.missouri.edu
Address 1: 1 Hospital Drive; Suite 1W 25
City: Columbia
State: MO
ZIP: 65212

Teaching Strategy


Competency Category(s):
Learner Level(s):
  • Pre-licensure ADN/diploma
  • Pre-licensure BSN
  • New graduates/transition to practice

Learner Setting(s):
  • Skills or simulation laboratories
  • Classroom

Strategy Type:
  • Individual Lesson Plans

Learning Objectives:

At the completion of this exercise, you should: 1. Understand the contribution of good communication to safe patient care 2. Be able to concisely summarize a concern about a patient 3. Actively listen to information communicated by the physician or other healthcare providers 4. Assertively yet professionally communicate concerns you have about a patient that are not being adequately addressed

Strategy Overview:

This classroom exercise may be utilized with nurses as they near completion of their training and begin to encounter initial experiences in which communication with physicians may be challenging. The accompanying Word document and PowerPoint presentation take the learner through a simulated conversation between a nurse and a physician regarding a patient who is deteriorating. The nurse is challenged to find effective means of assertively yet professionally escalating the dialogue on behalf of a patient whose condition does not allow for delay. The role play outlined in this scenario can easily be accomplished in a classroom setting by having students work in groups of two or three. The case scenario outlined in this teaching tool always provokes vigorous discussion, which can lead to a very productive dialogue about how to engage other health care workers


Submitted Materials


Media Type(s):
  • MS Word documents
  • MS Powerpoint documents

File(s):



Evaluation Description


Evaluation of this program has been accomplished by measurement of student satisfaction with the session. This session has been delivered several times, with learners consistently reflecting that this was very useful.