Teaching

 Soft  Skills  in      

Healthcare  Professions  

by Lori Tyler
Lori Tyler & Associates

©Tyler & Associates, Inc., 2012

 What  are  Soft  
Skills?  

• Professionalism
• Communication
• Critical thinking
• Conflict resolution

©2012 Tyler & Associates, Inc.

 Why  Teach  Soft  Skills?  
Research has found that the use of soft
skills make for a productive, happy staff and
satisfied patients.

Soft skills are a major focus of many

accreditation standards

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 Employers
kn o w

People are the key

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 Teaching  Soft  Skills  

to adults in healthcare professions

©2012 Tyler & Associates, Inc.

 Three  needs  of  adults    
in  the  workplace  
OMeaningful work
OAppreciation for work
OIntegrating fun at work

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What makes work in
healthcare meaningful?
Nine
times
out
of ten
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 the
answer
is
The people…
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Why is
Professionalism
Important?

•Makes work a career

•People expect
professionalism
•Helps one feel good
about one’s work
Use what is meaningful
to me to teach me
Set  the  Expectation  
OShow examples of how health care
professional are to dress (pictures, models,
etc.)
OGive ideas for covering unprofessional
piercings, tattoos, etc.
OTreat violations in private meetings and with
sensitivity

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 Practice  Communication  Skills  
ORecognition of
patient’s level of
understanding
OProviding appropriate
feedback
OSensitivity to patient
concerns and fears
ORespect of spatial
boundaries

©2012 Tyler & Associates, Inc.


Teaching
 Example
  patient should wash
Use of verbal
communication to enable
patient understanding
Il est important de se laver
les mains après avoir
mangé, utiliser la salle de
bains, et de vous moucher.
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OStart with giving
directions for when a
their hands (say it in
another language or
using words above
the education level of
the students).
OAsk students to use
their communication
skills to help a
patient understand
what you just said.
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Provide
 
Opportunities
 to
 
Experience
 
Diversity
 
• Illicit diverse staff to teach
about their culture.
• Guest speakers or other
students can present how
to understand their
cultural beliefs
• Meals, celebrations of
culture, and practicing
cultural rituals can help
everyone feel included and
understood.
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 Teaching
 Example
 
Discussion Role Play

OIn small groups have

students discuss
differences in
personal space from
culture to culture.

ODemonstrate various
cultures comfort with
personal space.
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Develop  Critical  Thinking  
Skills  
OCritical thinking skills
ONecessary when
performing patient
assessment and care
OHigher level of
processing information

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 OProvide students with
a brief history to
Teaching  Example   por tray to the
assessor
Applying Critical Thinking in OHave students take
Patient Assessment turns role playing the
patient and the
assessor
OBe sure to praise the
examples of critical
thinking

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 Provide  Options  for    
Conflict  Resolution  

Collaboration
is the Goal

Avoidance,
Competition,
Accommodation, and
Compromise are not

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 Everyone  has  a  
scope  of  practice  
OUse what is
meaningful as
motivation
OSet the expectation
OProvide practice and
experiential
opportunities
OProvide options
©2012 Tyler & Associates, Inc.