Abstract:
Prehospital Emergency Medical Service (EMS) providers often serve as the first point of contact for individuals who experience traumatic and medical emergencies. Effective communication involves more than just the exchange of information. This highlights the importance of EMS providers to build trust and demonstrate empathy through the soft skills of active listening and the use of non-stigmatizing language. The words chosen in these critical moments can either foster trust or create barriers to care. Intentional scenario design creates opportunities to practice situations that teach effective communication and how to handle challenging circumstances that require compassionate treatment of our patients. EMS students and professionals must practice these essential skills to engage with high-risk populations who experience homelessness, substance use disorders, and other social biases that affect the overall healthcare system within a psychologically safe environment. This webinar emphasizes the importance of healthcare simulation techniques for developing soft skills such as empathy, active listening, and non-stigmatizing language use as crucial tools for patient care and team collaboration.
Learning Objectives:
- Explain the role of emergency medical simulation in the development of soft skills for EMS and healthcare professionals in high-risk populations.
- Identify empathetic communication strategies during prehospital simulation experiences to incorporate non-stigmatizing language.
- Analyze a case-based ems simulation to determine how communication impacts patient outcomes.