Professional Development for Patient-Centered Practice
"The Color of My Hair" illustrates the importance of appreciative listening. It is shown at many Ida workshops. Click here to see more of our clinical videos.
Patients at the Center
Ida Tools for Self-Development
· Dilemma Game
· Reflective Journal
· Time and Talk
· Video Library
Reflecting on Day-to-Day Practice
Anyone who thinks they are doing fine is an ideal candidate for reflection!
— Christine DePlacido
Making Time for Reflection
Reflection as Team Building
Audiologists discuss the benefits they gained from using the Time and Talk tool with their colleagues.
Ida’s Time and Talk Tool, developed in collaboration with Lesley Jones, Honorary Senior Lecturer in Social Science at Hull York Medical School, is one such teaching tool. The online tool uses scenarios and role-plays of mock consultation sessions to teach practicing hearing care professionals valuable skills that can be applied in clinical practice. The tool helps both experienced and new professionals to draw insightful connections between clinical and communication skills. This enables them to see how new ways of asking open-ended questions or using personal reflection can lead to a more efficient, personable and patient-centered appointment. It also gives supervisors an opportunity to observe clinicians’ techniques directly, make suggestions, and open a dialogue with their direct reports.
“A good supervisor will help you offload and unpick difficult sessions so that you can see beyond your reflection and build your reflexivity,” says Christine. “This helps the patient and audiologists to examine what is behind these difficult sessions. The supervisor can challenge practitioners in a way that they may not challenge themselves, so there is an opportunity for deeper self-reflection and growth.”
Christine notes that in her experience, this type of supervision is not routinely available. Most audiologists adapt by talking to colleagues informally about practical ways to handle these situations or by setting up small peer support groups.
7 Easy Ways to Improve Your Professional Development
· Bring the Dilemma Game to play at your staff meetings
· Do a self-awareness check once a week
· Watch an Ida ethnographic film on your lunch break
· Create or join a Facebook group where you can start discussions using the Dilemma Game
· Arrange a Time & Talk workshop day with colleagues
· Do a mini role-playing session with a colleague on your break
· Fill out the Reflective Journal once a week