| Sumario: | Students graduating from professional healthcare pro- grams are expected to demonstrate competence in their area of study to enter the workforce and immediately start working with people. High expectations and a fast-paced environment are typical aspects of these professional posi- tions and often result in higher rates of burnout, compas- sion fatigue, and lack of empathy leading to an overall decrease in patient satisfaction. As a result, patients who face difficult situations may often feel as though their needs are not being addressed. The purpose of thjs study was to examine the effectiveness of a shared educational module and simulated patient encounters on Improving student confidence and competence engaging in difficult conversations with patients regarding intimate partner vio- lence, substance abuse, and suicidal ideation. Students in the social work (n=14), athletic training (n=7), and physi- cian assistant degree programs (n=20) participated in a collective learning module focusing on patient-centered care (PCC) skills required for having difficult conversations with patients. After students completed the shared learn- ing module and prior to the simulated experience, students were given the Inter-professional Teams in Difficult Conver- sations Self-Assessment survey, a self-assessment tool measuring level of competence in engaging in difficult con- versations. Students were then assigned to one of three rooms at random and varied in topic from intimate partner violence, substance abuse, or suicidal ideation. After the simulation, students completed the Inter-professional Teams in Difficult Conversations Self-Assessment survey again. Standardized patients (SP) also completed the Patient-Professional Interaction Questionnaire (PPIQ) immediately after the simulated experience, As hypothe- sized, students self-reported very high confidence in their ability to engage in difficult conversations using PCC, but SPs reported feeling little empathy or understanding of their situation from the students. Findings from this research demonstrate the disconnect in transfer of knowl edge from understanding what PCC skills are to imple menting them during difficult conversations .
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