Healthcare Communication Training for Residency Programs: Give Physicians-in-Training the Foundation Medical School Missed
Medical education has a well-documented crisis: the clinical skills that define whether a physician is truly excellent — the ability to deliver devastating news with compassion, disclose errors honestly, navigate difficult patient interactions, and build trust in moments of uncertainty — are almost entirely absent from medical school curricula.
Studies show the average medical student receives fewer than 20 hours of communication training across four years of education. Yet communication failures are among the leading causes of malpractice claims, patient dissatisfaction, and physician burnout.
The Orsini Way’s residency training programs give physicians-in-training the communication foundation their medical education left out — through evidence-based, experiential curriculum that is directly aligned with ACGME interpersonal and communication competency requirements.
Programs for Residency Programs and Medical Schools
The signature program for residency training in high-stakes communication. In a single experiential session, residents learn the evidence-based Breaking Bad News® protocol: how to prepare emotionally, how to open a difficult conversation, how to deliver devastating news with clarity and compassion, how to respond to grief and anger, and how to close with care.
Available as a one-hour experiential session (ideal for grand rounds and residency didactics), a full-day workshop, or a multi-session e-learning curriculum.
Communication in residency goes beyond patient interactions. Residents must also navigate team conflict, supervising physician dynamics, peer performance concerns, and difficult family interactions. Difficult Dialogues addresses the full range of high-stakes communication challenges in residency.
ACGME Communication Competency Alignment
The ACGME requires residency programs to demonstrate that graduates have achieved competency in Interpersonal and Communication Skills — including the ability to communicate effectively with patients, families, and colleagues, and to use effective listening skills. The Orsini Way’s programs are designed to directly address these competency requirements.
Contact us to discuss how The Orsini Way’s programs can be formally incorporated into your residency curriculum and documented for ACGME competency reporting purposes.
What Residency Program Directors Say
Q&A
Is Breaking Bad News® appropriate for first-year residents?
Yes. Breaking Bad News® is specifically designed to be applicable for residents at all levels. Many residency programs integrate it early in training — in the intern year or at the beginning of PGY-2 — to ensure that residents are equipped for difficult news conversations before they encounter them in clinical practice.
Can The Orsini Way provide documentation for ACGME competency records?
Yes. The Orsini Way provides program completion documentation that can be used in residency competency records. Contact us to discuss the appropriate documentation format for your program’s ACGME reporting needs.
Is this available as an annual recurring training for our residency program?
Yes. Many residency programs engage The Orsini Way on an annual basis — typically at the beginning of the academic year — to onboard incoming residents with communication training. Annual packages are available at preferential pricing.