Word on Ward provided a great opportunity for me to realize the importance of effective communication in healthcare field as it can have a profound effect on patient health outcomes as well as patient satisfaction and experience of care. It can also play an important role in the quality of working relationships which can result in a profound impact on patient safety.
Initially, I was only worried about whether I have enough clinical knowledge to provide health coaching on different health topics. However, I was able to enhance my communication skills around topics that are considered more uncomfortable to talk about as well as apply my clinical knowledge to identify problems that seemed important to patients throughout this elective program. I really enjoyed listening to the patients and learn about how they are dealing with their illnesses or problems. I learned that active listening is a key to effective communication as it helps patients feel comfortable sharing information with me. It also helps build trust and strong relationships with patients which can have a profound effect on their health outcomes. This health coaching role also allowed us to bridge and improve the communication gaps between healthcare providers and patients.
WoW also provided opportunities to work with students from other health professional programs at UCSF. Although I didn’t get a chance to work with students from other healthcare professions, having this opportunity through this elective is great way to learn how other healthcare professionals deliver care to their patients and practice interprofessional collaboration with other students. This would allow us to practice teamwork and communication skills with other healthcare professionals to make us work more effectively in a healthcare team in the future. Since we don’t get many opportunities to work together with students from other healthcare professions at school, having this kind of opportunity through WoW would be meaningful to every student who participates in this elective course.
Overall, WoW has been an incredible experience and I have thoroughly enjoyed my time interacting with patients and serving as a health coach. I believe this elective program empowers students to become better healthcare providers for our future patients.