PUB HLTH 1003 - Communication for Health Sciences

This course will be taught in intensive mode over one week during the mid-semester break in Semester 2, with online learning activities before and after. This course requires face-to-face attendance; students are not able to complete it online. The course will be highly interactive and skills-based providing students with the opportunity to assess and improve their communicative competence (oral, written and interpersonal) through self and peer-assessment tasks and by using a variety of media for communication. During the intensive face-to-face week the students will have the opportunity to replicate real-world communication in health care. Topics will include: basics of interpersonal communication and working in groups; giving & receiving feedback; psychology of communication; assessing communication skills by survey and observation; active listening and building trust and rapport; effect of power differentials in communication; health literacy; seeking information from experts and consumers; verbal and non-verbal communication; identifying and overcoming communication barriers; collaboration and interdisciplinary communication; foundations of evidence-based practice and policy; developing answerable questions; summarising and synthesising evidence and producing health information for different audiences.