Communication Skills & RCA
Throughout your 3 year programme we will focus on helping you reflect on and improve your consultations. As well as needing to be effective at consulting to pass the Recorded Consultation Assessment (RCA), this is also the fundamental unit of general practice and as such is one of your key “tools of the trade” which GPs spend a lifetime developing.
Click here for an overview of how we approach this.
There is a wide range of useful online resources for helping you develop your communication skills. Some are commercial, some not. Many contain material we will refer to on VTS and so we’d recommend you familiarise yourself with a selection. Here are a few:
One of the key elements of the scheme is small group work. This will start in ST1 and 2 at your monthly sessions, or more frequently for those in GP, and will continue into regular ST3 sessions. Some groups have found it so useful they have continued after they have completed VTS. We use a range of techniques, depending on the issues raised, but one technique that can be particularly useful when discussing complex patient interactions is the work of Balint.
Click here for further information about Balint
The RCGP has produced some advice about preparing for the CSA, including an InnovAIT CSA-special podcast and an e-learning course – please click here.