Eduardo Vieira (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Fernanda Oliveira (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Marcio Dias (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Ana Santiago (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Arthus Zanetti (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Beatriz Cavalcanti (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); João Andreotti (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Taciana Toda (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Patrícia Ueno (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Ana Oliveira (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Manoel Ribeiro (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo); Gabriela Calazans (Faculdade de Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo)
Communication – A Skill in Health Practice
The experience of a university extension program in stimulating the development of communication skills for health care students
Introduction
Establishing appropriate professional-patient/community relations is an essential part of health care providers education. Developing communication skill is indispensable during this process, besides its contribution to health promotion activities.
Objectives
Offering students, through an extension program, conditions to: enhance their communication skills as well as their competence to establish proper relations with the community and other health professionals; provide opportunities to increase their knowledge on health promotion and disease prevention; encourage academic reflection about major issues concerning public health within the community.
Methods
Dense description of the experience of a university extension program conducted by academics from medical, nursing and Speech-Language Pathology and Audiology from the Faculdade Ciências Médicas da Santa Casa de São Paulo, located in São Paulo-Brazil.
Results
Since 2010, discussions about public health issues are being carried out involving public school teachers, through expertise guidance at this university extension program. These has resulted in the formulation of two training courses approved by the Education Department of the State of São Paulo, in which 180 public school teachers and 20 students from different graduate courses have participated. Till now, several weekly meetings for graduate student preparation and 13 meetings with elementary school teachers were held.
Conclusion
The experience at this university extension program contributed substantially to add academic experience in the field of health education, and it is inspiring the institution to expand the program to other areas of the city and to consolidate this model of health promotion as a discipline within the curriculum.
