A method for teaching communication in pharmacy in authentic work situations

Studies consistently confirm that there is an extensive need for new theoretical and practical directions for communication in disciplines (CID) programmes. The CID pedagogy calls for more specialized training with more specialized methods in particular professions. This study presents a method developed for practical training studies in pharmacy based on the CID framework. The data (N = 481) were collected from both students and mentors via online surveys using both quantitative and qualitative methods. The results strongly suggest that the teaching method is highly suitable for teaching discipline-specific communication skills in authentic work situations. The study shows that the CID pedagogy has potential in helping mentors improve their communication competence while they are supervising students. Keywords: Communication in Disciplines; Authentic Work Situation; Teaching Method; Pharmacy DOI: 10.1080/03634520903576184