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In partnership with Doctors of BC, Island Health is pleased to offer learning opportunities designed to support effective communication, collaboration, and ethical decision making among Island Health medical staff.
Courses are designed to support psychological and physical safety by building practical skills for navigating conflict, ethical decisions and challenging conversations. The virtual, interactive workshops provide opportunities for peer learning and open discussion about conflict management, moral distress and ethical dilemmas.
All offerings will be accredited for Mainpro+ and MOC credits and will be held virtually.
→ Course Development
Medical Staff reported in the 2025 Doctors of BC Health Authority Engagement Survey Report that they experience aspects of bullying and harassment and moral distress in the workplace. Nearly 40% of respondents described experiences of bullying and harassment from colleagues, management and other health care workers, and 28% of respondents cited negative treatment in their workplace, resulting in moral distress, toxic environments, and feeling disrespected and undervalued.
→ Course Schedule
Session
Professional Relationships in Practice
Nov 12th - 17:00-19:00
From Moral Distress to Ethical Action
Nov 18th - 18:00–19:30
Jan 13th - 18:00–19:30
Professional Relationships in Practice
Jan 26th – 18:00-20:00
March 10th – 19:00-21:00
Communication Course for Healthcare Professionals Workshop
Feb 26th – 08:30-16:30
Registration
Save your spot early! Email MedStaffPrograms@islandhealth.ca with your preferred session(s). Session space is limited and will be offered on a first come, first served basis.
→ Session Details
Professional Relationships in Practice: Responding Constructively to Challenging Behaviour
Course Dates:
- November 12th, 17:00–19:00
- January 26th, 18:00–20:00
- March 10th, 19:00–21:00
Course Instructor: Dr. Tom Lloyd, physician and professional development coach.
Course Description: This two-hour, virtual session aims to help participants gain practical strategies to recognize assumptions and reactions, approach difficult behaviour, navigate disagreement without unnecessary escalation, and use curiosity, active listening, and respectful language to maintain constructive professional relationships.
Learning Takeaways:
- Acquire the skills and knowledge to recognize your own assumptions, approach difficult behaviour respectfully and directly, and without escalating conflict
- Develop strategies for maintaining constructive professional relationships even when conversations are challenging
Course Outline:
Recognize
How assumptions, attribution, emotional responses and patterns of thinking can influence their interpretation of colleagues' behaviour and contribute to workplace conflict.
Apply
Practical reflective frameworks to distinguish observable behaviour from interpretation and identify alternative perspectives before responding to a difficult interaction.
Analyze
Common patterns that perpetuate workplace conflict, including defensiveness, over personalization and unhelpful interpersonal roles, and identify opportunities to interrupt these patterns. Full group discussion.
Demonstrate
Communication strategies that use curiosity, active listening and respectful, behaviour-focused language to address concerns and navigate difficult conversations with colleagues.
Develop
An appropriate response to challenging workplace behaviour that balances personal responsibility, collegiality and professionalism.
From Moral Distress to Ethical Action
Course Dates:
- November 18th, 18:00–19:30
- January 13th, 18:00–19:30
Course Instructor: Dr. Shavaun MacDonald, physician ethicist, Island Health.
Course Description: This 90-minute, virtual session will provide participants with practical approaches to ethical decision-making, including moral distress, self-awareness, and applying an ethical framework to clinical scenarios. The session will be a safe space for providers to discuss clinically relevant ethical dilemmas.
Learning Takeaways:
- Improved knowledge and understanding of ethical decision-making in healthcare
- Practice applying an ethical framework to clinical cases
Course Outline:
- Overview of Key Concepts
- Moral distress
- Self-Awareness
- Circle of Control
- Least Harms Approach
- Practicing Ethical Decision-Making Through Scenarios
- Review ethical dilemma
- Applying Ethical Decision-Making Framework
- Group Discussion and Participation
Navigating Challenging Conversations Across the System
Course Dates:
- February 26th, 08:30-16:30
Session will have time for participants to take refreshment and lunch breaks
Course Instructor: Dr. Rahul Gupta, a integrative medical physician, professional coach, mindfulness instructor, and advocate for provider wellness
Course Description: This one-day, virtual session will focus on practical communication skills for challenging conversations. Participants will learn and practice a simple four-stage communication framework, including listening with curiosity and describing with clarity. The full workshop is accredited for 9.5 Mainpro+ credits or 9.5 MOC Section 3 credits
Learning Takeaways:
- Practice a four-stage communication framework
- Practical communication skills for challenging conversations.
Course Outline:
Pre-Workshop Needs Assessment: Learners complete a needs assessment and customized pre-program activities prior to the full-day session. (30 min.)
Full-Day Workshop (8 hours, including breaks)
| Time | Topic |
|---|---|
| 08:30 | Welcome, overview, introductions and the case for communication |
| 10:00 | Assumptions, feelings, and values |
| 10:30 | Refreshment break |
| 10:45 | Overview of the Experience Cube |
| 12:00 | Lunch break |
| 12:45 | Listening with curiosity |
| 13:45 | Practice listening with the Experience Cube |
| 14:15 | Refreshment break |
| 14:30 | Describing with clarity |
| 15:00 | Practice expressing with the Experience Cube |
| 16:00 | Commitment to Change, wrap‐up, and evaluation |
| 16:30 | End of Workshop |
Topic
- Case for communication
- Assumptions, feelings, and values
- Overview of the Experience Cube
- Listening with curiosity
- Practice listening with the Experience Cube
- Describing with clarity
- Practice expressing with the Experience Cube
- Commitment to Change, wrap‐up, and evaluation
Post-Workshop: Learners have three post-workshop check-ins to enhance their learning retention. (total time: 60 min.)
- 3 weeks post-workshop: 15-minute peer check-in
- 6 weeks post-workshop: 30-minute coaching call with the facilitator
- 12 weeks post-workshop: Reflective exercise