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Mastering Tough Conversations: Vital Talk Communication Workshop Dec 2025
Providing high quality and compassionate medical care to seriously ill patients and their families requires clinicians to communicate medical information clearly, respond to emotion with empathy, effectively elicit patients values and develop clear and goal concordant care plans. The Institute of Medicine, concluded in 2015 report Dying in America that communication training was a critical- and missing- element to improving the experience of patients with serious illness and their families. In addition, many clinicians who work with patients with serious illness report feeling ill equipped to have these important conversations.
VitalTalk’s Mastering Tough Conversations is a communication training for clinicians who work with patients and families with serious illness. VitalTalk is an international program that relies on evidence-based methods and educational theory to effectively teach clinicians communication skills. Clinicians who have completed this training master skills that make them feel more prepared to have these difficult conversations. In addition, these skillful conversations make a difference to patients and their families.
This half-day communication training teaches clinicians a framework and skills to guide goals of care conversations. After an introduction to a framework and several important skills, there is deliberate time spent practicing the learned communication skills with actors in small groups.
Target Audience
Clinicians who care for seriously ill patients including: Attending Physicians, Advanced Nurse Practitioners, Physician Assistants, Social Workers, and Psychologists.
Learning Objectives
Upon completion of this activity participants will be able to:
- Describe a framework- to discuss goals of care with seriously ill patients/families
- Deliver clear and compassionate information.
- Recognize and Respond with empathy to emotion during difficult conversations.
- Skillfully elicit patient's/family's values and make a recommendation that is in line with their patient's/family's values.
Contact Information: For questions regarding this course please contact the Course Administrator, Chelsea Nevin at [email protected]
Additional Information
| Attachment | Size |
|---|---|
 Course Handouts REMAP-NURSE-VALUES.pdf | 238.87 KB |
Agenda 12.03.2025 PM
12:30 pm 1:00 pm | Arrival and lunch Introduction and REMAP presentation |
1:35 pm | Head to small group |
1:40 pm 1:50 pm | Small group start-up Headline Drills |
2:00 pm | Skills practice: patient 1 |
3:00 pm 3:10 pm 3:25 pm | BREAK MAP Drills Skills Practice: patient 2 |
4:25 pm 4:35 pm | Small group reflections Head back to large group |
4:45 pm | Large group- Recap, evaluations and Q&A |
5:00 pm | Session Adjourns |
There is parking adjacent to the Rockland II building, or you can park in the employee parking lot and walk across the street.
Click on the Speaker's Name to see their full bio:
Mindy Fink, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
Carly Levy, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
Megan Donovan, PA-C
Mare Draper, BC, BCC
Amelia Hayes, CCLS, MPH
Betsy Lee
Mary Mathews, MA, LCSW
Juliana O'Brien, MSN, FNP-BC
Christin Carroll, MD, MS, FAAP
Mindy Fink, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
Carly Levy, MD, FAAP, FAAHPM
Juliana O'Brien, MSN, FNP-BC
In support of improving patient care, Nemours Children’s Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Physicians
The Nemours Foundation is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Nemours designates this live activity for a maximum of 4.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits. Physicians should only claim the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Nurses
Nemours Children’s Hospital, Delaware is approved as a provider of nursing continuing professional development by Pennsylvania State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.
To earn nursing contact hours for this activity, please attend the entire presentation and then complete the online evaluation, which will be distributed via email following the presentation.
Physician Assistants
Nemours Children’s Health has been authorized by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for a maximum of 4.0 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Physician Associates should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
Psychologists
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
Social Workers
As a Jointly Accredited Organization, Nemours Children’s Health is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 4.0 general continuing education credits.
IPCE
This activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 4.0 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.
Other Professions
A certificate of participation will be provided to other health care professionals requesting credits. Please check with your accreditation board to make sure they accept AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™.
Below are are the credit types available to you per your professional designation.
Available Credit
- 4.00 AAPA Category I CME
Nemours Children’s Health has been authorized by the American Academy of Physician Associates (AAPA) to award AAPA Category 1 CME credit for activities planned in accordance with AAPA CME Criteria. This activity is designated for a maximum of 4.00 AAPA Category 1 CME credits. Physician Associates should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation.
- 4.00 MOC ABS – SurgerySuccessful completion of this CME activity, which includes participation in the evaluation component, enables the learner to earn credit toward the CME requirements of the American Board of Surgery’s Continuous Certification program. It is the CME activity provider's responsibility to submit learner completion information to ACCME for the purpose of granting ABS credit.
- 4.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™
In support of improving patient care, Nemours Children’s Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Nemours Children’s Health designates this activity for a maximum of 4.00 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- 4.00 ANCC Nursing Contact Hour
In support of improving patient care, Nemours Children’s Health is jointly accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Nemours Children’s Health designates this live activity for a maximum of 4.00 contact hours for nurses. Nurses should only claim credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
- 4.00 American Psychology Association Continuing Education (CE) Credits
Continuing Education (CE) credits for psychologists are provided through the co-sponsorship of the American Psychological Association (APA) Office of Continuing Education in Psychology (CEP). The APA CEP Office maintains responsibility for the content of the programs.
- 4.00 ASWB Approved Continuing Education (ACE) CreditsAs a Jointly Accredited Organization, Nemours Children’s Health is approved to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Organizations, not individual courses, are approved under this program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. Social workers completing this course receive 4.00 general continuing education credits.
- 4.00 Continuing EducationThis activity is designated for 4.00 continuing education credits.
- 4.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) CreditThis activity was planned by and for the healthcare team, and learners will receive 4.00 Interprofessional Continuing Education (IPCE) credit for learning and change.