Staff Development

How to Break Bad News

40 mins CPD
Video

Relevant for roles:

Practice Manager, Veterinary Nurse, Veterinary Surgeon

How to Break Bad News - Course Thumbnail

Course Details

  • Bad news is defined as any information that represents an unexpected or undesirable future. We consider something to be meaningful because it impacts our future happiness, either positively or negatively. Breaking negative news to pet owners is a common occurrence for veterinary practitioners. This difficult task requires empathy, refined communication skills and resilience. 
  • You will be presented with a course module followed by an assessment.
  • If you achieve 80% or more, you pass the course and will receive a printable certificate. If you do not pass, you will have the opportunity to review the content and retake the assessment when you feel confident.

Aims

This short webinar is aimed at mainly veterinary surgeons, but also potentially veterinary nurses, and describes the principles and practices surrounding breaking bad news. In terms of preparing to give bad news, this webinar looks at it from the point of view of Who, What, Why, Where, When & How.

Objectives

During this course learners will be able to:

  • Whilst there is no perfect formula for how to deliver bad news, there are principles worth considering when dealing with them. This webinar uses the acronym PREP to summarise the learning objectives:

    P - Learn how to prepare to give bad news.
    R - Learn key communication tactics to relay the news.     
    E - Learn how to anticipate and handle the client's emotional reaction to receiving the news.
    P - Learn how to deal with some practical decisions relating to the situation.