Part 2 of 3 instalments from the Clinical Communication Conference held at the Clerkenewll campus
Something that became apparent during the UK Council for Clinical Communication (UKCCC) Conference 2025 was that medical education must prioritise genuine connection over polished performance if the future healthcare workforce is to be truly equitable, diverse, and inclusive. It was a reminder that inclusive communication teaching must encourage empathy, active respect and recognition for our shared humanity beyond formal education or cultural barriers...
Below I will dive into the key the insights learnt from the presentations delivered at the conference.
One particularly visible curriculum gap is represented by the language diversity area. With 9% of the UK population speaking a language other than English, yet interpreter services inconsistently taught, there is a clear need to embed language-inclusive teaching into core curricula. Interpreter-inclusive simulation sessions should be a standard practice for every second-year medical student with a role-reversal task navigating a healthcare form in an unfamiliar language. This challenges assumptions about communication ease and can be measured through simulation assessments and structured reflective exercises.
Supporting neurodivergent learners also demands a proactive shift. Neurodivergent students face hidden barriers when traditional communication models are assumed universal. One step towards creating a genuinely inclusive space, is the education of communication tutors. Annual two-hour practical training that includes five standard adaptations for neurodivergent learners with training outcomes assessed via student feedback and reflective practice audits, can ensure it moves from policy to practice.
Equally important is the proper session preparation by managing student expectations. They need to know what to expect long before stepping into communication sessions. By offering a five-minute pre-session video tour via student platforms, it can demystify session structure, layout, and key expectations. Impact can be measured through pre- and post-session anxiety surveys, allowing adjustment based on real student feedback.
Another core message was the need to make clinical reasoning teaching explicit. History-taking is often taught without showing students how doctors translate information into structured diagnoses. Updating history-taking templates to include mandatory sections for students to write a ‘Summary & Problem Formulation’ could be a helpful suggestion. Supported by tutor feedback at regular clinical placement intervals. students’ can improve their ability to articulate structured summaries, tracking it over time as a measurable learning outcome.
Language sensitivity is essential and therefore, documentation training must also evolve. With patients increasingly reading their notes, Inclusive Documentation Workshops focused on avoiding stigma (e.g., reframing terms like “refused” to “chose to postpone”), can be embedded within communication skills teaching. Progress can be measure through the completion of these workshops and quality audits of anonymised student notes.
A unifying message across all session resounded clear: equity and inclusion are not add-ons but must be central pillars of how te teaching practice in communication. Whether through more realistic interpreter use, inclusive empathy teaching, early exposure to clinical reasoning, or sensitive documentation, medical schools have an opportunity — and a responsibility — to shift communication teaching towards connection, compassion, and authenticity.
The future of clinical communication lies not in ticking the right boxes, but in meeting patients, colleagues, and each other where they are.
Words by Ms Nina Tabibzadeh, MBBS Year 2, City St George’s, University of London
Edited by Alexandra Bondoc, Inclusive Education and Events Officer