Table 5.
Students' responses to being asked to describe ways in which role-play can be helpful
| Preparation |
| "The most important thing was the in-built preparation" |
| Rehearsal |
| "It enabled me to use my skills directly and assess their effects on other people..." |
| "First hand experience – to understand the difficulties in communication which are hard to get without actually doing it" |
| "It helped understand, what sort of questions provided the best responses" |
| "Enabled me to use my communication skills in a way much more relevant to the way in which I will need them in real consultations. Also, the role plays each included a psychosocial aspect which was useful to practice eliciting." |
| "It highlighted the importance of 'probing' in order to get information out of patients" |
| "It also made me realise how difficult it can be to keep an interview flowing – I'll definitely need more experience!" |
| "Good chance to try out something that looks so easy but makes you realise that it is difficult and does require practice." |
| Feedback |
| "It's good to receive constructive criticism and be made aware of your behaviour" |
| "Group discussion afterwards (as well as individual feedback) allowing us to learn from other people's experiences too." |
| Different perspectives |
| "Positive to see things from a patient's perspective" |
| "Got to experience how the patient feels as well as observing the interview, to get a more well rounded picture of a consultation." |
| "In playing the role of the patient, as well as the medical student, it enabled us to understand the patient's point of view." |
| Safety using role-play |
| "It puts you in a real-life situation where you can practice what you know but still it is a role-play so if you make mistakes it is okay" |
| Other professional skills |
| "Good method of learning and helping people feel less nervous talking in front of others." |
| "Highlighted aspects of non-verbal communication" |