Behavioral Foundations

3 credits · Professional

This full-year lecture and group discussion class is an introduction to the principles and methods of effective communication. The constructs, principles, and methods of effective communication and motivation in health education and behavioral change will be examined. Concepts covered include theories of motivation, principles of teaching and learning, the client-centered approach to education and counseling, and aspects of psychology that are fundamental to dental hygiene practice. Emphasis will be on the one-on-one clinical setting with reference to the community environment. Learners will be prepared for the second-year clinic following the practice of their patient education skills in simulated patient interactions. There will also be an emphasis on motivational and counseling techniques for tobacco dependence education. Learners will practice motivational interviewing techniques, using video recordings, to prepare them for competencies in the second year of this program. In addition, this course houses 2 interprofessional learning modules for all Dalhousie students enrolled in health care professions: Term 1- Foundational Interprofessional Education event This Interprofessional Health Education (IPE) event contributes to preparing students to work collaboratively with other health professionals. It provides opportunities to learn about, from, and with students across the Faculties of Dentistry, Medicine, and Health. Term 2- Introduction to Cultural Safety in Healthcare for Indigenous People This course attends to three specific Truth and Reconciliation Commission Calls to Action that is particularly critical during the education of healthcare professionals. These Calls to Action include: #22 - the healthcare system to recognize the value of Aboriginal healing practices #23 - cultural competency training for all healthcare professionals, i.e., dentistry, dental hygiene #24 - medical and nursing schools in Canada “to require all students to take a course dealing with Aboriginal health issues” The course objectives recognize the importance of treaty education in health and clinical practice for Mi’kmaq and Indigenous Peoples. This course will provide students with a holistic understanding of Indigenous peoples’ health, including the historical context, the unique contemporary determinants of Indigenous well-being, and practices to consider for therapeutic health care encounters integrated with domains from the Canadian Interprofessional Health Collaborative framework (CIHC). The CIHC National Interprofessional Competency framework describes six competencies required for effective inter-professional collaboration and these include: Role Clarification, Team Functioning, Patient/Client/Family/Community-Centered Care, Collaborative Leadership, Inter-professional Communication, and Interprofessional Conflict Resolution. By understanding historical events, treaties, landmark documents, health care, and cultural safety we begin to prepare Dalhousie University medical, pharmacy, nursing, dentistry, and dental hygiene students for the demands of clinical practice. In addition, the course will build institutional capacity so other learners from Faculties across Dalhousie University can learn this valuable Indigenous core content knowledge and apply it in their respective areas of study.