References
Listening and communication styles of undergraduate paramedic students
Abstract
There is a need to identify if current undergraduate paramedic students have the appropriate attributes to ensure they are effective listeners and communicators and whether additional or specific elements need to be added to the paramedic curriculum. The objective of this study was to identify the listening and communication style preferences of undergraduate paramedic students at a major Australian university. Methods: a cross-sectional study using paper-based versions of the listening styles profile (LSP) and the communication styles measure (CSM) were administered to a cohort of students enrolled in the Bachelor of emergency health (paramedic). Ethics approval was granted. Results: students reported a preference for the people listening style and to a lesser extent, the content listening style. Consistent with this, they also reported a preference for the friendly and attentive communication styles and exhibited little preference for the dominant and contentious communication styles. Conclusion: the students’ self-reported preferences are well suited for the role of paramedic and it is likely that a disposition towards these styles of listening and communication also lead these people to enrol in a paramedic course given their preferences are associated with an interest and concern for the welfare of others.
Paramedics rely heavily on their communication and listening skills. These skills are drawn on before they arrive at the scene, during patient management, and finish with the patient handover at definitive care, often the emergency department. During this time, a paramedic will potentially have to communicate with a range of people: patients, family, general public, other emergency services, media, and other health professions in what can be emotionally charged situations. Communication and listening skills are essential to ascertain the nature of a patient's presenting problem, gain control of the situation, and ensure that the necessary information is passed on when handing over to the next level of care.
To our knowledge, very little research has been undertaken in the examination of communication (verbal or written) and listening styles of paramedic students and those employed in the field. Two studies that have been undertaken reported that communication between paramedics and staff in the hospital emergency department are not as effective as it ideally should be. For example, lack of a structured approach, lack of a ‘common language’, and the difficulty paramedics have in making medical and nursing staff understand what the incident scene was like, have been identified as communication issues (Scott et al, 2003; Owen et al, 2009).
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