Vocational trainees' views and experiences regarding the learning and teaching of communication skills in general practice

Objective: To explore the views and experiences of general practice (GP) vocational trainees regarding communication skills (CS) and the teaching and learning of these skills. Methods: A purposive sample of second and third (final) year GP trainees took part in six focus group (FG) discussions. Transcripts were coded and analysed in accordance with a grounded theory approach by two investigators using Alas-ti software. Finally results were triangulated by means of semi-structured telephone interviews. Results: The analysis led to three thematic clusters: (1) trainees acknowledge the essential importance of communication skills and identified contextual factors influencing the learning and application of these skills: (2) trainees identified preferences for learning and receiving feedback on their communication skills: and (3) trainees perceived that the assessment of communication skills is subjective. These themes are organised into a framework for a better understanding of trainees' communication skills as part of their vocational training. Conclusions: The framework helps in leading to a better understanding of the way in which trainees learn and apply communication skills. Practice implications: The unique context of vocational training should be taken into account when trainees' communication skills are assessed. The teaching and learning should be guided by a learner-centred approach. The framework is valuable for informing curricular reform and future research. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.