Death Notification Role Play

Death Notification Role Plays are held in June for first-year interns as part of the communication training they need in order to deliver bad news to someone whose spouse has just died. This is very difficult for new physicians. It requires a volunteer who is compassionate and understanding of the stress the interns will be experiencing and who will give them gentle suggestions for better communication from the spouse's point of view. There will also be an experienced faculty physician in the room when the bad news is delivered. This faculty person will review with the interns what they are learning and how to express the delivery of bad news in a compassionate way to the surviving spouse.