Communication skills in a Lebanese medical school: from movie theaters to medical classrooms

Communication skills are widely taught in US medical schools, but in Lebanon, such teaching is in its infancy. At the American University of Beirut, we piloted a communication skills teaching package using video scenarios in Arabic. A total of 150 second-year medical students addressed eight communication issues in a 3-hour multi-method workshop that included watching and discussing video clips and role-playing. Students evaluated the sessions positively for relevancy, quality of video clips, teaching methods, and usefulness for future practice. This interactive, role-playing workshop proved highly acceptable to Arab students and has been permanently incorporated into the curriculum.