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Often, the most stressful part of anaesthesia or surgery isn’t the job itself, but managing workplace dynamics and balancing personal relationships.

 

For many years the Process Communication ModelÂŽ (PCM) and Leading Out of Drama (LOD) have been integral parts of the professional development programme for Fellows in RACS and ANZCA. These evidence-based non-technical skills courses consistently receive outstanding feedback from participants. Designed to complement each other, you can begin developing your non-technical skills with either workshop.

Full details of CPD allocations are included in the descriptions below.

Book PCM courses and earn up to 22:25 hours CPD time
Book LOD courses and earn up to 7:30 CPD time


In healthcare, technical expertise is only part of the equation. Effective communication, leadership, and conflict resolution are critical to ensuring the best patient outcomes and a healthy work environment. The Process Communication Model (PCM) equips you with these essential non-technical skills, helping to prevent burnout and improve overall well-being.

By understanding your own communication style and effectively responding to the needs of others, PCM helps you navigate the complex interpersonal dynamics that are often the most stressful aspects of medical practice. Whether you're dealing with colleagues, patients, or managing team dynamics in critical situations, PCM provides the tools needed for effective communication, confident leadership, and collaboration under pressure.

PCM training is fully aligned with the continuing professional development (CPD) requirements of major medical bodies such as ANZCA and RACS. It fits within the Knowledge and Skills category with ANZCA, and within RACS’ Collaboration and Teamwork, Communication, Leadership, and Management and Professionalism competencies. This offers you a unique opportunity to fulfil your CPD obligations while gaining practical skills that enhance your professional capabilities.

  • Key2Me course can be claimed as 3:30 hours lecture time and 0:30 hours interactive time

  • Seminar 1 (Core Concepts) can be claimed as 9:05 hours lecture time and 13:20 hours interactive time

  • Seminar 2 (Motivation and Conflict Resolution) can be claimed as 3:15 hours lecture time and 17:30 hours interactive time

Do you want to actively influence your relationships, teamwork, leadership, self-awareness, and well-being? Explore our PCM courses and start transforming your professional and personal life.  

Book PCM courses

Conflict is a common challenge in high performance environments, and can impact teamwork, decision-making, and patient care. Leading Out of DramaÂŽ (LOD) equips medical professionals with the skills to identify, engage with, and resolve conflict effectively, ensuring that conflict is harnessed to produce positive outcomes and growth.

In LOD workshops, participants develop the skills to engage with conflict healthily to produce outcomes where dignity, capability, and accountability are reinforced, rather than compromised. These strategies are vital for reducing stress, and fostering a culture of respect and cooperation within your medical practice.

 In using these skills, you and your team are able to maintain focus on patient care, professional collaboration, and growth.

As a practical, skills-based course, LOD is an excellent fit for continuing professional development (CPD) under the "Knowledge and Skills" category, meeting the requirements of organizations like ANZCA and RACS. By participating in LOD training, you’ll not only fulfil your CPD obligations but also gain invaluable tools to enhance your leadership and conflict resolution capabilities.

Two workshops are offered:

  • Conflict and You can be claimed as 0:30 hours lecture time and 1:30 hours interactive time
    An introductory 2-hour skill workshop building conflict awareness and self-management skills.
  • Leading Out of Drama Core Workshop Series can be claimed as 1:30 hours lecture time and 6:00 hours interactive time
    An in-depth series of 4 x 90 minute workshops building awareness and skills, while fostering collaborative discussions amongst peers. The Core workshop series sets up long lasting new skills and behaviours to support clinicians to take the next step in their development.

Take the proactive step to reduce conflict, improve team dynamics, and create a more positive work environment. Explore our Leading Out of DramaÂŽ courses and start leading with confidence and clarity.

Book LOD courses

The research is clear: non-technical skills add significant value to medical practice. Non-technical skills have been shown to:

  • protect against burnout1,
  • improve patient outcomes2 and experiences3,
  • contribute to clinical leadership4, and
  • reduce both treatment cost5 and the risk of error.6

Attendees tell us that the skills developed in PCM and LOD workshops enhance the effectiveness of their medical teams, contribute to better patient outcomes, foster healthier work environments, and lead to more fulfilling careers and personal lives.

Now you can directly book PCM and LOD courses to earn CPD points, and gain skills that you’ll find personally and professionally life-changing.

Medical-focussed
PCM workshop in February

We are delighted to announce a PCM Seminar 1 workshop facilitated by two incredibly experienced medical professionals:

  • Dr Stephen Wilkinson is a general/bariatric surgeon in Hobart. He studied Medicine and obtained his FRACS in Sydney, moved to Scotland for an immunology MD, and is in surgical practice in Hobart. He has instructed many PCM courses for RACS in Australia and New Zealand.
  • Dr Marion Andrew trained in medicine in the UK and has worked as an anaesthetist in South Australia since 1996. Focused on minimising risk, she has been training anaesthetists and surgeons in the pivotal role communication plays in patient safety, professionalism and doctors’ health for over 12 years.

Steve and Marion will be facilitating a special PCM Seminar 1 workshop in Melbourne on 18-20 February 2025. Book early to secure a spot with this medical supergroup!

Doctors in Training, contact us for a 40% discount.

Book to attend this workshop

“Often the most stressful part of anaesthesia or surgery is not the job itself but dealing with people in the workplace and juggling personal relationships. In learning PCM you find out how you tick, how others tick and how you can smooth communication using an engaging skillset. In seminars filled with ‘light- bulb moments’ many anaesthetists and surgeons who experience PCM say they wished they’d learnt PCM a lot earlier in their lives.”

Dr Marion Andrew
MBChB, FANZCA

I realised that PCM was a powerful, evidence-based model of how personality is structured and how this directly impacts communication, normal behaviour, and behaviour under stress. I realised that this could have a huge impact on surgeons and the medical workforce, which constantly operates under stress, with a subsequent high rate of burnout, mental health issues, and family disharmony.

Dr Stephen Wilkinson
MBBS MSci MMed MD MLaw Grad Dip Psychology FRACS

“An invaluable workshop to re-evaluate communication, performance, and  relationships. I was able to immediately apply what I learnt with startling results” 

RACS
Leading Out of Drama Participant

If you would like to discuss a standalone course for your team, or a group of peers, please contact us to learn more!

Contact us to discuss options

[1] Shanafelt, T. D., West, C., Zhao, X., Novotny, P., Kolars, J., Habermann, T., & Sloan, J. (2005). Relationship between increased personal well-being and enhanced empathy among: Internal medicine residents. Journal of general internal medicine, 20, 559-564.

[2] Beach, M. C., Keruly, J., & Moore, R. D. (2006). Is the quality of the patient-provider relationship associated with better adherence and health outcomes for patients with HIV?. Journal of general internal medicine, 21, 661-665.

[3] Ong, L. M., Visser, M. R., Lammes, F. B., & De Haes, J. C. (2000). Doctor–patient communication and cancer patients’ quality of life and satisfaction. Patient education and counseling, 41(2), 145-156.

[4] Wright, S. M., Kern, D. E., Kolodner, K., Howard, D. M., & Brancati, F. L. (1998). Attributes of excellent attending-physician role models. New England Journal of Medicine, 339(27), 1986-1993.

[5] Bertakis, K. D., & Azari, R. (2011). Patient-centered care is associated with decreased health care utilization. The Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, 24(3), 229-239.

[6] West, C. P., Tan, A. D., Habermann, T. M., Sloan, J. A., & Shanafelt, T. D. (2009). Association of resident fatigue and distress with perceived medical errors. Jama, 302(12), 1294-1300.