Interprofessional Collaboration and Communication
What this domain tests
These stations simulate calls and handovers with prescribers, nurses, and other clinicians. The examiner assesses whether your communication is structured, respectful, concise, and closed with a clear agreed action and shared record.
Core rules
- Use a recognized handover structure so the listener can follow. A common one is SBAR: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation.
- Lead with the reason for the call in one sentence, then supply context. Prescribers are interrupted frequently; front-load the ask.
- Be specific in the recommendation: what you propose, the rationale, and the alternatives if the first is declined.
- Close the loop: confirm the decision, repeat it back, state who will do what and when, and agree on documentation.
- Maintain professional register under pressure. Disagreement is about the clinical issue, not the person.
- Respect scope: recommend and clarify; do not unilaterally change a prescription.
Worked example
You need to reach a prescriber about a patient with a new rash after starting an antibiotic two days ago, with lip swelling.
Reasoning: this is potentially serious, so state urgency immediately. "I'm calling about a patient who may have a drug reaction with lip swelling; I need your advice now." Situation: 34-year-old on the second day of the antibiotic with a spreading rash and lip swelling. Background: no prior drug allergies, no other new products, no breathing difficulty yet. Assessment: possible hypersensitivity reaction, and the lip involvement raises concern. Recommendation: stop the antibiotic, arrange same-day assessment, and discuss an alternative agent. Confirm the decision, repeat it, and document the time, the person contacted, and the plan including who arranges the assessment.
Traps that cost marks
- Burying the request after a long narrative.
- Failing to state urgency when the situation is time-sensitive.
- Ending the call without a confirmed, restated decision.
- Being deferential to the point of not raising a genuine safety concern.
- Changing therapy without authorization, or failing to record the conversation.