Social skills in medical education

In cooperation with the Institute for Education and Academic Affairs (IfAS), CeSoS supports medical students in developing social skills. This includes simulation training, realistic exercise formats, and structured feedback processes.

In addition to medical expertise, social skills are indispensable for prospective doctors. They enable them to respond empathetically to patients, deal confidently with difficult situations, and work effectively in a team. These skills are trained in a practical manner and reflected upon in protected settings.

Project status

Since 2021, social skills training has been firmly integrated into medical studies at the University of Münster. Students complete mandatory courses at the “Limette” training center in their first and fifth semesters. From the sixth semester onwards, further practice-oriented exercises follow, which are more focused on medical content but still incorporate social aspects. The concept is continuously evaluated and further developed.

Further links

Further information on the IfAS project page.

Publications on the project:

Breil, S. M., Amelung, D., Oberst, S., Rollinger, T., Ahrens, H., Garbe, A., Kadmon, M., Marschall, B., Back, M. D., & Peters, H. (2024). Physicians' social skills – conceptualization, taxonomy, and behavioral assessment. Perspectives on Medical Education, 13(1), 635–645. https://doi.org/10.5334/pme.1171 pdf

Breil, S. M., Mielke, I., Ahrens, H., Geldmacher, T., Sensmeier, J., Marschall, B., & Back, M. D. (2022). Predicting actual social skill expression from personality and skill self-concepts. Journal of Intelligence, 10(3), Article 48. https://doi.org/10.3390/jintelligence10030048