Mastering Tough Conversations | Munson Hospice and Palliative Care

Mastering Tough Conversations: Goals of Care Counseling 

munson hospice and palliative care hosts mastering tough conversations: powered by vitalktalk course

April 25, 2025 | Cowell Family Cancer Center

Munson Healthcare Palliative Medicine is hosting Mastering Tough Conversations, a Powered by VitalTalk live course for clinicians in Northern Michigan. 

This full-day course will teach you how to deliver serious news and have goals-of-care conversations with seriously ill patients and their families. Simulated patient actors from the Old Town Playhouse in Traverse City will be an integral part of the course. This will allow you to practice the skills learned during this course through live role-play and receive immediate feedback from communication experts. 

The course will be directed and facilitated by Munson's palliative medicine physicians and VitalTalk faculty members Dr. Román Barraza and Dr. Bilal Malek. 

Register to Attend Today

Event Details

Friday, April 25, 2025, from 8 am to 5 pm

Cowell Family Cancer Center - Basement Conference Rooms
217 S. Madison St. 
Traverse City, MI 49684

Course Description

Research shows that clinicians often miss opportunities to discuss what matters most with patients who have a serious illness. Clinicians believe that talking about prognosis and goals of care is important—99% rate it as "important." But in the latest national survey, only 14% had these conversations. Why? Most clinicians have never had formal training, worry it will take too long, or aren’t sure how to raise the topic.

In this one-day course, you will learn key skills for sharing (or clarifying) serious news and responding to emotion. We will give you tools for delivering information in a clear, concise, and empathetic way.  

*Registered learners will receive a self-guided online module to learn the foundational framework one week before the live course. 

Who is This Course for?

  • Physicians, physician assistants, nurse practitioners, and other medical professionals who care for seriously ill patients.
  • The course is designed for clinicians from a range of specialties and care settings, including primary care, hospital medicine, cardiology, oncology, geriatrics, neurology, critical care, and hospice and palliative care.

CME Credits Available

Munson Healthcare is accredited by the Michigan State Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians. Munson Healthcare designates this live activity for a maximum of 8 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Questions?

If you have questions about this event, please contact Román Barraza, MD, medical director for Munson Hospice and Palliative Medicine, at rbarraza@mhc.net.