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Course length
6-hour course
CPD points
6 CPD points
Module leader

CPD certified, by the CPD Certification Service

Assertiveness is one of the most oft-used buzzwords in healthcare today. What does it mean to be assertive? Is there a time and place? This one-day course examines the answers to these questions.

Who is this course suitable for?

  • Suitable for all Healthcare Professionals, both clinical and non-clinical

  • Applicable to all departments and Multi-disciplinary teams

Course objectives

This course will:

  • Introduce what we mean by assertive behaviour

  • Explore the differences between passive, assertive and aggressive behaviour; are these always easy to recognise?

  • Examine the impact of passive and aggressive behaviour on team function and patient safety

  • Look at what holds us back from being assertive in practice

  • Discuss strategies we can employ when confronted with passive or aggressive behaviour

Course testimonials

A flexible tutor who adapted to the needs of the team

Janis Meek
Northumbria NHS Foundation Trust

Many thanks for running a fantastic Balanced Assertiveness study for the Exeter SAS doctors today. I thought you did a brilliant job and stimulated excellent discussion. The group was really engaged and enthusiastic. We all learnt a lot and took home some really valuable information. So often, non-clinical skills days can be quite "fluffy" with nothing tangible to take forward, but your course was quite the opposite. It will definitely change my practice. Many thanks for your time and for the huge amount of effort that you put into the day.

Lauren Barker
Consultant Anaesthetist & SAS Tutor
Royal Devon Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust

Our facilitator Paul was absolutely excellent. He had a perfect balance of humour, enthusiasm, and shared experience

Catherine Sellings
Hospiscare

I just wanted to let you know that Paul Field who delivered the assertiveness day today for the SAS doctors in Exeter was amazing.

I was pretty confident when I asked for MedLed to deliver another session for the group it would be good - but Paul was excellent. The course content and choice of videos was perfectly pitched. Really well done to Paul and to MedLed!

He also did a great job of modelling those appreciative enquiry behaviours that I believe are the key to team working, performance and wellbeing.

Dr Mel Hawkins
Departmental Lead for Clinical Simulation and Anaesthetics Specialty Doctor
Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust