Skip to main content

Learn More About RUSM's COVID-19 Response

Home

Mobile navigation

  • Admissions
    • Admissions Overview
    • How To Apply
    • Admissions Requirements
    • Admissions Assessment
    • Events
    • MCAT
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Scholarships
    • Canadian Applicants
    • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • Career Changers
    • Transfer Applicants
    • Med School Readiness
    • Take a Campus Tour
    • Parents Guide
    • PreMed Advisors
  • MD Program
    • MD Program Overview
    • Why RUSM
    • Curriculum
    • Academic Resources & Student Support
    • MD/MPH
    • Faculty and Staff
    • Residency Appointments
  • Student Life
    • Student Life Overview
    • Housing
    • Barbados
    • Campus Services
    • White Coat Ceremony
    • Clubs and Organizations
    • Safety & Security
    • Merchandise Store
  • About
    • About Overview
    • Accreditation and Approvals
    • FAQ
    • Facts and Figures
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Information By State
    • Newsroom
    • RUSM Podcast
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Ross in the Media
    • Virtual Video Tour
    • Mission and History
    • Dean
  • Request Info
  • Apply
    • Start Your Application
    • Continue Your Application
    • Submit Your AMCAS Application
    • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
    • Submit Your TMDSAS Application
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Application
    • Continue Your Application
    • Submit your AMCAS Application
    • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
    • Submit your TMDSAS Application

Social Media Navigation

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • SnapChat

Utility Navigation

  • Apply Now
  • Request Info

Secondary Mobile Menu

  • Current Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students

Secondary Navigation

  • Current Students
  • Events & Webinars
  • Information for
    • Alumni
    • Admitted Students
    • Current Students
Search
Cancel Search
Home Home

Main navigation

  • Admissions

    Admissions

    We’re ready when you are. RUSM offers three session starts in January, May, and September to allow you to start your MD journey when it’s convenient for you.

    • Admissions Overview
    • How To Apply
    • Admissions Requirements
    • Admissions Assessment
    • Events
    • MCAT
    • Tuition and Fees
    • Scholarships
    • Canadian Applicants
    • HBCU & HSI Partnerships
    • Career Changers
    • Transfer Applicants
    • Med School Readiness
    • Take a Campus Tour
    • Parents Guide
    • PreMed Advisors
  • MD Program

    MD Program

    We are committed to providing our students with a range of global medical opportunities that will enable them to develop the kinds of life and professional skills that will make them stand out in residency, and beyond.

    • MD Program Overview
    • Why RUSM
    • Curriculum
    • Academic Resources & Student Support
    • MD/MPH
    • Faculty and Staff
    • Residency Appointments
  • Student Life

    Student Life

    We understand your demanding schedule as a medical student and our campus community was designed to meet your needs.

    • Student Life Overview
    • Housing
    • Barbados
    • Campus Services
    • White Coat Ceremony
    • Clubs and Organizations
    • Safety & Security
    • Merchandise Store
  • About

    about

    Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) has been providing students with the foundation they need to pursue successful careers in medicine for over 40 years.

    • About Overview
    • Accreditation and Approvals
    • FAQ
    • Facts and Figures
    • Diversity & Inclusion
    • Information By State
    • Newsroom
    • RUSM Podcast
    • On-Demand Webinars
    • Ross in the Media
    • Virtual Video Tour
    • Mission and History
    • Dean
  • Request Info
  • Apply
    • Start Your Application
    • Continue Your Application
    • Submit Your AMCAS Application
    • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
    • Submit Your TMDSAS Application
  • Apply Now
    • Start Your Application
    • Continue Your Application
    • Submit your AMCAS Application
    • Submit Your AACOMAS Application
    • Submit your TMDSAS Application

Related Blogs

Blog
students in white coats
How Long is the MCAT?
Get answers to your questions about how long is the MCAT exam, MCAT time breakdown, scores, and other related information regarding the MCAT exam.
Blog
Female Student Library
Medical School Application Services
Learn all about applying to medical school through the American Medical College Application Service® (AMCAS®), the American Association of Colleges of Osteopathic Medicine Application Service (AACOMAS), and the Texas Medical and Dental Schools Application Service (TMDSAS).
Blog
Radiologist
Steps To Becoming a Radiologist
Interested in becoming a Radiologist? In this blog, RUSM details how to become a Radiologist and the steps you can take to help you be successful!

TAGS

BROWSE ARTICLES
Alumni News
Campus News
Care for Caregivers
Chief Resident
Diversity & Inclusion
Faculty
Residency Match
Student News
BROWSE ARTICLES
Career Changers
Medical School Tips & Resources
Medical Specialties
ABOUT RUSM

In 2020, 91% of RUSM students passed the initial step of the United States Medical Licensing Examination® (USMLE®) on the first attempt. And in 2021-2022, results show yet another strong year for RUSM with a 95% first-time residency attainment rate thus far. Located on the island of Barbados and with a network of more than 15,000 alumni, RUSM is one of the largest providers of doctors for the U.S. healthcare system. RUSM graduates practice in all 50 states and in Puerto Rico.

Contact Admissions

Share

  • facebook
  • tiktok
  • twitter
  • linkedin
  • email

Breadcrumb

  1. About Ross University Schoool of Medicine
  2. Blog
  3. What Makes a Good Bedside Manner Doctor?

What Makes a "Good Bedside Manner" Doctor?

Becoming a physician doesn’t guarantee a good bedside manner. Doctor bedside manner involves developing an interpersonal style that enhances effective patient care. Positive impressions with patients really do matter and can lead to improved patient outcomes. Healthcare providers are becoming more aware of the importance of cultivating patient- centered care and the many benefits this approach offers both patients and healthcare professionals. 
Wed, 03 Mar 2021
Intro Image
Doctor working on patient

Patients want physicians who are knowledgeable about their specific medical issue, but also are more likely to trust doctors with good bedside manners. When doctors exhibit great “people skills” in patient care, it yields enormous benefits for both patients and their doctors. Consequently, as hospitals focus on patient satisfaction, medical schools are making good doctor bedside manner a large part of their training.

Developing a great doctor bedside manner is vitally important to foster trust with patients, create rapport, and maintain a positive patient experience. A journal article*reveals data about the healthcare experience, the issues important to patients and how physicians can elevate the doctor-patient relationship. The research reveals that a doctor's interpersonal skills are key to effective doctor-patient communication and are a central function in a therapeutic doctor- patient relationship.

Patients treated with empathy and compassion by their doctor are more likely to have the best outcome. For example, patients are more likely to share information with their doctor, follow advice, and are more likely to follow a recommended treatment plan to maintain good health.
 

How to Become a “Great Bedside Manner Doctor”

Every physician needs to know how to optimize their bedside manner to be an effective medical professional. Many elements are often overlooked with the stresses and challenges of day-to-day care. What are the qualities and traits that create a good doctor bedside manner? What major factors matter most to patients and how should medical students learn to develop good bedside manner?

  • Approach: The curriculum at Ross University School of Medicine (RUSM) focuses on building doctor-patient relationships, deemed essential for positive patient outcomes. The Ross approach to care treats the whole person, and teaches students to be a trusted partner in health matters. Medical students at RUSM develop the skills to foster a great patient experience by evaluating both body and mind in therapeutic conversations and follow-up. Aspiring physicians learn to account for all aspects of patient health, not just the issue that brought the patient to seek care. The most effective doctors go the extra mile to assist the patient in navigating the healthcare system to ensure they receive quality care.
  •  Personality: Patients appreciate when they feel their provider is engaged, validates their concerns, and treats them with respect and compassion. The support of a physician can reduce a patient’s stress level and makes it more likely for a patient to follow treatment guidelines.
  • Communication: Patients want rapport with a doctor who has excellent interpersonal skills, one who listens, puts them at ease, and handles difficult conversations with empathy and reassurance. Effective doctors ask questions to identify crucial information about a patient and take the time to both listen and explain.
  • Cultural competence: Doctors need to communicate with people from varying backgrounds and must show that they understand and respect their patients’ socioeconomic and cultural backgrounds.
     

Hands-on Training – Learning to Think Like a Doctor

The patient-centered curriculum at RUSM allows students to develop the qualities that are key to good bedside manner. The Medical Sciences curriculum at RUSM prepares students for patient interactions with a variety of active learning experiences tied to traditional lecture and case-based learning. These experiences include clinical skills training, a standardized patient program and a high-fidelity medical simulation program. This approach helps students begin to think like doctors early in their medical school experience.

Medical students develop good bedside manner using patient simulations. RUSM Associate Professor and Chair of Clinical Foundations Dr. Ricardo Hood, explains that the RUSM Standardized Patient Program provides a setting for students to explore, acquire and practice clinical skills. “We simulate patients in a clinical setting. This prepares future physicians to make critical decisions about patients in real-time, just as they would in their future roles as physicians,” says Dr. Hood.

The patient interview allows students to practice with real patients with real diseases in the first semester, focusing on how to ask questions. “RUSM has adopted an approach used at Stanford Medical School, teaching students how to establish the doctor-patient relationship and how to collect information. We build on this in the second semester as part of a patient- centered approach that helps guide students to make medical decisions,” explains Dr. Hood.

RUSM allows students to learn principles of medicine and how they apply in community practice, in terms of gender and a wide range of ages within the context of their families, social groups, and communities. “The patient-centered approach at RUSM means the patient is the most important person in the doctor-patient relationship,” says Dr. Hood. “They aren’t just a client with a disease. We want to restore their health and keep them healthy. A big component of that result is establishing rapport with the patient and making it a personal experience.”

RUSM students learn to become intentional about the elements that build patient trust. “We want to give the patient a roadmap to understand what’s going to happen and show them care. Patients improve when they trust their doctor. They develop that trust when the doctor takes the time to hear them and address their concerns,” explains Dr. Hood.
 

Start Your Medical School Journey at RUSM

Fundamentally, the best way to develop a good doctor bedside manner is to imagine your patient as a family member or even as yourself. Learning good doctor bedside manner brings the focus back to the human side of medicine and results in the best patient care.

An admissions associate can answer any questions about the hands-on curriculum RUSM and provide additional information about all aspects of an RUSM education. You can reach the Admissions Office at 855-637-6778 or email admissions@rossu.edu.

Ross University School of Medicine
Apply Now
Contact Admissions
Events & Webinars

Campus Address:

Two Mile Hill St. Michael
BB11093
Barbados

Admissions Address:

2300 SW 145th Avenue, Suite 200
Miramar, FL 33027
Phone: 754-707-5547 
Email: Admissions@Rossu.edu

Connect with Ross Medical School

  • Facebook
  • LinkedIn
  • TikTok
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest
  • SnapChat

RUSM Footer Sub menu

  • Information For
    • Admitted Students
    • Alumni
    • Career Seekers
    • Current Students
  • NAVIGATE
    • About RUSM
    • MD Program
    • Admissions
    • Tuition & Financial Aid
    • Student Life
  • News & Events
    • Events & Webinars
    • Blog
    • News & Press
    • Podcast
    • Academic Calendar

Academic Catalog | Student Handbook | Student Consumer Information | Online Cookie Policy | Accessibility Statement

© 2022 Ross University School of Medicine. All rights reserved.

CAAM-HP badge

Ross University School of Medicine is accredited by the Caribbean Accreditation Authority for Education in Medicine and other Health Professions (CAAM-HP, www.caam-hp.org).

 

CAAM-HP is the legally constituted body established in 2003 under the aegis of the Caribbean Community (CARICOM), empowered to determine and prescribe standards and to accredit programs of medical, dental, veterinary and other health professions education on behalf of the contracting parties in CARICOM.

 

Accreditation by CAAM-HP is a rigorous, peer review process which examines all aspects of a medical program. The CAAM-HP board, an independent and autonomous body of professionals, only certifies medical schools which are operating at the highest levels of industry standards.

 

Through this accreditation, the CAAM-HP provides assurance to medical students, graduates, the medical profession, healthcare institutions, and the public that programs leading to qualifications in medicine meet appropriate national and international standards for educational quality, and that the graduates have a sufficiently complete and valid educational experience.

Secondary Footer Navigation

  • Call
  • Chat
  • Apply
  • Request Info
  • "Chat Now"