Patient Navigators can practice with mock patients, receive one-on-one coaching 

The Patient Navigator Training Collaborative (PNTC) is offering a unique opportunity to help patient navigators improve their motivational interviewing (MI) skills. Participants in the “Motivational Interviewing Academy” this spring will receive three sessions to practice their skills with a mock patient and follow-up coaching.

“Motivational interviewing workshops are an excellent venue for learning a new way of ‘being’ with clients, but research clearly shows that workshops alone do not change practice,” said Kathie Garrett, PNTC MI Instructor. “To successfully integrate MI spirit and skills into your daily practice, you need guidance in the form of coding and coaching.”

The MI Academy will provide patient navigators  the unique opportunity to receive real time practice with mock patients, objective MI integrity coding feedback and one-on-one coaching.

“People pay hundreds of dollars for this type of training, but we are offering three practice and coaching sessions free of charge,” Garrett said.

Register for MI Academy

What is Motivational Interviewing (MI) you ask?
MI is an evidence-based approach to help people make decisions, from quitting smoking to dietary changes to managing a chronic disease. MI is designed to address a patient’s ambivalence to change. This is a great skill to have in your toolbox to help improve patient outcomes.

By enrolling in this exciting opportunity, you will:

  • Participate in three encounters with mock patients so you can practice using MI
  • Have each session recorded and coded by an expert for various MI skills, to identify areas of strength and improvement
  • Receive three one-on-one coaching sessions with a professional MI coach, offering personal feedback

Target Audience: Non-licensed (lay) health professionals/patient navigators working in Colorado.

The mock patient encounters will be scheduled in winter/spring 2018, starting in February. You will be able to schedule each 20-minute mock session and follow up coaching call at a time slot that works with your schedule. These sessions will be all done over the phone, so travel is not required.

Prerequisites: 

  • Required: Level 1: Patient Navigator Fundamentals and Level 2: Advanced Motivational Interviewing
  • Recommended prequisite: Advanced Health Behavior Change
  • Been working as a patient navigator, health educator, community health worker or similar for at least 6 months
  • Reside in Colorado
  • Permission from your supervisor to participate
  • Be a lay (non licensed) health professional
Register for MI Academy for Patient Navigators 

Questions? Email PNTC program manager Erin Martinez at erin.martinez@ucdenver.edu.