When clinicians reflect on the most difficult moments in their careers, the challenge is rarely technical knowledge.
More often it is the conversation.
The registrar who needs direct feedback about patient safety.
The distressed family questioning a clinical decision.
The colleague whose behaviour is affecting the team.
The patient who feels unheard.
The distressed family questioning a clinical decision.
The colleague whose behaviour is affecting the team.
The patient who feels unheard.
In rural and remote practice these conversations are even more complex. Teams are smaller, relationships are longer, and the consequences of unresolved conflict can affect entire services.
Despite this, most doctors receive little formal training in communication skills required to manage these moments.
Clinical Conversations was developed to address this gap. The two-day program uses the global Crucial Conversations framework and is facilitated by Roger Hunter, one of only four Crucial Conversations Master Trainers in Australia. In a small group setting, medical practitioners work through real world clinical scenarios drawn from everyday practice.
Guest masterclasses are delivered by Dr Dave Sainsbury, anaesthesia consultant of more than 30 years, past President of SASMOA, former Head of Children’s Anaesthesia, and RACS College Lecturer, and Dan Jackson, General Manager of Player Development and Leadership at the Adelaide Crows, former AFL player, and Crucial Conversations trainer.
Participants practise structured communication frameworks, learn how to maintain psychological safety while addressing difficult issues, and develop strategies to manage high stakes clinical discussions.
The program is currently accredited for CPD and provides Educational Activity and Reflective Practice hours.
Participants consistently report that the skills are immediately applicable in clinical environments, improving patient interactions, strengthening leadership within teams, and reducing the stress associated with difficult conversations.
The next Clinical Conversations retreat will be held in July 2026 at Mount Lofty House in South Australia.
Further information is available at