Tbilisi Medical Academy, within the framework of Erasmus staff mobility program, hosted Belgian colleagues. TMA was visited by Nele Michels - the president of THE European Academy of Teachers in General Practice/Family Medicine (EURACT), Professor at the Centre for General Practice & at the Skills Lab, Director of the staff group of General Practitioners trainers (University of Antwerp), as well as Kristin Van den Bogerd - psychologist & co-coordinator communication skills lab at the University of Antwerp, and Katrien Bombeke - Professor, GP & coordinator of communication skills lab at UA. As part of the work visit, clinical and basic subject educators received training on the following topics: How to teach and assess communication skills, how to teach consultation skills, and how to train Simulated Patient (SP).

"Such training will help to improve communication skills among students during teaching, such as delivering bad news to a patient, motivational interview, and communication with patients with psychiatric problems. At the workshops, they discussed specific communication techniques in detail. An important part was also devoted to the methods of assessment of the above-mentioned skills. In addition, the part of selection, training, teaching methods and expected results of simulation patients, recognition of various didactic aspects of simulation patient training and work with them should be mentioned separately" - Khatuna Khatiashvili, International Projects Coordinator, TMA affiliate, associate professor in the direction of behavioral sciences.

In addition, TMA academics and visiting teachers shared their experience in teaching communication skills, assessment, and examples of involvement in a simulation patient education program with their Belgian colleagues. Georgian and Belgian colleagues discussed the results and statistical characteristics of the Objectively Structured Clinical Exam (OSCE) held in the summer in TMA.

The guests also had working meetings with the representatives of the Academy's administration to continue the further collaboration within the framework of Erasmus and to strengthen the cooperation of family doctors (GP network).