How to talk with children and parents
Other platforms explain it with text and video. In VMS you practice it on the patient.
Children understand more than adults expect when spoken to at their level. Parents need to feel heard and part of the plan.
Step by step
Greet the child first
Get down to eye level and use the child's name. [1]
Match the child's age
Use play and simple words with toddlers, short explanations and choices with school-age children and respect for privacy with teens. [1]
Listen to the parents
Ask about their concerns and what they have noticed at home. [1]
Be honest about procedures
Say if something will hurt and for how long, and offer comfort. [1]
Offer real choices
Ask which arm to use, not whether they want the shot. [1]
See teens alone
Spend part of the visit alone with adolescents and explain confidentiality and its limits. [1]
Check understanding
Use teach-back with the parents and, when old enough, the child. [2]
Common errors
- Talking only to the parent.
- Saying it will not hurt when it will.
- Not offering teens time alone.
Practice it in VMS
In VMS you do this on the patient, not on paper: every step goes on the checklist with a score, and in Teach mode Blocky tells you what comes next.
VMS cases that train this skill
Sources
- AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs)
- AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back)
Facts and steps follow AAMC Core Entrustable Professional Activities (Core EPAs); AHRQ Health Literacy Universal Precautions Toolkit (Teach-Back). VMS is not affiliated with these organizations. Updated: 2026-10-11.