Why This Course Matters

Empathy isn’t a “nice-to-have” in healthcare — it’s a clinical skill. When patients feel understood, they relax. Their fear decreases. Their cooperation increases. And your work becomes safer, smoother, and faster.

Yet many patient interactions unintentionally create anxiety because patients are frightened, vulnerable, or unsure how to communicate what they need.

What will you learn in this course?

• How to express empathy in the first 10 seconds of a patient interaction
• How to quickly calm patient fear, anxiety, and confusion
• How to build trust and cooperation with any patient, including nonverbal ones
• How to avoid common communication habits that accidentally increase fear
• How to create a patient-centered experience under time pressure
• How to recognize emotional cues and respond with confidence
• How to use small empathy behaviors to improve outcomes and satisfaction
• How to strengthen team communication and reduce misunderstandings

Why This Course Is Different

This course is created by Shari Bookstaff, founder of Impact of Empathy, marine biology professor, and survivor of brain surgery, stroke, paralysis, and long-term hospitalization.

Shari has spent years on both sides of the healthcare experience —

❌ as a critically ill patient unable to speak, move, or breathe

✔️ and as an educator, teaching thousands of professionals how small actions dramatically change patient outcomes

Her real stories show exactly what helps patients feel safe — and what doesn’t.

You’ll see empathy not as a theory, but as something patients feel instantly. Who should take this course?

This course is designed for all healthcare roles, including:

• Nurses
• Physicians
• Nurse practitioners
• PAs
• Respiratory therapists
• Imaging Professionals
• Lab Professionals
• EMTs and paramedics
• CNAs and support staff
• Students entering any healthcare program
• Frontline staff who interact with patients

For maximum impact, offer this training to your entire team.

Key Skills You'll Gain

• Expressing empathy clearly and quickly
• Calming patient fear and anxiety
• Improving patient cooperation
• Enhancing patient-centered care
• Building trust in seconds
• Creating positive patient experiences
• Increasing patient satisfaction scores
• Preventing miscommunication
• Working more effectively under pressure

About the Instructor

Shari Bookstaff, Founder, Impact of Empathy, Author • Speaker • Educator • Brain Surgery Survivor

Shari teaches healthcare professionals how small expressions of empathy transform patient safety, trust, and cooperation. Her unique perspective — combining years of teaching with lived experience as a critically ill patient — brings depth and authenticity rarely found in empathy training.

What You Get

• Practical empathy tools you can use immediately
• Real patient stories that highlight what not to do
• Scenarios from nurses, doctors, and EMTs
• Short, memorable lessons designed for busy professionals
• A certificate of completion for your portfolio or employer

Call to Action

If you care about improving patient connection, reducing fear, and supporting better outcomes, start today.

Enroll in Empathy Edge and transform the way your patients experience care.