A recent study published in Academic Medicine has found that a new method of training physicians how to teach the dimensions of care–effective communication, compassion and relationship building–results in physicians who love their profession and their patients, says Booster Shots, the LA Times Health Blog.

The longitudinal study conducted at 5 medical centers around the country attempt to determine whether doctors could be taught how to teach humanism and care–which they did and significantly more so than their control group counterparts.

The good news: appropriately trained medical school doctors can pass on what they learn about compassion, communication, and patient care to the next generation of physicians.

Summer Johnson, PhD