Uptalk?

I'm not sure? If this is serious?
[Sibilla via wikimedia]

"Did the student seem confident?" is one of those subjective questions SPs are often asked to answer on checklists. So when student-doctors frequently end their sentences as if they are questions?  I often advise learners to limit their use of "uptalk" during feedback.

As a patient, excessive uptalk causes me to lose confidence in the student-doctor because it can come across as if s/he is uncertain or seeking validation. This is especially true if the uptalk is paired with other signs of deference, like cocking his/her head to one side.

Nonverbal cues strongly affect patient trust & confidence. Learners often expressive gratitude when given feedback about things like tone & posture because they are often invisible things learners can change which have real impacts on patients.

Uptalk can be controversial, however. I recognize it is often gendered: I give women this feedback more than men, and women are more often socialized with habits that undermine their authority. But learning to project respectful authority & appropriate confidence are keys to navigating the power differential between doctors and patients. So when I give feedback to learners about uptalk, I try to keep it as neutral as possible. Sometimes we replay and reframe sentences that stood out during the encounter. I don't expect to change a lifetime of vocal inflection in one session, but awareness is always the first step.