Abstract: Communication competence is regarded as an essential component of core competencies required of medical professionals, which is directly associated with the quality of medical services and doctor-patient relationships. The University of Glasgow was founded in 1451 and is a founding member of both the Russell Group and Universitas 21, its medical education follows the common norms of undergraduate medical education in the United Kingdom. The clinical communication curriculum is delivered throughout the whole period of undergraduate medical training. Distinctive features including longitudinally connected training objectives, multidisciplinary teaching faculties, progressively advanced teaching contents, experiential-dominated learning activities, and formative assessment with continuous feedback are adopted in this curriculum. Based on its experience, a whole-process training system of doctor-patient communication competence adapted to domestic contexts is suggested to be constructed in Chinese medical schools. A teaching team consisting of clinical supervisors and simulated patients is recommended to be established, as well as a closed-loop system covering assessment, feedback in improvement of communication competence.

Key words: Education, medical, Clinical communication curriculum, University of Glasgow, United Kingdom