Patient Interest: The Interview
Compassionate teaching means that I take the time to know my students, which begins on the first day of class. Each student relates who they are, why they’re taking the course, the profession they hope to have, and usually one interesting, funny, or unique thing about them. It’s nerve-wracking at first, but acclimating to stress is very much part of the course, and the job.
After learning more about the cohort, I tailor the subject matter to be relevant and accessible according to their backgrounds and future goals. For example, aspiring firefighters, I liken Hypovolemic Shock to a burst fire hose; mechanically inclined people better grasp the similarities of a heart attack to a misfiring alternator on an automobile engine, while those who learn through demonstration can understand the build-up of pressure in the arteries during a stroke, by witnessing a kink in surgical tubing first bulging, then bursting the rubber hose. Acting out the difference between aphasia (not able to speak) and dysphasia (slurred speech) gets the point across.
I’ve done all this to gain their attention and allow them a fuller understanding of difficult concepts. Also, trying novel approaches keeps the material enjoyable for me. This is done in firefighting and EMS careers. While it looks like idle chit-chat after chow, there’s serious teaching going on. Once you learn what someone is passionate about, officers can learn more about their character. Departmental SOPs can be explained in a tangible manner to the new crew members. Important matters come in the guise of funny or wild anecdotes. .
At the heart of patient care, there is a deep love of what we do, and who we treat, and this belief is carried over into teaching. Everything stops when the alarm bell rings and crews go to work. From that moment to the patient's drop-off at the hospital, someone else’s life is the chief concern. Likewise, for those four hours in class, my students come first. They’ll learn to extend the same courtesy to their patients on the job if I show them that same respect. I ask these students to give it their all to succeed; the least I can do is extend that same courtesy.
