Teaching - July 26th

One of the constants in Medical teaching is that no matter the subject, be it operative neck dissection or freezing warts, a good teacher will seize every opportunity to educate and ensure you come away richer for the experience. That was my experience today in the emerg (although I didn't cut open any necks or freeze any warts this particular shift). It is refreshing to come across a teacher who had obviously thought a lot about education and can tailor the experience to the learner. My supervisor was able to create an enriching experience out of each patient encounter I had that night. It was the right amount of responsibility, quizzing, evidenced-based medicine and hands-on experience to make a great learning environment. Additionally, I find the mark of a great teacher is one who can teach a difficult concept in simple, memorable terms, and this was also the case on this shift.
I learned about the mechanics of reducing a fracture, an easy differential for fainting, the best approach to pleural effusion and about the evidence that supports or, occasionally, doesn't support the decisions and treatment options that we provide in the ED.
However, more important than the facts I picked up is the style of supervision. I was able to observe and hopefully absorb some of that great teaching style for my own teaching. Medicine is about constant learning and constant teaching: to and from patients, residents, med students and staff physicians. Hopefully some of the lessons I've learned from this shift I will carry with me and pass on to at least some of the countless other learners I will be working with in my career.

Most impactful case: Massive pleural effusion (fluid in the space surrounding the lung) in someone we had to inform of the diagnosis of lung cancer. When we gave the diagnosis, the patient seemed as if they knew all along what we'd say... maybe they did. We can be surprisingly intuitive with our bodies if we take the time to listen to what it's telling us. The patient took a moment, took a breath and simply said "Okay, what's next?". I was impressed with the stoicism that I couldn't guarantee I'd have in her position.