Atrial Fibrillation Topic Discussion

Date: September 9th, 2024

Length of Activity: 30 minutes

Prep Time: ~2 hours

Learners: 1 pharmacy student

Comfort Level: High

Teaching Goals Addressed: 

SMART Goal 2: Improve my small group discussion skills through leading five topic discussions over the residency year.

Teaching Materials: Handout

Method Used to Assess Learner Understanding: I asked the student at the beginning of the discussion to share what they knew about atrial fibrillation. Throughout the presentation, I asked questions to gauge knowledge and understanding of the topic. 

Feedback from Student and Preceptor: 

Student feedback: The student said that she liked that I assessed her knowledge of Afib at the beginning of the discussion. She said my handout was thorough and easy to follow. 

Preceptor feedback: My preceptor said that the handout was organized and that I was able to explain this complex topic in a clear way. To improve my discussion skills, she suggested that I think through what I am going to discuss prior to delivering the topic discussion, so that I can include all the information on my handout. I talked about CHA2DS2VASc scoring, anticoagulation, and the Vaughan Williams classes of medications, but I did not include them in my handout. She said that including those in the handout might help the student retain this knowledge better. 

Reflection: Leading this topic discussion was a great learning experience for me. Not only did I further my knowledge and confidence in treating atrial fibrillation as a clinician, but it gave me experience explaining the topic and treatment options to someone else. It made me realize what areas are still confusing for me as I had to attempt to explain them to my student. An example that sticks out is how to explain the pathophysiology of atrial fibrillation. I understand the basic underlying problem, but explaining the erroneous conduction of the cardiac tissue is a difficult thing to do. Overall, I really enjoyed teaching in this capacity. This type of teaching is a large part of my overall teaching goal to provide valuable learning experiences for students while building a relationship with them at the same time. I enjoy one-on-one teaching as it allows me to foster a relationship and provide quality pharmacy education.