Selective Experiences

Date: August 26, 2020

Purpose: Provide an example to current students on how an OSCE is performed and give tips on how to have a meaningful interaction with patients.

Reflection:

For this activity I worked with another pharmacy resident to put together example videos to demonstrate how an OSCE should be performed. We left out specific key points that the students were to notice so that we could discuss their relevance to the case.

During the virtual class the professor played the videos and then opened the floor for questions and comments from the class. At first the students were very hesitant to ask questions, as this was their first time seeing an example of an OSCE being performed. The other instructor and I started to ask the class questions such as what do you think was done well and what to do think could have been asked to make this run more smoothly. This directed the students to focus their thoughts and helped point out some key counseling points that can be forgotten when talking with a patient or healthcare professional. After the first case the students were more aware of what to look for and started to comment and ask questions more freely.

I think a part of their hesitation to participate in the discussion was due to the fact that this was a virtual class. We noticed this and allowed the students to make comments or ask questions via the chat room. This was a great course of action because it brought about more participation from the class and questions that may not have been asked without this option. A main take away from this activity was that students need to know what they are looking for when reviewing a topic. By providing example videos and being available to answer questions, the students were able to receive immediate feedback which can be more beneficial during the learning process of something new. I learned different techniques for getting students to participate virtually which I will be able to apply to other activities going forward.

Dates:

• August 27, 2020: What Do Faculty Do, and How Do You Position Yourself for a Faculty Position

• September 22, 2020: Different Types of Faculty Positions

• October 22, 2020: Critically Assessing Job Postings

• November 19, 2020: Tips for Interviewing and Letters of Reference

Purpose: Engage in group discussions about faculty and academic positions with current faculty members and other residents.

Reflection:

This experience was very eye opening as academia has been one of my career interests. Before attending the group sessions, the only thing I thought about when it came to a faculty position was the lecture/teaching portion. However, there were two other components that I had not considered previously, which were scholarship and service. It was interesting to hear about how different facilities may have varying distribution of efforts between the three components. This is something that I will take into consideration if I am to look for a faculty position in the future.

During these discussions, I also learned how to look for different faculty positions and determine if they aligned with my interests. The residents pulled different job postings to view as a group. The faculty took the time to go through them with us and stop to point out parts that they found valuable when searching for a job. Some of the requirements that are important to review are the distribution of efforts, the research requirements, if funding would be provided, and whether or not is a tenure or non-tenure tract position. The current faculty members provided real-life examples of what the application process looked like for them and the things they wish they would have known beforehand, which was invaluable.

Date: September 17, 2020: Active Learning

Purpose: Participate in a group discussion with a current faculty member and other residents on how to utilize different teaching strategies in order to create effective and valuable learning experiences.

Reflection:

During this one hour lecture/activity I was able to learn about a multitude of different teaching strategies and the pros and cons of each. I also learned tips on how to make each activity effective and valuable for the students. Some of the tips given were to explain all objectives to the students before the exercise begins and inform them of the benefits, provide a demonstration of the activity if the directions are complicated, provide an adequate amount of time for completion, and most importantly make sure to include a debriefing section to review. As these are great tips, there are also many barriers that must be overcome in order to have an activity that is beneficial. Some of those barriers are having a limited amount of class time, the preparation, being online/virtual and not being able to see the reactions of all participants.

Some of the examples of active learning strategies that I worked on incorporating in my teaching over the past year include: audience response questions, case studies, videos, and role playing. The audience response questions provide immediate feedback of what the learners are understanding and what they are having a more difficult time grasping. The case studies help with application of knowledge and promote integration of a concept that may be taught in multiple courses. The videos and role playing give an example for what students should do or provide extra information.