A Different Kind of Teaching

 It looks identical to the reception area in a doctor’s office. It’s just as sterile and cold, too. You’d think I was waiting for a doctor if I posted a picture on Instagram. However, just off the reception area are classrooms. This is a simulated environment where medical students learn. Having spoken to medical students since 2012, I strangely felt at home. This time, I wouldn’t give my typical lecture and then field questions for 20 minutes. I would be acting as a patient. I was here to help.

I was in the company of about ten other people who had disabilities. Our disabilities varied. Some had intellectual disabilities, while others had diagnoses similar to mine. The staff was absolutely insistent that we be comfortable. There was a reason for this. Lots of people with disabilities have had traumatic experiences with doctors. Doctors, like anyone, can lack knowledge of disability. However, they should be as educated as possible. That was part of why we were there. After about twenty minutes, the staff led us to the fake but incredibly realistic “exam rooms.”

I sat there for a few minutes. Then, a knock on the door got my attention.

“Hi, I’m Meg. I’ll be coming in after your experience with the student to fill out the feedback form and help facilitate the discussion.”

“Sounds wonderful! It’s a pleasure to meet you,” I said.

“I’m going to leave, and the student will be in any minute. Are you comfortable?”

“Yes. Sounds good.”

As a speaker, I’m typically in and out, so I wasn’t used to being asked so many questions. And for the record, I was comfortable. I understood that other individuals may have had traumatic experiences and needed that reassurance, and I appreciated why the staff made it such a priority. But it was foreign to me to be asked, “Are you comfortable?” so many times throughout a professional experience.

Finally, there was another knock on the door. The student had arrived.

“Hi! I’m Samantha, and I’ll be taking care of you today.”

“How are you?” I asked.

I had a loose script to stick to.

“I’ve had a cough for about three months.”

She listened to the details of the cough. When it was time to examine me, she asked for my consent, which was a significant part of the feedback. Yay! You did it, good job!

“Can I transfer you to the exam table?”

That would go terribly.

“No, I want to stay in my chair,” I stated.

“OK. I’ll adapt.”

Great job, Samantha! This will be easy feedback.

“So, I want to do a chest X-ray in case you’re aspirating,” Samantha said.

Blog readers, remember this was a simulated environment, and I was assigned this script.

“When I do the chest X-ray, would you use your formal authority to tell the staff they need to ask questions about how it should be done?”

“Absolutely. I’m happy to do that!”

“Is there anything else that I can do?”

“No. You’ve been great!”

Samantha left, and Meg came back in.

“Here’s the sheet where you’ll evaluate her on a scale of one to five, and I’ll take notes to help facilitate the discussion. How did Samantha do with making you feel comfortable?”

“Definitely a five. She did ask about transferring me to the table, and when I said no, she respected that.”

“I was watching on the surveillance camera, and I agree.”

Meg was able to watch the whole interaction on a computer outside of the “exam room.” It helped because I could use her as a sounding board. Samantha was given permission to come back in when Meg and I finished.

“Samantha, you were excellent! You were really sensitive and respectful about what I could not do. I would encourage you to maintain eye contact. Sometimes, you were looking at your computer, and it’s just a gentle reminder that patients want to truly be seen. But overall, you did a wonderful job.”

After we wrapped up, one of the doctors pulled me aside and told me how succinct and wonderful my feedback was, especially for my first time doing this. I was quite proud of myself.

These students weren’t getting my lecture, which I will say is powerful, but they were interacting with several different people with disabilities. That was valuable in a completely different way. I really love this program at UIC-it's well done. It addresses the lack of knowledge about disability through education. Education truly changes people, and everyone involved in this program is a positive force for change.