HPD Perspectives Magazine Summer/Fall 2019

32 | DR. PALLAVI PATEL COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES in Hours PROGRAM NEWS PROGRAM News One-of-a-Kind NSU Internship BY LORI DESORBO, M.M.SC ., CAA Educating an anesthesia student does not only occur in the operating room with real patients. NSU anesthesiologist assistant (AA) students are well- rounded individuals who learn from a multitude of teaching techniques in a simulation lab, a classroom setting, and through hands-on experiences in a hospital or clinic. By the time our graduates secure their first job, they have been introduced to a variety of possible anesthetic scenarios, subspecialties, and different areas within the medical community. To further differenti- ate the edge it provides students, NSU offers an 80-hour internship not found in other U.S.-based AA programs. The summer before students leave for their second year of clinical rotations, their didactic load decreases significantly. This provides time to complete an 80-hour educational internship in an area of interest outside their regular clinical rotations. The objective is for students to gain knowledge in an area of health care not normally part of his or her professional life. The twist is that the students teach the concepts they learn. The idea stems from the Roman philosopher Seneca, who posited “by teaching we learn.” When tasked with explaining a topic, teaching a skill, or communicating concepts, students find that they must first solidify their own knowledge. They must also write and grade quizzes in a timely fashion, create PowerPoint present- ations and reading assignments, lecture on topics, and help lead a lab simulation. Each lab further requires written objectives and outlines that are emailed to the senior student mentors and their fellow classmates, who they will take turns teaching. The added responsibilities raise awareness that an educator must be knowledgeable, patient, organized, communicate effectively, and be skilled at time management. Students also gain an understanding of how difficult a task it can be to create exams to fairly assess a student’s knowledge and skill level. As they gain valuable insight into the comprehensive role of an educator of AAs, students also come to appreciate what it takes to properly educate them. The education internship becomes an amazing opportunity for those students who aspire to teach the anesthesiologist assistant profession. They gain valuable insight into the comprehensive role of an educator of AAs and truly appreciate what it takes to properly educate them. o Lori DeSorbo is an assistant professor in the Anesthesiologist Assistant Program–Tampa Bay. A NEW EDGE 8