Perspectives Winter/Spring-2017

COLLEGE OF HEALTH CARE SCIENCES • 25 Iman Norwood, AA student, class of 2017, describes her experience participating in the program. Having no previous experience with horses, I was unsure of what to expect on the first day. All I knew was that we had to communicate with these large, muscular animals with body language and nonverbal communication. I was very apprehensive and fearful. I was uncertain of the nature of horses, how fast they could react, or if they would kick, run away suddenly, or bite. As a military veteran, I am very accustomed to thorough instructions followed by demonstration. This was not the case with horses, as we were instructed that there was no right or wrong. We would just have to figure out how to interact on our own. As we went along introducing ourselves to the horses, I stopped at the stall of one beautiful, yet somewhat frightening, horse. I wasn’t looking in his direction since his back was turned to me, and I was distracted looking at another horse. When I turned to look at the horse I had been ignoring, I didn’t notice he had gracefully walked right up to me. In fact, we were literally nose to nose. He was staring me directly in the eyes, seemingly looking into my soul. This was the first lesson among many that would translate into the hospital setting—to always be aware of your surroundings. As the weeks progressed, we spent more time with the horses, performing exercises that included physical exams, grooming, and having them follow commands (such as moving forward and backward and getting up on a tire). I soon realized I was getting more comfortable with them. I learned quickly that, like our patients, all horses were not the same. Some needed love and affection to get them to follow commands, while others needed you to be a little sterner. Some horses were stubborn at times, while others were nervous wrecks. However, the horses would eventually comply if we, the students, altered our approach and changed our nonverbal communication. Through learning about the horses and how they communicated, we were, in fact, learning more about ourselves. We were learning how others perceived us. Perception is important in the field of medicine, because as we work with preceptors, patients, and other health care professionals, they will constantly be formulating impressions of us based on our actions and not necessarily on what we say. Once I completed one of the most important finals of my student career, I found it necessary to go straight to the barn, because it had become such a peaceful place. As I looked back over the previous weeks, I saw that my equine training put me at ease and helped me to refocus on being aware of my body language. By the last day, I had no fear with the horses—only a stronger connection to the horses, to my classmates, and most import- antly, with myself. If I had one word to describe the horses, it would be majestic, which is defined as “impressive or beautiful in a dignified or inspiring way.” This definition sums up my six-week experience. I was inspired to be confident, deliberate, and assertive. I was taught to not be aggressive, but to show compassion, to be vigilant, and to enjoy what I do. These lessons will translate to my training in the hospital setting and to my future as a certified anesthesiologist assistant. n SIX-WEEK PROGRAM GIVES STUDENT INVALUABLE LESSONS Iman Norwood with China