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Resources: 

https://teacheveryday.com/escape-room-in-the-classroom/ 

https://www.edtechteam.com/blog/2017/08/break-out-of-classroom/ 

https://sites.google.com/site/digitalbreakouttemplate/home 

Escape rooms are SO hot right now.  I have seen diabetes escape rooms, gram positive infections escape rooms, and even interprofessional education escape rooms.  They sound daunting and difficult to create.  However, after making my first one, I can tell you-if you have worksheets, you can create an escape room! 

Who: I piloted it in my elective, so a smaller group.  Students were in teams of 2-3. 

What: This was an end of course review for an infectious disease elective 

Where: Classroom 

When: End of course 

Why:  

-Allows you to review many concepts in a short amount of time 

-Students are entirely immersed in the content as they attempt to solve the locks 

-Timer naturally creates sense of urgency and competition 

 .... Full episode information available at www.twopillspodcast.com 

Resources: 

https://teacheveryday.com/escape-room-in-the-classroom/ 

https://www.edtechteam.com/blog/2017/08/break-out-of-classroom/ 

https://sites.google.com/site/digitalbreakouttemplate/home 

Escape rooms are SO hot right now.  I have seen diabetes escape rooms, gram positive infections escape rooms, and even interprofessional education escape rooms.  They sound daunting and difficult to create.  However, after making my first one, I can tell you-if you have worksheets, you can create an escape room! 

Who: I piloted it in my elective, so a smaller group.  Students were in teams of 2-3. 

What: This was an end of course review for an infectious disease elective 

Where: Classroom 

When: End of course 

Why:  

-Allows you to review many concepts in a short amount of time 

-Students are entirely immersed in the content as they attempt to solve the locks 

-Timer naturally creates sense of urgency and competition 

 .... Full episode information available at www.twopillspodcast.com 

Interview with Dr. Vanessa Holtgrave, PsyD, MS

  Dr. Holtgrave is a professor of clinical and forensic psychology and a licensed clinical psychologist in the State of California. She has extensive experience in psychological assessment and diagnosis. She works closely with psychiatric medical professionals as part of a forensic team, provides consultations, and coordinates patient care with medical professionals in a psychiatric setting. Over the years she’s has worked within the prison system, juvenile detention facilities, and within community mental health. Questions? Comments? Recommend someone for an interview? Contact us [email protected] or find us on twitter @twopillspodcast! 

Highlights (full transcript at www.twopillspodcast.com): Forensic psychology is the intersection of mental health and the legal system. There are many branches. It could be police psychology, correctional psychology, and expert witness testimony; there are so many different areas. Clinical psychology is working more in the community where you might be working with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. They cross over where you may be working with similar individuals in the correctional setting. It's not really it like CSI like everyone thinks. I really love working with other professionals. On the forensic team, we work with psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, public defenders, judges, case managers, all kinds of different professionals. It's nice to be able to bounce ideas off of each other in a respectful way. It's a focus on how do we get this person help so that they stay out of the justice system? I really wanted to challenge myself after getting my Ph.D. and one of my friends started teaching and said that she needed someone to teach clinical assessment. I thought everyone would be fighting for that class because it's so exciting. I just loved it so much. I think new faculty should invest in Red Bulls. Being a professor does not have to be so dichotomous. You can have high standards for your students, but also be supportive. You also want to make the student experience fun. You don't have to have that be at the sake of standards. I see that that kind of dichotomous approach where you have to be strict with your grading and then can't be supportive or give them additional opportunities. I wish someone had told me that lectures don't have to be perfect. I probably spent 20 to 30 hours on my lecture and then worried about if there would be extra time and I wanted to make sure to include the specific active learning strategies. You can let yourself get too lost in that rabbit hole. I wish someone had told me that they didn't have to be perfect because students will still have their questions about the content and what is most important is that they're learning. Each person has their own coping skills or lack of coping skills. They have their own support system or lack of support system. What a person is going through is not something that you have gone through. Patience, clients, and students, humble me and remind me to be sensitive to the fact that they have their own experiences. Our students are a bunch of superheroes. They balance school with everything else going on in their lives. As faculty and Scholar practitioners, we need to remember that these students are coming from a different place and all need different types of support. It's not being needy or putting in less effort. They just may need a different type of support or level of support. For me, it's about making the time for people in your life. It may be deciding that I'm not going to open my laptop or I'm not going to work from home. It sounds like an anti resolution. I'm going to go hiking with my friends this weekend and I'm going to make the time for it. If I were to describe happiness on a certain day, it comes from those kinds of interactions. 

Interview with Dr. Vanessa Holtgrave, PsyD, MS

  Dr. Holtgrave is a professor of clinical and forensic psychology and a licensed clinical psychologist in the State of California. She has extensive experience in psychological assessment and diagnosis. She works closely with psychiatric medical professionals as part of a forensic team, provides consultations, and coordinates patient care with medical professionals in a psychiatric setting. Over the years she’s has worked within the prison system, juvenile detention facilities, and within community mental health. Questions? Comments? Recommend someone for an interview? Contact us [email protected] or find us on twitter @twopillspodcast! 

Highlights (full transcript at www.twopillspodcast.com): Forensic psychology is the intersection of mental health and the legal system. There are many branches. It could be police psychology, correctional psychology, and expert witness testimony; there are so many different areas. Clinical psychology is working more in the community where you might be working with individuals with severe and persistent mental illness. They cross over where you may be working with similar individuals in the correctional setting. It's not really it like CSI like everyone thinks. I really love working with other professionals. On the forensic team, we work with psychiatrists, psychiatric nurse practitioners, public defenders, judges, case managers, all kinds of different professionals. It's nice to be able to bounce ideas off of each other in a respectful way. It's a focus on how do we get this person help so that they stay out of the justice system? I really wanted to challenge myself after getting my Ph.D. and one of my friends started teaching and said that she needed someone to teach clinical assessment. I thought everyone would be fighting for that class because it's so exciting. I just loved it so much. I think new faculty should invest in Red Bulls. Being a professor does not have to be so dichotomous. You can have high standards for your students, but also be supportive. You also want to make the student experience fun. You don't have to have that be at the sake of standards. I see that that kind of dichotomous approach where you have to be strict with your grading and then can't be supportive or give them additional opportunities. I wish someone had told me that lectures don't have to be perfect. I probably spent 20 to 30 hours on my lecture and then worried about if there would be extra time and I wanted to make sure to include the specific active learning strategies. You can let yourself get too lost in that rabbit hole. I wish someone had told me that they didn't have to be perfect because students will still have their questions about the content and what is most important is that they're learning. Each person has their own coping skills or lack of coping skills. They have their own support system or lack of support system. What a person is going through is not something that you have gone through. Patience, clients, and students, humble me and remind me to be sensitive to the fact that they have their own experiences. Our students are a bunch of superheroes. They balance school with everything else going on in their lives. As faculty and Scholar practitioners, we need to remember that these students are coming from a different place and all need different types of support. It's not being needy or putting in less effort. They just may need a different type of support or level of support. For me, it's about making the time for people in your life. It may be deciding that I'm not going to open my laptop or I'm not going to work from home. It sounds like an anti resolution. I'm going to go hiking with my friends this weekend and I'm going to make the time for it. If I were to describe happiness on a certain day, it comes from those kinds of interactions. 

Fake It 'til You Make it... How to Teach Unfamiliar Topics!

Help! How do I teach this unfamiliar topic?? Teaching what you don’t know. 

It seems to come up for all of us.  Someone is sick, there are weather/transportation/scheduling issues, curricular changes, departures-for whatever reason, you have the exciting and often daunting task of teaching an unfamiliar topic.  

-First, keep the overarching objectives in mind-what should students know about this topic by the end of your time with them?  Why are students being taught this information? If you are unsure, seek out someone who may be able to help-other faculty, department chair, etc. 

-Review as much background information as you can-perform a literature search, review previous lectures or other information, etc. 

-If possible, consider bringing in another expert or panel of experts.  For example, if I am teaching an outpatient-focused topic while my training is primarily inpatient, I will contact my colleagues who practice in outpatient settings.  They may be at my institution or others and are happy to help with questions.  I find this helps with the “real world” application of the information, beyond the information that I can ascertain from the literature/guidelines. 

-Keep in mind that not being an expert can have its advantages.  Experts often accidentally teach at the expert level, rather than at the beginning level (which happens to be where our students are).  As a novice, you may be in a great position to teach the main concepts. 

-Assessment of student understanding. It may be helpful to assign a pre-class assessment that you can review prior to teaching.  Something like a minute paper or muddiest point may allow you to identify knowledge gaps and misunderstandings prior to class.  It may also give you insight into what students already feel comfortable with regarding the topic. 

-Try to resist straight lecturing. Though it is often the most comfortable way to teach unfamiliar material, (since everything is on slides in front of you), it is not helping your learners as much as it is making you comfortable.  Try to insert some active learning throughout your teaching session to allow students to discuss, apply, and/or reflect on the content.  

-Finally, the age old advice-it is okay to say that you don’t know. When we start out teaching, we may think that we need to be seen as the experts who know everything about a topic. As you teach more and more, you realize how much you don’t know. If you have had 5 voices training, this would be considered moving from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence.  

Hope this is helpful as you create new content for Spring semester and volunteer to pick up new topics! Thanks for tuning into Two Pills Podcast! 

Resources: 

https://ucat.osu.edu/blog/teachers-talk-teaching-dont-know/ 

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/strategies-for-teaching-unfamiliar-material/ 

Full episode info and notes available at www.twopillspodcast.com 

Fake It 'til You Make it... How to Teach Unfamiliar Topics!

Help! How do I teach this unfamiliar topic?? Teaching what you don’t know. 

It seems to come up for all of us.  Someone is sick, there are weather/transportation/scheduling issues, curricular changes, departures-for whatever reason, you have the exciting and often daunting task of teaching an unfamiliar topic.  

-First, keep the overarching objectives in mind-what should students know about this topic by the end of your time with them?  Why are students being taught this information? If you are unsure, seek out someone who may be able to help-other faculty, department chair, etc. 

-Review as much background information as you can-perform a literature search, review previous lectures or other information, etc. 

-If possible, consider bringing in another expert or panel of experts.  For example, if I am teaching an outpatient-focused topic while my training is primarily inpatient, I will contact my colleagues who practice in outpatient settings.  They may be at my institution or others and are happy to help with questions.  I find this helps with the “real world” application of the information, beyond the information that I can ascertain from the literature/guidelines. 

-Keep in mind that not being an expert can have its advantages.  Experts often accidentally teach at the expert level, rather than at the beginning level (which happens to be where our students are).  As a novice, you may be in a great position to teach the main concepts. 

-Assessment of student understanding. It may be helpful to assign a pre-class assessment that you can review prior to teaching.  Something like a minute paper or muddiest point may allow you to identify knowledge gaps and misunderstandings prior to class.  It may also give you insight into what students already feel comfortable with regarding the topic. 

-Try to resist straight lecturing. Though it is often the most comfortable way to teach unfamiliar material, (since everything is on slides in front of you), it is not helping your learners as much as it is making you comfortable.  Try to insert some active learning throughout your teaching session to allow students to discuss, apply, and/or reflect on the content.  

-Finally, the age old advice-it is okay to say that you don’t know. When we start out teaching, we may think that we need to be seen as the experts who know everything about a topic. As you teach more and more, you realize how much you don’t know. If you have had 5 voices training, this would be considered moving from unconscious incompetence to conscious incompetence.  

Hope this is helpful as you create new content for Spring semester and volunteer to pick up new topics! Thanks for tuning into Two Pills Podcast! 

Resources: 

https://ucat.osu.edu/blog/teachers-talk-teaching-dont-know/ 

https://www.facultyfocus.com/articles/effective-teaching-strategies/strategies-for-teaching-unfamiliar-material/ 

Full episode info and notes available at www.twopillspodcast.com 

Interview with Dr. Rita Olans!

Rita Olans is a pediatric nurse practitioner who works as a NP hospitalist as well as a nursing professor in Boston, MA.  When she isn't practicing and teaching, she thinking of other ways to knit together antimicrobial stewardship interventions into everything she does as she has a generation of children who are going to need those precious antibiotics. 

Find more information on this episode and all previous episodes available at www.twopillspodcast.com 

Interview with Dr. Rita Olans!

Rita Olans is a pediatric nurse practitioner who works as a NP hospitalist as well as a nursing professor in Boston, MA.  When she isn't practicing and teaching, she thinking of other ways to knit together antimicrobial stewardship interventions into everything she does as she has a generation of children who are going to need those precious antibiotics. 

Find more information on this episode and all previous episodes available at www.twopillspodcast.com 

This Two Pills Tip aims to help those oft-dreaded letters of recommendation become less of a burden! For a full transcription of today's episode visit www.twopillspodcast.com

References:

• https://www.pharmacytimes.com/contributor/monica-v-golik-mahoney-pharmd-bcps-aq-id/2015/12/letters-of-recommendation-a-pharmacy-residency-programs-perspective 
• http://pharmsci.uci.edu/write-letter-recommendation-pharmacy-school/ 
•  https://www.pharmacist.com/article/three-easy-steps-writing-letter-recommendation 

This Two Pills Tip aims to help those oft-dreaded letters of recommendation become less of a burden! For a full transcription of today's episode visit www.twopillspodcast.com

References:

• https://www.pharmacytimes.com/contributor/monica-v-golik-mahoney-pharmd-bcps-aq-id/2015/12/letters-of-recommendation-a-pharmacy-residency-programs-perspective 
• http://pharmsci.uci.edu/write-letter-recommendation-pharmacy-school/ 
•  https://www.pharmacist.com/article/three-easy-steps-writing-letter-recommendation