How to be a good observer in a medical/research setting?
July 9, 2013 11:24 AM Subscribe
I've recently started doing observations in primarily medical but also research settings (in Audiology). I'm new at this and I'm looking for tips and advice on how to be a gracious, respectful observer while getting the most out of it.
I'm a post-bacc student completing pre-reqs for grad school in Audiology. As part of this, I've been doing some observations. I recently did a day of observations at a hospital. It was my first time doing anything like that and, while I think it went really well and I had a great time, I also realized that I didn't know exactly what I was in for.
tl;dr: I'm looking for advice and tips on how to be a good observer at every stage of the process - from setting up observations, to being on site, to following-up.
I have the basic Good Human stuff - dress appropriately, be respectful, etc. And I get the basic observation stuff - basically be quiet and observe, don't really talk to patients or families, defer to the doc if they ask you any questions. But when I was observing, the Audiologists would also ask me to help out a bit - everything from moving chairs around to distracting a child with some toys so they could get a tymp reading. I tried to follow their lead and basically just go with it, but it's sort of hard to know what level of involvement is right. Parents would also talk to me about their children and look to me as some sort of authority and I wanted to say, hey, I know nothing! I'm just a student! So I want to balance being a fly on the wall with showing sort of appropriate interest and ambition, but I'm not always sure how to do this.
It's also hard to know what sorts of questions to ask. I ended up asking quite a lot of technical questions and questions about the technology and such - but to what degree can I ask questions about the specific patients and cases (when the patients and their families have left obviously). Sometimes I couldn't really think of any questions, and just said I didn't really have any questions at that time, which made me feel sort of lame. How can I come up with better questions? Or is it okay to not really have any? Part of it was I was just sort of taking it all in.
And how to follow-up? After my observation I sent an email to everyone thanking them and telling them how interesting it was and that I had a great time (all completely true), and asking to come back another day and observe some more. Should I have sent a physical card or something? Should I bring baked goods next time?
Any other advice from students who have done this? Or folks who have been observed? What did/would make the observation experience good for you and the observer?
Thanks everyone!
I'm a post-bacc student completing pre-reqs for grad school in Audiology. As part of this, I've been doing some observations. I recently did a day of observations at a hospital. It was my first time doing anything like that and, while I think it went really well and I had a great time, I also realized that I didn't know exactly what I was in for.
tl;dr: I'm looking for advice and tips on how to be a good observer at every stage of the process - from setting up observations, to being on site, to following-up.
I have the basic Good Human stuff - dress appropriately, be respectful, etc. And I get the basic observation stuff - basically be quiet and observe, don't really talk to patients or families, defer to the doc if they ask you any questions. But when I was observing, the Audiologists would also ask me to help out a bit - everything from moving chairs around to distracting a child with some toys so they could get a tymp reading. I tried to follow their lead and basically just go with it, but it's sort of hard to know what level of involvement is right. Parents would also talk to me about their children and look to me as some sort of authority and I wanted to say, hey, I know nothing! I'm just a student! So I want to balance being a fly on the wall with showing sort of appropriate interest and ambition, but I'm not always sure how to do this.
It's also hard to know what sorts of questions to ask. I ended up asking quite a lot of technical questions and questions about the technology and such - but to what degree can I ask questions about the specific patients and cases (when the patients and their families have left obviously). Sometimes I couldn't really think of any questions, and just said I didn't really have any questions at that time, which made me feel sort of lame. How can I come up with better questions? Or is it okay to not really have any? Part of it was I was just sort of taking it all in.
And how to follow-up? After my observation I sent an email to everyone thanking them and telling them how interesting it was and that I had a great time (all completely true), and asking to come back another day and observe some more. Should I have sent a physical card or something? Should I bring baked goods next time?
Any other advice from students who have done this? Or folks who have been observed? What did/would make the observation experience good for you and the observer?
Thanks everyone!
Best answer: My daughter is a medically complex child, and we are frequently observed during her various appointments. I am glad to help contribute towards a specialist's education! I am okay with any nicely-phrased question ("what's wrong with her?" is not a good one, but I'm sure you wouldn't say that!). She's a preemie so common questions I get and am happy to answer include how early was she, what caused her prematurity, how long was she in the NICU, how was her course there, does she have [related problem], how are her lungs/eyes, what did she weigh and what does she weigh now, and almost anything related to the specialty at hand. I would be okay with her doctors answering more specific questions about her after we leave, too, since our perspectives are so differet. I usually ask the observers things like how far soon they are in their studies, where they are studying, and what interested them in the specialty. I hope that helps!
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 12:26 PM on July 9, 2013
posted by peanut_mcgillicuty at 12:26 PM on July 9, 2013
Best answer: I've observed a lot of specialist appointments (though for research, not training). It sounds like you're doing a great job already, but here are some things to consider:
I always asked the doctor to introduce me to the patient or family using this script: "This is X. She is not a member of the medical staff. She is a researcher who will be observing the appointment today." This worked well to prevent patients from asking me medical advice.
I would make sure to thank the entire care team/staff at the clinic, not just the doctor, if you're not already doing so. A physical card might be easier/more appropriate to thank the group, and it's a nice gesture.
I don't know anything about audiology as a specialty, but if they do training similar to residencies or fellowships, try to shadow a doc who is training someone and sit in on their discussions of the patients' cases. There are a lot of teaching moments in these discussions and they may help you to think of better questions to ask at the end of your observation.
posted by before and after at 1:46 PM on July 9, 2013
I always asked the doctor to introduce me to the patient or family using this script: "This is X. She is not a member of the medical staff. She is a researcher who will be observing the appointment today." This worked well to prevent patients from asking me medical advice.
I would make sure to thank the entire care team/staff at the clinic, not just the doctor, if you're not already doing so. A physical card might be easier/more appropriate to thank the group, and it's a nice gesture.
I don't know anything about audiology as a specialty, but if they do training similar to residencies or fellowships, try to shadow a doc who is training someone and sit in on their discussions of the patients' cases. There are a lot of teaching moments in these discussions and they may help you to think of better questions to ask at the end of your observation.
posted by before and after at 1:46 PM on July 9, 2013
Best answer: It seems like you're finding a good balance, and even thinking about these questions means you're well on your way to becoming a great clinician. I agree with coolsara about thinking of it as helping the patient, rather than the clinic. Also, you're asking questions that are technology based, and in AuD that's a good place to start. You're so early in your observations that it's okay to have the "I don't have any questions at this time" feeling; I'm one of those people who, when presented with lots of new information, needs time for things to percolate before I can really start to make connections.
BUT, you might want to ask the clinician, after the client has left, about quality of life for the patient, etiology, and decision making processes for deciding what kind of hearing aid is best for a person at a certain point in their life, etc. Those are more advanced questions, though, so don't feel like you're doing anything "wrong" by not asking them right away. Much of this kind of clinical thinking just takes time, and you've got 4+ years of a program to develop that.
I would hesitate to ask questions directly to the patients simply because I wouldn't want to offend, or inadvertently say something stupid. But do be friendly towards them, smile at them, and you can ask some generic questions about how they like their hearing aid.
(Disclaimer: I am also an SLP.)
posted by absquatulate at 4:47 PM on July 9, 2013
BUT, you might want to ask the clinician, after the client has left, about quality of life for the patient, etiology, and decision making processes for deciding what kind of hearing aid is best for a person at a certain point in their life, etc. Those are more advanced questions, though, so don't feel like you're doing anything "wrong" by not asking them right away. Much of this kind of clinical thinking just takes time, and you've got 4+ years of a program to develop that.
I would hesitate to ask questions directly to the patients simply because I wouldn't want to offend, or inadvertently say something stupid. But do be friendly towards them, smile at them, and you can ask some generic questions about how they like their hearing aid.
(Disclaimer: I am also an SLP.)
posted by absquatulate at 4:47 PM on July 9, 2013
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As far as how hands on to be? Think of yourself as being invited to the appointment by the patient instead of being part of the clinic. If the chairs need to be moved, someone needs a tissue or a toddler to be distracted, do that because it is helpful to the patient, so long as you can still observe what's going on. Other than that, just be another body in the room.
posted by coolsara at 12:10 PM on July 9, 2013 [2 favorites]