Sometimes people get stuck in their ways. They have always done things a certain way, so they have a hard time seeing things in a new light.
Here’s an example of a conversation between a PA and surgeon:
– “These adhesions are a mess. Can we come in from the left instead on this patient?”
– “We always come in on the right.”
– “Is there any reason we can’t come in on the left?”
– “Just that we always do it from the right.”
– “Is that your only argument? Because if it is, we are going to try it from the left this time.”
Here’s another one:
– “Why do you do it that way?”
– “This how I was trained”
– “Why did THEY do it that way?”
– “I don’t know.”
– “How long ago was that?”
– “…”
The best part is that either part of the dialogue could be the PA or the surgeon. I’ve seen it both ways. I’ve been on both sides of this conversation.
We all get stuck just repeating what we’ve always done, for better or worse. In order to get better, we need to examine why we do things, and think for just a minute, if there might be a better way.
Why do you sit and reread notes to study? Has it helped? Who taught you that technique? Did it work for them?
Try out spaced repetition and unprompted recall using the The Final Step.
Brian Wallace
