Monday, March 28, 2011

Narcissism and the Modern Student

I willingly (key word, here) read research studies related to educational psychology and educational topics in general. Several recent studies related to our current student body's most prevelant age group--those born between 1982 and 2003--have caught my attention.

Known as the "millennials",or "generation me", people; they are the product of a deliberate effort to build-up peoples' self-esteem. "Little Johnny can be anything he sets his mind to" and "Little Sally can be the first female quarterback in the NFL if she works hard!" EVERYONE recieves a participation medal just for showing up with a pulse!! The fact is, this is dillusional thinking.

I know I've ranted about this before, but it is really important that EMS educators understand how to deal with millennials.

I remember when I took the DOT instructor course. My instructor, Dr. Dennis Izzro, PhD., North Dakota State University, Fargo, ND; made it clear that the people we were teaching were on the tail end of the baby-boomer generation. This group had the need to be heard and understood. They were willing to put forth effort to understand but they wanted things compared to their world, not the instructors. Baby boomers were more reserved and often shy when it came to doing EMT skills in front of the class. They resented the unknown. They read the syllabus from front to back and they were quick to point out the times when you deviated from the schedule. They paid for the class with their own money and sometimes they were reimbursed by their employers or volunteer ambualnce service. They chose to take the EMT class not for financial gain, but for the knowledge and respect it earned them. They wanted to give back to their communities like their parents had done during World War II. Indeed, they were committed to helping others.

The millennials are committed to helping others as well.....as long as they get their needs taken care of first. The millennials want it fast, abbreviated, and they wand minimal disruption in their lives as they learn about EMS. They are not scared or reserved. They share every part of their lives on the internet via Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, LinkedIn and YouTube. It is as if they are constantly searching for their 15 minutes of fame. They have no problems, usually, performing in front of the whole class with their thong-underwear showing or their exotic piercings unapologetically dangling in front of everyone's face. They want to be EMTs and paramedics, but they don't want to "pay any dues" by working for free as a volunteer.

The level of narcissism should concern everyone. A narcissist lacks the ability to be emotionally invested in others. They lack compassion or even the capacity to care in extreme cases. They see people as tools to to get them what they need, not as equals. They want everyone to know that they are important. The world revovles around the narcissist.

Does this sound like any of your students?

To be sure, not all millennials are self-centered. To cover them all with this broad brush is unfair and unproductive. The key is to recognize the behaviors of a narcissist regardless of their generational alignment. Millennials don't have a claim to all the narcissists on the planet.

When you have a narcissist in your classroom, be prepared to explain to him or her why they are failing their paramedic class. Millinneals have been told from the day they were born that, as long as they try their hardest, they will be given what they want. What happens when Little Johnny isn't very intelligent, or more importantly, motivated?

Recently, the parents of a student who was failing his EMT class visited our training center to find out why he was underperforming. To their surprise, they found that he hadn't been taking his quizes. They proclaimed multiple times that their son was a "straight-A student in high school." They felt that is must be the instructor's fault...somehow....right?

I leave you with this rhetorical question to ponder: When did it become a bad thing to find out you aren't great at everything you do?

Tuesday, March 15, 2011

Training the Trainers.....

Do doctors make the worst patients? How about EMT's? Nurses?

I think there may be some truth to this. Somehow, once we have been indoctrinated into a culture, we feel we have the right of a dictator. We don't have to listen or comply with those who may actually know more than us; for they are beneath us.

Don't succumb to this temptation.

I'm tired of the anti-intellectual movement in EMS. Especially in our great state of North Dakota.

I have been busy putting together an EMS Instructor / Coordinator course. I want to help up-and-coming EMS educators; but guess what I've found? They don't really want my help. (I'm shocked....)

They want the course to be easy, cheap and un-challenging.

They don't want online; they don't want face-to-face. They don't want the class to interrupt their lives in any way.

Sorry folks, that ain't gonna happen. I have something to teach you and you will learn whether you like it or not. (Look out, Sherm's threatening to teach us something, again!!)

For those of you who've not already taken the DOT EMS Instructor Initial course and are ready to admit you don't know EVERYTHING...... Send me an e-mail for information about the upcoming course scheduled for May 22, 2011. You won't regret it. sherm@fmambulance.com

Don't send me anything if you're not serious. Don't ask for my help if you already know everything about EMS education; I obviously can't help you.

--This was written with a significant amount of sarcasm intended. I'm not really all that cynical. Just ask Ron Lawler, Jodi Holston, Kelly Wanzek, Steve Siedschlag, Denise Vetter, Bob Klein, Kristi Engelstad or any of the other top-notch full-time, dedicated EMS educators I work with every day.

There are average EMS educators; and then there are those who take it to the realm of excellence and choose to learn from each-other.

Pick which group you want to hang with. It's really up to you, that's the cool part.


Sherm

Wednesday, March 9, 2011

They're on to us......

They're on to us. Students have called out "B.S." when it comes to practical testing. And, I agree with them.

Practical testing has been a mainstay in EMS since the first curriculum was established more than 40 years ago. It is time for practical testing to die; at least in its current format.

I've always felt a bit insulted when I had to send my EMT and paramedic students to a state sponsored practical test site administered by emergency medical technicians that barely had more experience than my students; some, I believe, actually had LESS experience than my students.

Practical tests for EMS have but one purpose: HOOP JUMPING.

If a student is ready, they're ready. The instructor should be able to determine this without the interference of a test site that requires a student to state, "BSI, is the scene safe?".

Monday, January 10, 2011

Do your students trust you?

Trust is a wonderful, powerful, and sometimes dangerous, thing. When people trust you, they give you room to make errors. They'll allow you to change them; indeed, they'll probably help you change them. When people trust you, they become open to the possibility that you should be believed.

The more trust that you have in someone, the stronger your relationship with that person becomes. The more times your mechanic fixes your car correctly on the first visit, the more you trust him. When the treatment you receive from your doctor is helpful, you gain confidence in her ability to treat your illnesses. But if your doctor seems confused by your signs and symptoms, your trust in her wanes.

Think about the times throughout history that world leaders have asked their people--either implied or explicitly stated--to trust them. Presidents, prime ministers and dictators alike have called for sacrifice based on the notion that we should trust them. Men have fought and died because they were asked to believe in something a leader told them. Sadly, the Nazis trusted Adolf Hitler's twisted vision which led to the deaths of millions of people. In 1978, 918 people died in Guyana because they trusted Jim Jones. On the other hand, the British trusted Winston Churchill and it led to the downfall of Hitler.

My question to you is this: Do your students trust you?

EMT and Paramedic students will trust you on the first day of class because that's what they've been "trained" to do based on their past experiences. There is a general understanding that the pupil respects his or her teacher. But this level of trust is not stable. What you do during that first encounter and each subsequent encounter will tip the scale either positively or negatively. Most of us can likely list our favorite teachers and mentors. People who've affected our lives in a positive way required us--at some point in time--to trust them.

Students trust you when:

1. You are honest.
2. You are consistent.
3. You hold them responsible.
4. You listen.
5. You follow through.
6. You believe in them.
7. Your actions match your words.
8. You admit your mistakes.