A funny thing happened to me during a CPR class...
The older I get, the less I genuinely like people. Not in general but in face to face one day confrontations. For some reason when I do my best there is some weird reason that people love to tear me down.
I was teaching CPR for the first time in over 7 months. I don't dislike teaching CPR. In fact, it would actually be the perfect 9-5 if I could just figure out how to do it full time with the folks I work for in a contractual fashion. Seriously, working 20 hours a week, less than 8 hours on three days, I would make more than $400 per week.
This morning we started teaching and I thought it was fine. The woman I was teaching with was obviously nervous and kept skipping steps and I kept redirecting her back to her AHA basics. (I teach Doctors and Nurses to do CPR not just regular folks) I, in the end, taught most of the class and had more to say about the subject than a woman who has been working in the hospital her whole life as well as correcting several mistakes that were made by people who have been working saving lives for their entire lives in other classrooms.
Then I got the news in reviews, which are required by law. "She doesn't know anything about this. She doesn't do this for a living." These are med students now!
Here was my mistake. At the beginning of class we introduced ourselves. The other woman introduced herself and said "Hi I am Jennifer and I work in the hospital."
I, to keep things light, since CPR is such a serious thing so often, said, "Hi I am Lilly Nelson and I will be teaching you about CPR. I come from a medical family, I have been teaching CPR for 5 years to Doctors and Nurses and I have played a doctor on television so we should be ok." There, as always, was laughter.
Now this doesn't really bother me because all the students passed and, since we teach specific disciplines and it was my day to teach infant and no one missed a single question about infants on the test, I find it funny that I end up having to talk to my supervisor because..."Oh she doesn't know what she's doing."
To all the medical professionals in the world I say this. Had I chosen it, I would be kicking your butts in the medical field. I know more about how to take a pulse than your average doctor. I know when to panic, and know what CPR looks like.
Acting and Medicine are so very similar. It's all training muscles to respond to certain situations, memorizing and spitting out information and dealing with people. Hey third year med students, guess what? I know more about CPR than you. How safe do you feel America?
I was teaching CPR for the first time in over 7 months. I don't dislike teaching CPR. In fact, it would actually be the perfect 9-5 if I could just figure out how to do it full time with the folks I work for in a contractual fashion. Seriously, working 20 hours a week, less than 8 hours on three days, I would make more than $400 per week.
This morning we started teaching and I thought it was fine. The woman I was teaching with was obviously nervous and kept skipping steps and I kept redirecting her back to her AHA basics. (I teach Doctors and Nurses to do CPR not just regular folks) I, in the end, taught most of the class and had more to say about the subject than a woman who has been working in the hospital her whole life as well as correcting several mistakes that were made by people who have been working saving lives for their entire lives in other classrooms.
Then I got the news in reviews, which are required by law. "She doesn't know anything about this. She doesn't do this for a living." These are med students now!
Here was my mistake. At the beginning of class we introduced ourselves. The other woman introduced herself and said "Hi I am Jennifer and I work in the hospital."
I, to keep things light, since CPR is such a serious thing so often, said, "Hi I am Lilly Nelson and I will be teaching you about CPR. I come from a medical family, I have been teaching CPR for 5 years to Doctors and Nurses and I have played a doctor on television so we should be ok." There, as always, was laughter.
Now this doesn't really bother me because all the students passed and, since we teach specific disciplines and it was my day to teach infant and no one missed a single question about infants on the test, I find it funny that I end up having to talk to my supervisor because..."Oh she doesn't know what she's doing."
To all the medical professionals in the world I say this. Had I chosen it, I would be kicking your butts in the medical field. I know more about how to take a pulse than your average doctor. I know when to panic, and know what CPR looks like.
Acting and Medicine are so very similar. It's all training muscles to respond to certain situations, memorizing and spitting out information and dealing with people. Hey third year med students, guess what? I know more about CPR than you. How safe do you feel America?
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