Policies and Struggles Regarding Education

As an emergency medicine specialist, I am passionate about education.
In the emergency department, I work alongside residents, and if they do not grow, the patients suffer the consequences.
Of course, it is necessary for them to work hard on their own, but I must support their motivation, their learning methods, and their practical knowledge. I would like to share the policies I hold regarding education, and I hope this will be of some help to those who will be teaching in the future. I also hope that those who are struggling might see that there are others like me and feel encouraged to keep trying a little longer.

1. Why do I teach?

Because it is efficient

One reason is that it is efficient. I believe that the benefits gained from my own personal growth are minimal in terms of the organization as a whole. Once you have been in the field for a certain number of years, I think your growth tends to plateau. If you are already experienced, even if your ability goes from 5 to 6, the organization only receives a benefit of 1.
However, by educating beginners—residents who still have room to grow—the benefit to the organization as a whole is greater than if I were to grow as an individual. If there were 10 residents and their ability went from 1 to 3, the organization would receive a benefit of 20. (These numbers are for convenience. It is not that I am superior; I just approximated based on seniority.)

It provides an opportunity for output

Of course, I also have to study myself. As mentioned earlier, if I only study on my own, I might only grow by 1, but if I can solidify my memory through output, that might lead to a growth of 2. To convey things well to students and teach them effectively, I have to input and prepare two or three times as much as I am teaching. I believe this makes it easier for the information to stick in my memory.

Because I have to

Ultimately, in terms of the department, the fact that I have to might be my biggest motivation. As an educator, I must teach until they can absorb knowledge on their own and have acquired a certain base level of knowledge. Baby birds also need to be fed at first, right? After that, they are taught how to find food for themselves and eventually become independent. I believe such a process is necessary in education.

It can also be applied to my own children

By studying educational methods and philosophies, I think I can also apply them to my own children. I try to motivate them without getting angry or using bribes. Also, for ages where they cannot be explained to in words, I try to use other means, and even if they don't understand, I try to explain things in words as much as possible. I explain the reasons to them. I think that rather than just scolding them or bribing them, they might understand the atmosphere at least a little bit. (I hope to write about this on another occasion.)

2. Disadvantages

It takes time

Inevitably, it takes time to prepare, and the study sessions themselves take time as well. I don't get paid for this. Sometimes I have doubts, wondering if I am just a pushover for spending so much time doing this for others.

Struggles caused by education also increase

・Struggling with the thought, "Why won't everyone do more?"
I do this because I like teaching.
That said, when the burden on me builds up, I often find myself thinking that way.
I want to do this in a more organized way, involving those around me, and I hope to gradually increase the number of educators.

・The struggle of not having everyone participate
The study sessions are voluntary. Since they are held outside of working hours, I cannot force anyone to attend. In those sessions, the students who participate do so almost every time, while those who don't, never participate at all.
"Hey, you're not attending the study sessions, are you sure you'll be able to do the work?"
I often think that.
Why is that? Everyone has different values, and...
"I really think it would be beneficial... maybe I should conduct a survey to check their needs. Or maybe the study sessions aren't interesting..."
Such struggles would never come to mind if I weren't involved in education.
Those who are forced to participate don't have the right mindset for learning, and even if they do attend, the retention rate will likely be low.
I hope that by gradually increasing the number of highly motivated people and participants, an atmosphere and culture where attending study sessions is the norm will be created.

・Will I burn out?

Because of these struggles, I am aware that I am at high risk for burnout. I am aware of it, and I plan to step back a little when things get dangerous, so I think my control is good. Is that too optimistic?
As the quote says, burnout is something that less experienced people are more prone to. Conversely, you could say it is a privilege of the young. I would like to work with people who are burning with passion, rather than burning out. However, there are people who truly do burn out. If there is someone near you who is in danger or seems to be at high risk, I would like you to reach out a helping hand. It is hard to say it yourself, after all. You feel the expectations of those around you. People with this kind of character might even think that slacking off is a bad thing. I would like to write about burnout on another occasion.

3. Policy on Education

Support, Nothing More

Residents must learn to study on their own from here on out. Once they advance to their specialties, they may start to find their own motivation when the need arises. I hope they use their time as residents to learn how to learn as a form of practice for that time.
How to look up research papers, how to search in Japanese? How to ask seniors for advice.
Furthermore, I occasionally teach not just study methods, but also work techniques and life hacks for balancing study, clinical practice, and family life.
This is also a matter of efficiency; while I certainly teach knowledge, it is far more efficient for them to learn the art of absorbing knowledge themselves. If everyone can raise their level from 1 to 3 in study sessions and from 3 to 7 through self-study, we can expect even greater growth.

“The blue dye comes from the indigo plant, but is bluer than the plant itself.”
I hope that everyone will easily surpass me.

Telling Them When Something Is Not Okay

I believe it is necessary to clearly tell them "that's not okay" at the bedside or in actual clinical practice. I never do this online or in study sessions. I pride myself on being very kind there. No matter how off-base a question may be, I make sure to affirm it before answering.
In actual clinical practice, it can cause disadvantages to patients, and as long as they are receiving a salary, they are professionals, even if they are residents. If they are not fulfilling that role, I don't think it helps them to avoid telling them "that's not okay." Of course, I am careful about how I convey it. For example, I might tell them in private, away from other peers. People talk about the "sandwich method"—praise, then scold, then praise—but in an emergency setting, that is not feasible. I go straight to the point.
In exchange, so to speak, I never do that in study sessions. I am happy just that they are participating in the first place. Even if they aren't listening very seriously, I have nothing but gratitude that they are participating in a non-mandatory study session. It is for their own benefit, but they are using their own time to attend, after all. It makes me happy. I don't mind spending any amount of time on such students. I take every question, answer to the best of my ability, clearly state when I don't know something, and then look it up and share it later. It is my duty to provide correct knowledge rather than answering haphazardly.

Mainly Communicating Failures

I try to communicate my failures more often.
Rather than succeeding and
boasting,
“Look what I was able to do,”
I think that saying,
“This kind of patient came in, and I made this mistake,”
makes it feel more relatable and helps them absorb the lesson better.
This may be a personal opinion.
It is said that in emergency medicine, mistakes are repeated.
Mistakes are often ones that have been made somewhere in the country before. Many books have been published for that purpose, and I am often struck by them and reflect on myself.Even what I was taught by my seniors remains in my memory more as stories of failure than stories of success.

Growing as a Human Being Myself

“Educators should be people of character.”
I tell myself this as I engage in education.
What is said by someone you respect sinks straight into your heart.
There have been many teachers—in elementary, middle, high school, and university—as well as seniors in clubs and at work who have changed my life up to this point. Those teachers were strict, but they were people of character. (I didn't feel that at all at the time; it's the classic case of a child not understanding a parent's heart.) I believe they were strict because they truly cared about us. My life today exists because I was forged by those teachers. I want to be that kind of person again. I feel it as a mission to nurture my juniors as a way of repaying those teachers.

I may be blessed with the people I meet. Also, I try to think that way.
I believe that if you live earnestly and work earnestly, such encounters will come your way.
I am a completely effort-based person. I strive to be a good person. So, I work even harder, thinking that people with the same tastes (and/or thoughts) will be drawn to me like birds of a feather.

As a self-analysis, I don't think I am exceptionally excellent.
There may be opinions like,
“I don't want to be taught by a guy like that.”
There are many people more talented than me, but not all of them are involved in education.
Isn't the reality that residents want to be taught basic, immediately usable knowledge rather than specialized knowledge? In that sense, I think it's fine for an ordinary person like me who is motivated to teach to do it.

There are many struggles, but it is something that someone has to do.
Is it passion that drives me? Is it because it's fun? Is it because I feel supreme joy when they occasionally express their gratitude?
I haven't found a clear answer, but I will continue to do this from here on out.