Case Studies
I was fortunate enough to have an unbelievably brilliant professor for a few of my med tech classes. Dr. McDermott teaches Immunology, Medical Mycology and Medical Bacteriology for the major. Her biggest teaching strategy is teaching and testing by means of case studies.
At first this was hard to adjust to and it seemed as if it was more work than it was worth. Her tests were extremely difficult--you had to know everything, and I mean EVERYTHING! Multiple choice questions were few and far between. Everything was case studies, critical thinking, being able to piece the puzzle together.
Throughout this internship experience, I’ve discovered the things I learned in her classes have “stuck” better and I can recall them much clearer. It is one thing to simply memorize and regurgitate a bunch of information--when you understand why something is the way it is, that’s when you have “learned” the information.
My understanding is that the DCLS program will employ the case study method of teaching. I really hope it does! Even though it seems more difficult upfront, I think it is the best and most complete way to learn. It works for doctors and lawyers; it can work for us too!
We’ve been able to present a case study as part of our internship and create a poster about it for the ASCLS State Convention in April. Even though my case was a “nightmare” in terms of sifting through a giant stack of records and an unfortunate abundance of health issues, I’ve learned a great deal from it. My patient reached every department of the lab, and being able to put it all together really helps me understand and appreciate what it is that we do in the lab.
It definitely takes a team of people to solve a medical mystery. If you have an opportunity to work on any case studies I would highly recommend it. There’s a reason all the “end of chapter” reviews have case studies! It is an extremely valuable way to learn.