He's Eating His Eye!
My first student clinical rotation--observation in the University Children's Hospital-- provided one of my most memorable client interactions. My CI had to speak privately with the mother and requested I keep an eye on the client, an 18 month old modern day Helen Keller. I can honestly say I never, not for one second, ever considered his own face a possible danger. Goes to show how much I had to learn.
I watched with amazement as this little guy navigated the room on his head, two knees and one hand--using his other hand as his eyes, to "see" where he was going and feel for obstacles. He maneuvered to some toys in the room and sat upright to play. Suddenly he reached his hand to his eye, plucked it out, and placed it in his mouth. His eye...in his mouth!
I was stunned speechless for a moment, then tentatively uttered, "He, he, he...he's eating his eye. He just put his eye in his mouth." Without turning around the therapist calmly explained, "Oh, he does that sometimes."
Excuse me? He does that sometimes? REALLY? Yet, you didn't feel that was a useful piece of information to provide a student on her first encounter with this client? In retrospect, I suppose I should have clued in that it couldn't have possibly been his real eye. I mean, no blood, no screaming and writhing about. My twelve year old could probably have figured that out...but way back then we didn't have "Life in the ER"!
So here's the question...do you give your students and co-workers enough information? Or do you take for granted the knowledge you have? As you are training students and new employees, try to remember what it was like to be new. Don't assume they have more information than they actually do. Better to hear information twice than not at all.