WIIFMEEEEEEE?
As part of the Ontario Extend mOOC we’ve been asked to talk about a class that we are teaching, and brainstorm a list of WIIFM (What’s in it for me?) from a student perspective.
In one of my classes — Sport Injuries — I ask my class to practice writing SOAP notes after watching a video of an interaction between an injured client and an exercise therapist. SOAP notes are a common acronym for writing case notes in a clinical setting, such as a hospital, rehabilitation clinic, etc.
S = subjective, O = objective, A = analysis, P = plan
Many of my Fitness students chafe at this written assignment because they are more comfortable with kinesthetic learning and presentations, and this is outside their comfort zone. These are the following things I say to convince them of the value of the exercise.
- For those wanting to continue into medical school, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, kinesiology, or athletic therapy it will be a _required_ format for patient/client notes
- For those wanting to work in fitness, but have dr’s, physios, etc. refer to them, this is a way of establishing a higher level of professionalism. Likewise, you will understand notes coming from your referral source
- This is practice for your observational skills. While watching the video you need to listen to what is being said but also observe body language to get a fuller picture of the interaction and issue. This skill is helpful in any way you work with future clients.
- This will allow you to learn how to organize their thoughts on a client interaction, before recording it. In turn by recording it you will be protecting yourself in case there is a potential legal issue that comes up!
By the end of this discussion, the relevance of a particular topic is usually not a concern, and I no longer get the WIIFM looks :)
