Tips and Tricks Before You Record:

We want to make this fun and easy so here are some simple tips and tricks to help you prepare.

We know that all of you have a thousand stories to tell but try to think of a rural med case that stood out in some way: Stood out because it was clinically taxing, personally stressful or emotional, or even just plain funny, and that also reflects the particular challenges of working in a rural or resource poor environment.

Make a brief outline of the key points you want to get across (think of how you would prepare a brief case presentation for rounds, or better yet, how you would tell the story to a group of doctors at a party).

Think of descriptors for the story:

• The season, the setting, the mood.

• How you were feeling (before, during, after the case).

• What you were thinking (before, during, after).

• Think of the lessons/pearls that you took away from this and that you would like to share.

Sample Questions

• Tell us about yourself and the setting of the story:

  • Not exact location but “small rural clinic” versus “community hospital on a reservation”

  • Time of year

  • How far from next level of care

• Case

  • Set the scene

  • Describe the ER that day

  • Case overview

  • Challenges faced

• How you felt

• Lessons learned