Whitman Associates provides a variety of consulting services including one- and two-day courses, short presentations, individual and group consulting, and departmental retreats. We will be happy to work with you to design a visit that meets your organizational or departmental needs.   Mini-Course #1. How to Teach Anybody Anything The goal of this one-day course is to help physicians use seven key strategies that work in any educational setting: teaching patients, medical students, or residents. This is a fast-paced, interactive session which "practices what is preached," combining short presentations with hands-on activities. Partipants will leave with an action plan they can use the very next day as they see patients, teach students, or supervise residents.   Mini-Course #2. Working With Adult Learners: Principles and Application for Medical Teachers The goal of this two-day course is to help medical teachers become more familiar with and committed to the principles of adult learning, so that they will apply these principles to training programs they conduct and/or supervise. Participants will learn a structured model of curriculum development that includes: assessing learner needs, developing targeted objectives, choosing creative teaching methods, and designing efficient and effective evaluations. This is a concentrated course of study which uses a combination of mini-lectures, group discussion, and hands-on exercises.   Mini-Course #3. Medicine & the Arts: How the Literary, Visual, and Performing Arts Can Expand Your View of medicine The goal of this two-day course is to help medical teachers become more comfortable with and appreciative of the role the Arts can play in medical practice and medical education. Participants will learn to use the Arts as tools to make decisions in the face of uncertainty and to better understand the human condition. This is an intensive seminar-style workshop which uses group discussion interspersed with short presentations. The workshop will make use of a variety of artistic forms, including prose & poetry, painting & sculpture, and plays & movies.   A Visit From Sir William Osler Dr. Whitman has developed a 30-minute dramatisation of Sir William Osler, founder of the modern teaching hospital. In his talk, Dr. Osler shares a lifetime of experience reflecting on the people and places he has encountered. The lecture takes place in the year 1919, as Dr. Osler makes a farewell tour of North America. "Sir William" could visit YOUR institution, speaking to medical students, residents, and attending physicians at Grand Rounds, Noon Conference, or as the keynote speaker for a special lunch or dinner event. Click to view movie.   Short Presentations & Workshops You can select among a variety of short presentations and workshops (60 to 90 minutes each) to make up a full day or two of consulting. These can be suitable for Grand Rounds, Noon Conference, or specially-scheduled mid-morning or mid-afternoon sessions, as well as dinner & evening programs. Topics include: Improving Lecture Skills; Leading Small Group Discussions; Giving Feedback to Improve Student Performance; Assessing and Instructing Clinical Knowledge, Attitude, & Skill; Teaching Medical & Surgical Procedures; Designing & Evaluating a Curriculum; Improving Morning Report, Rounds, and Bedside Teaching; Teaching in the Outpatient Setting   Observation & Critique Observation and critique by an outsider who is an educational expert can be a good way for individual teachers and organizations to learn valuable information: what they are doing right and what they need to improve. With over 30 years experience in Academic Medicine, Dr. Whitman has visited over 100 medical schools and teaching hospitals, providing feedback of this sort. He observes in both the classroom and clinical setting, regardless of medical or surgical specialty. As a "teacher's teacher," he practices what he preaches in terms of giving feedback that helps others improve their own performance.   Committee Support Committees can be both the boon and the bane of medical schools and teaching hospitals! At best, they identify and solve problems quickly. At worst, they are mired in the "swamp" of indecision. Whether a commitee is functioning well or not, an impartial, informed outsider can help maximize its effort. During a consulting visit, Dr. Whitman will be glad to meet with your Executive Committee, Curriculum Committee, or Student Affairs Committee to address issues of concern and provide input as requested.   One-on-One Consulting As part of an on-site visit, Dr. Whitman can meet with individual faculty and administrators to address THEIR questions and concerns. In these meetings, which range from 30-minute conversations to 2-hour intensive coaching sessions, Neal is available to target the individualized needs of your key players. Discussions can include, but are not limited to, topics such as: curriculum & faculty development; student, resident, or faculty evaluation; and management & leadership issues.