We're sitting in a room that's maybe 9 feet wide by 20 feet long, lined with countertops that hold 12 TV monitors. The screens let us spy upon what's normally one of the most private of encounters: the interaction between doctor and patient, taking place in a dozen nearby examining rooms. In three of the rooms, the patient is talking about a worrisome bout of diarrhea. Patients in another three rooms are complaining about their chronic insomnia. Three more are seeking medical advice about shortness of breath, while the final trio (all young women) have been coughing up blood. The white-coated figures in the exam rooms are asking questions. Some take notes. Almost all pull out stethoscopes and listen to hearts and lungs and stomach gurgles. But none of the White Coats is licensed to practice medicine. They're third-year medical students being tested on how well they deal with patients. And none of the "patients" is actually ailing. They're actors who've been trained to serve as both the students' test and their grader.

Almost unheard of 25 years ago, such actors are now a fixture at every medical school in the United States, according to Peggy Wallace. She heads the program that hires "standardized patients" (as the actors are known) on the UCSD campus. Wallace says med schools have embraced this approach in part because two years ago the board that licenses U.S. doctors began requiring candidates to pass a day-long evaluation of their clinical skills. In that grueling marathon, the aspiring doctor sees a dozen standardized patients who might complain of anything from dizziness to depression.

The licensing board's insistence that would-be MDs demonstrate interpersonal savvy with patients reflects a sea change. Wallace says doctors once thought that a good bedside manner was something one was born with. "They thought you either had it or you didn't." But research over the past two decades has shown that winning patients' trust is "a teachable skill," she asserts. It's not one most people learn in the course of their normal social interactions because "the interaction of a doctor with a patient is not a normal social interaction," Wallace points out. In a normal social setting, you don't let anyone examine your body. You'd be startled and affronted if another person asked about the color of your feces or how many people you were having sex with. But doctors do. Practicing on simulated patients can help them learn to appear both professional and caring, according to the current thinking.

The UCSD School of Medicine's use of standardized patients seems designed to squeeze every iota of insight from the contrived encounters. Consider the third-year students' midterm exam that I observed from the room with the TV screens. Each of the 12 students that afternoon saw one patient who was short-winded, one with diarrhea, one who was sleepless, and one coughing up blood. Although three different actors played each type of patient, each of the three was depicting the same person (based on a real case), and he or she had learned that patient's personal and medical history in detail.A number of different problems and/or diseases might be causing each symptom, the student doctors knew. But their grades for the midterm would not depend on whether they came up with the right diagnoses. The point instead, Wallace explained, was to assess their clinical skills -- the tools they would need to arrive at correct diagnoses time after time. They would have to examine the relevant parts of each patient's body. To know what those were, they would need to interview the patients about their current complaints as well as their medical and family histories. To get the most out of the interview, "There's a whole series of things we teach the students," Wallace says. "For instance, you want to ask open-ended questions at the beginning. If they're coming in with chest pain, you might say, 'Tell me about your chest pain.' You might say something empathetic like, 'That must have been quite frightening for you. Tell me about it.' You want to give the patient an opportunity to say what they're experiencing. What that does is to give the patient a sense that the doctor cares about more than just what the doctor needs. And that builds trust. 'This guy cares about me. I can ask him the question I'm most worried about, which is, "Is my headache a brain tumor?" ' My satisfaction with this encounter is going to be different if I can't get that question out."

In the midterm, every time a student doctor said good-bye and left the exam room, the actor/ patient hurried to a computer and filled out a 30- to 40-question form assessing everything from whether the physical exam included all the requisite maneuvers to whether the med student "listened actively, [paying] attention to both my verbal and nonverbal cues; used facial expressions/ body language to express encouragement; avoided interruptions; asked questions to make sure s/he understood what I said." The student's grade for the exam would be based on this checklist. But Wallace makes it clear that grading the students is only part of the exercise.

The midterm, which features different cases every year, was also designed to be a learning experience, so while the patients were filling out their questionnaire, the students were doing the same thing -- enabling comparison of the two perspectives. Then the students came back into the exam rooms and spent ten minutes talking to the actors (no longer in character). "How did you think it went?" the actors began that interaction. They ended the feedback session by asking what the student would take away from the experience. Wallace said the hope was that the students would go into the next exam room and practice working on the skill they had just identified as needing improvement. "What we know from the research is that you have to practice it immediately or you lose it," she told me. "And it takes about three months of using something before it becomes part of your behavior."

Continued here:
They love to act sick.

12:02 a.m. EST January 26, 2015

Edward F. Cassidy stands in the warehouse of his South Toms River business, Progressive Dimensions Countertops.(Photo: TANYA BREEN/STAFF PHOTOGRAPHER)

Edward F. Cassidy ownsProgressive Dimensions Countertops in South Toms River.

When did you decide you wanted to be an entrepreneur?

Ever since I can remember. I always had a job where I could be, somewhat, financially independent. My parents didnt give us an allowance, so I pretty much signed on for whatever I could, like a paper route or snow shoveling.

Why did you start this business?

Well, I like working with my hands. Initially, I landed a job building countertops and cabinets but I left there to work as a general carpenter building decks, putting in windows and doors, etc. I even dabbled in building furniture. It was only when I went back into the cabinet and countertop business as a subcontractor, years later, that I decided to strike out on my own by opening a business in the countertop industry.

Were there any challenges that made you think twice about striking out on your own?

It was a make-it-or-break-it in my situation. I borrowed money from a former employer and rented out a small garage to start. I worked long hours, even though I was a newlywed. We also just bought a house, so it was scary. But, people kept coming back for my services and I started getting a lot of referrals, so I was inspired to keep going.

Whats the best business advice you have ever received?

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South Toms River countertop maker fulfills his dream

Quartz Countertops Installation
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White Carrara Marble Countertops VA - 703 953 3330, MD- 410 540 9333
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Welcome to Crafted Countertops, Inc!

We are Counter Top Fabrication & Installation Specialists located in Genoa City, WI(just outside of Lake Geneva near the Illinois Border).

We measure, fabricate and install custom stone and quartz counter tops for residential and commercial customers.From personal homes to restaurants, bars and banks, we can update your surroundings to one of brilliance and distinction.

We also carry a wide variety ofstainless steel sinks and their accessories, as well as faucets and ceramic lavatory bowls.

About Crafted Countertops, Inc.Combining state of the art laser scanning equipment with our skilled measuring technicians, we can replicate your room layout into our custom stone CAD system. Once that is completed, we are able to confidently design your counter tops with uncanny precision. learn more About Us

Our ProductsAt Crafted Countertops, Inc. we use state of the art machinery to fabricate your counter tops with the utmost precision.We offer Quartz & Natural Stone Counter tops for Kitchen Counters, Kitchen Remodeling, Bathroom Vanity, Fireplaces, Bar Tops & more! learn more about Our Products

NightLight Tops by Crafted Countertops, Inc.NightLight Tops were created by Crafted Countertops, Inc. in Genoa City, WI. These custom counter tops come alive using LED lighting that changes color. One of a kind and only available through Crafted Countertops, Inc. in Genoa City, WI.learn more aboutNightlight Tops

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Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION

Posted: 01/21/2015 10:02 AM | Comments: | Last Modified: 01/21/2015 3:37 PM | Updates

MLS / CTF / FILES Enlarge Image

It's been alleged that surplus marble from a college project was installed in the home of Red River Colleges former president.

Red River College has contacted the Winnipeg Police Service regarding an incident involving a former president and marble countertops that ended up in her former Wellington Crescent home.

The issue dates back to last October, when the Canadian Taxpayers Federation reviewed transfer of goods documents made by former RRC president Stephanie Forsyth. The CTF found that surplus marble countertops, marked for disposal from the colleges Patterson GlobalFoods Institute building, had been assumed by Forsyth and installed in the renovated kitchen of her former River Heights home.

Lloyd Schreyer, chair of the RRC board of governors, issued the following statement on the matter today, indicating that the college had no other alternative but to alert the authorities on the matter.

"As of (Tuesday), the board made the decision to engage Winnipeg police to undertake a review of allegations. The board looked into this to the best of its ability but determined we do not possess the necessary legal tools to adequately conclude the review.

"The board will await the results. At this juncture, it is not appropriate to discuss this further until the review is complete and conclusive."

The comments by the college come on the heels of a provincial review on the high-level staff operations of RRC released earlier this morning. The report carries 45 recommendations, including increased diligence on executive expense claims involving meals, travel and other items, as well as contract management practices, financial reporting and human resource management practices.

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RRC asks police to investigate allegations of marble in former president's home

52 Weeks To An Organized Home - Kitchen Countertops
Hi everyone! Join me on this 52 Week Challenge to get my home organized. In this video I explain what this challenge is all about and should you my results f...

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