Overall,
I believe the SIM encounter went well! I say that because this SIM encounter
felt the most “natural” out of all of the ones I’ve had. I didn’t have anxiety
going into the room, and I felt like I was just having a normal conversation
with a parent. Because of this, I think it was easier for me to pay attention
to the parent’s body language and use active listening techniques. However,
there are still many things I thought I could have done better. I realized that
the parent I was talking to was very anxious and overwhelmed. However, I also
knew I was running out of time with her and, therefore, didn’t stop to ask her
if she was okay. This made me realize
that I not only need to learn how to explain things in layman’s terms but also
in a concise way. If I did this, I wouldn’t run into the issue of running of
out of time and would have not thought twice about stopping and asking the
parent how she was doing. I also believe that learning to explain things in a
concise manner would have given me more time to listen to the parent’s
questions towards the end of the simulation as well as have more time to
explain some techniques she can use with her son more in depth. I realize that
in a real clinical scenario I’m going to have to learn how to manage my time
better so that my client can understand the information I’m giving her and feel
heard and understood while I’m still able to get to the next client for their
scheduled time. I’m still trying to
figure out how to manage my time appropriately, but one technique I could use
is timing myself while practicing and having someone else provide me with
feedback on what I could say to simplify my explanations before the next our
next SIM.
During this simulation, I did try to provide encouragement
through smiling and nodding my head as well as explain to the parent that her
son’s difficulties are not due to her parenting style or him not trying hard
enough. I also sat close to the parent (without invading her privacy) and
maintained eye contact when talking to her. These are few examples of how I tried to show
an attitude of caring. Another thing I could have done to show an attitude of
caring is to give my client more time to explain her concerns without cutting
her off. I realized that during the simulation, I was quick to say no whenever the
parent was expressing concerns about her child not being able to be successful in
life. I was quick to do this because I wanted to quickly ease her fears;
however, I didn’t give her a chance to finish what she was saying before
interjecting.
*I realize when reflecting on my experience, I tend to focus
on the things I did wrong instead of talking more about what went well. However,
I do believe this SIM experience went well and that I’m improving each time I have a simulation experience.
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