Why Launching a Psychiatry Qbank Is Like Medical School Applications
“I worked half my life to be an overnight success…”
Jessica Savitch
He walks straight toward me with a determined look. I feel squarely on the spot as I stand in front of the conference table at AADPRT 2019. The chief resident quickly introduces himself, states, “We use your Qbank,” and pauses. It’s the moment of truth.
This is like medical school applications—you invest time and effort, you try your best. Now you receive a letter in the mail with the university logo.
Opening the envelope is the moment of truth, the defining moment of this phase of your career. But, it’s also the result of numerous mini moments of truth: studying all night instead of partying, sacrificing time with family and friends just to get this opportunity, pouring your heart out with your personal essay; countless small decisions led to this. Did your time, effort, and investment pay off so you can continue the journey? Do you get the opportunity to further learn, grow, and improve, or do you need a whole new plan? Those are a lot of emotions riding on a simple envelope.
Over the past year, I’ve wrestled with content decisions and guiding our authors toward elevating our psychiatry Qbank so we can bring it to the world. I don’t want to offer “just another option”—I want to really impact psychiatry education and help advance the profession I care about. The patient ultimately benefits from psychiatrists who are confident in their knowledge, so how can Rosh Review contribute to this?
Our goal is to deliver mini moments of truth for our learners: each question is a specific puzzle our users must solve, allowing them to think, “Do I know what the answer is in this context?” It gives them the opportunity to apply their own knowledge, experiences, and critical thinking. But the question itself is only one important facet. The explanations about each answer choice provide the building blocks for the learner to construct their own knowledge base and mental models. We can do the teaching, but it will only be effective when our users actively construct the information in their minds.
Now, putting myself out there in front of my colleagues and peers is the real test.
As I stood there, it was like opening a medical school letter with my friends, professional colleagues, coworkers, and mentors throughout the years looking over my shoulder. Should I be going down a different path, or did our work earn us the privilege to continue the struggle to learn, to improve, and to grow?
“We use your Qbank…and love it,” states Dr. Bill. I smile, exhale, and thank him. He generously provides observations and feedback to refine our product. The past year of effort was not in vain. Our work is valued. We now have the opportunity to continue the struggle and journey to change and enhance psychiatry education. I’m grateful for the opportunity.
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