Inspiration Station: How One Member Uses the APGO Contraception Module

Sometimes a change in perspective is all it takes to ignite inspiration. The start of a new academic year, attending a faculty development seminar in an idyllic setting, or seeing someone else’s way of doing something can get creative juices flowing and inspire positive change. Sometimes all it takes is a good teaching tip, a shared anecdote or a clever hack – an elegant, simple way to perform an everyday task– to breathe new life into our day and renew our energy and passion.

After all, it’s easy to get comfortable doing things the same way, day after day. We have a natural tendency to do what we know works in the present moment. But, just as many of our decisions seek to preserve homeostasis, we also have an inherent force that keeps us driving forward. And, as 5-time NBA championship-winning coach Pat Riley said, “Excellence is the gradual result of always striving to do better.” The little changes we make everyday can lead us to greatness.

When we first started our Inspiration Station blog series, our goal was to tell you about the many APGO resources available to our members, not only with the hope that they’ll be helpful to you, but also that, by using them, you’ll further our mission of advancing women’s health care education. This installment of Inspiration Station takes it one step further, as it was written by an APGO member who found significant value in an APGO resource and hopes to inspire you through her experiences.

From Mary Jane Pearson, MD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas:

In the fall of 2017, a contraception team-based learning (TBL) activity was designed for 240 UT Southwestern Medical Center at Dallas pre-clerkship students. With the TBL, preparation by students prior to the session with pre-reading is an integral component. With the permission of APGO, a printed copy of the monograph, “Contraception: Patient Counseling and Management,” was provided to the students for pre-reading. The students found this monograph easy to review prior to the session, finding it more helpful than a traditional syllabus. The students demonstrated the background knowledge and concepts necessary to participate fully in this team-based learning session.

We would like to thank Doctor Pearson for sharing her APGO resource success story and hope it inspires you to find new ways to use the many benefits of your membership at APGO.

We hope to hear from you next! Share a snapshot of your day, offer a new perspective of how you use APGO resources, and you may inspire someone to take their teaching to the next level of greatness.

About the APGO Educational Series on Women’s Health Issues Modules
Access to “Contraception: Patient Counseling and Management” and other modules in the APGO Educational Series on Women’s Health Issues is a benefit for members of the Association of Professors of Gynecology and Obstetrics (APGO).

Access to three modules in this series – “Management of Patients with Vaginitis,” “Case-Based Series on the Zika Virus: Patient Counseling, Diagnosis, and Management,” and “Nausea and Vomiting of Pregnancy (NVP)” – is free for a limited time to nonmembers.

Click here to access the APGO Educational Series on Women’s Health Issues.