1. The Horse Medicine WheelUMDNJHorses for Healers Workshop

2. 75% of patients complain that their medicalproviders do not communicate wellHow is your bedside manner?High GPA, but low Press-Ganey survey scores? The Horse Medicine Wheel / Horses for Healers Workshop isspecifically designed for healthcare professionals. At Spring Reinsof Hope (SROH) we are very happy to have the opportunity tooffer this workshop to UMDNJ Students! Because health science education stresses intellectual excellence,much less attention is placed on proficient communication, bothverbal and non-verbal. Enhanced communication increases patientsatisfaction which improves therapeutic outcomes and reducesmalpractice claims [Stanford Medicine & Horsemanship, Kane,2007] Learning to interact with horses helps us to become more aware ofour non verbal skills. With this enhanced self awareness we gain anappreciation for all the messages we send and receive as it asks forpatience, gentleness, self-confidence, sensitivity, and focus. 3. SROHs offers customized exercises enlisting horses to help medical students with:Improved ability to establish immediate rapport and communication with patientsEnhanced bedside manner and an improved understanding of your non-verbal messages (social skills based on a calming and safe body language)Confidence building and greater awareness of your presenceManage time constraints with patients AND develop a consistent/valued rapportLearning why congruency / consistency are desirable for patient relations?Defining appropriate boundaries both physical and professionalIdentifying patterns of interaction based on the reactions elicited from the horses and observing how that relates to both professional and personal identity. 4. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Horses are prey animals and are experts are reading body language, in the wild their lives depend on anaccurate reading of intent and safetywe asked the students to approach their NEW patient and torelay based on the horses reaction whether they were sending safe / secure messages with theirbody language. 5. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the Matter UMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Human patients actually read body language too, and subconsciously or somatically feel the same warnings or safety thatthe horses do, the difference is we humans have been conditioned to behave a certain way so if we dont feel safe in ourdoctors (or practitioners) care we arent going to rear and run out of the roomeven though we might want to! 6. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Approach your patient and get as close as you BOTH feel safe to do so. As you approach what is happening? Where isyour focus? Are you breathing? Are you thinking about this patient, or the laundry list of life? 7. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012 Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Often times a doctor or nurse must ask a patient to follow them, or to follow a treatment plan and basically you arestrangers. Wouldnt it seem to set up for a better outcome if your patient could understand (feel like) their best interestswere at heart? Seems that it would make the road to recovery an easier path to trust and walk by 8. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse) 9. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Sometimes it will take a little extra effort and patience to establish that trust with a new patient but think of how much ground iscovered once that is present. Malpractice claims certainly will be lessened because most cases come back to the patient notfeeling secure or that their situation was not most important to their health care provider. If you take the time in the beginning toestablish rapport and trust, there wont be as room for the doubt later. 10. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse) 11. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Most of the time at the workshop is spent in the arena with the horses, but we do take time out to eat (blood sugar) and lecture about the nature of body language and how and why horses are so good at it! 12. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Part of the workshop is set up as a clinic atmosphere, where every patient you see is an unknown case. We asked medical students to pick a horse from the waiting room and get the patient into the exam room where they had to keep it there long enough to take vital signs, basic information, and observations. All of this is done without talking verbally we rely far too much on vocals anyway. Very interesting to see what we notice when not talking. 13. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the Matter UMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012 Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)We set up Care Stations where students worked in teams of 3 on a horse to determine what items could beneeded to care for their 4 legged patients and to assess based in the horses body language whether their choiceswere workingor not. This exercise helps to teach the students how to notice nuances from their human patientsbody language which does not always match the verbal, so it can be very important to notice. 14. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the Matter UMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012 Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)We asked students to Send the patient away from them without making a sound. NO verbal, NO noise. This illustrated veryflamboyantly that it really doesnt take much to create an unsafe feeling with body language cuesSROHs sensitive TBmare flew around the arena AWAY from each student 15. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012 Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Next we assigned a different task to each student to approach the same horse/patient with and get as close as they BOTH felt safe to each other (again this was set to accomplish with NO verbal and NO noise, just physical communication). In this photo, the students task was to offer the patient a drink of water the horse didnt drink, but was safe to come close enough to receive the offer 16. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Group processing / discussion time with SROH Facilitators Christianna Capra CC (right) and Dr. Maria Katsamanis, PsyD(left). 17. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Establishing a rapport with a new patient sometimes will require some creativity. Horses just like humans are sensitive beings andhave their own personalities, fears, and quirkswhat works well with one may not work at all with another. Part of being skilledsocially with your patients will come back to being present/engaged and seeing what might work for a particular patient. 18. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the MatterUMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012 Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Another part to thinking creatively for your patient outcome is to be able to adapt and utilize the resources available to you.In this case we asked the students to get a horse/patient to follow them to a box pen, without any equipment.Requiring a need for establishing trust (so the patient will follow) and creativity to travel from A to B 19. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the Matter UMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)It becomes really beneficial when you can combine creativity, available resources and the assistance of anotherprofessional! When a patient has a team of medical professionals who are all focused on creating a safe, conscience,proactive and focused regimen that has to feel empowering. Doctors and Nurses do this anyway by nature of thebusiness, however this concept would go a long way if it became centered upon a very open, communicative andtrusted rapport. 20. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the Matter UMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012 Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Our group from UMDNJ became so skilled at conveying safe and inviting body language skills we had time to end the course with a really great and fun team-building exercise called Connected Obstacle Course where all humans and all horses would need to be connected in some way while traversing an obstacle course, IF at any point the connection gets broken, we have to start over. We did allow verbal skills to be utilized on this one! 21. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the Matter UMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012 Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)Group photo SROH Facilitators and Horses, ten students from University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jerseys 3rd and 4thyear medical school who attended the Horses for Healers pilot workshop in April 2012! Thank you to UMDNJ Dr. Tobia, Dr. Katsamanis, and the Students!We look forward to a new class in Fall 2012! 22. Spring Reins of Hope, Getting to the Horse of the Matter UMDNJ Horses for Healers Workshop, Spring 2012 Photos by Dr. Shari Silverman, VMD (Simply Sound Horse)What some of the students had to say:I expected very little, but I got a lot more. I had fun and learned so many points that I will definitelyincorporate into my own patient encounters. L. Lee (4th yr MS at UMDNJ)This workshop exceeded my expectations, I learned to be more aware of my presence and how it canaffect the horses/patients. A calm approach tended to have the horses more still and allow you to getcloser. I think more time should be spent with the horses! J. Marmol (4th yr MS at UMDNJ)I found the difference between taking a moment to focus on the patient and remaining calm can behuge in how I am received. Also paying closer attention to the non-verbal ques I am sending changeshow my patients will receive my messages. I would like more time with the horses and less on lecture!We also learned a lot about team-work. J. Wissocki (4th yr MS at UMDNJ) SROH Welcomes Inquiries from Medical Schools, Hospitals and Private Practicethe bedside manner you will learn from a HORSEwill not be easily forgotten!