During today’s peds pain-management lab, our SimBaby yelled “I only like popsicles!” every time a student offered acetaminophen, so I modeled validating feelings with a plush giraffe at 8:15 a.m. Anyone else find that the silliest moments are perfect for teaching therapeutic language and shared decision-making with kids?
“the silliest moments are perfect for teaching therapeutic language and shared decision-making” — agree; I park a laminated two-choice card by SimBaby and that 8:15 plush giraffe: popsicle now or medicine then popsicle, and students must mirror the feeling in 10 words max. Small caveat: we debrief about not turning it into bribery or big promises — do you script the two-choice line or let them improv?
For those 2 a.m. callouts, the single change that kept my team sane was adding a flat “after‑2 a.m. turnout” bonus on top of the 12‑hour night rate; it acknowledged the 120‑mile round trip and the raptor chaos without blowing the budget. @OP, $75–$100 was enough in our Bitterroot season; if funds are tighter, swap half of it for a guaranteed next‑day “no‑contact” block.