Getting to know your students quickly is probably the most challenging but crucial element of being an effective teacher. Cancer and the side effects of treatment manifest in extremely different ways in each individual and this can be the most challenging aspect of working with the cancer community. Also, often a student will not know what aspects of their physiological or psychological state you need to know in order to teach a safe yoga class. Or, understandably, they are shy about sharing their details.
The Fast Facts is an intake tool or process to help teachers gather information about an individual and what physical or emotional challenges they might be facing. This information will help a Oncology Yoga professional deliver a safe and effective intervention.
Fast Facts is:
- A verbal process to gather important information – not a physical document that a participants fill out.
- A mental list of progressive questions to help you gather vital information in a logical way. The sequence of the questions matters.
- Designed to be non-intrusive and naturally conversational.
- Useful for both new and recurring participants, as things can change or evolve.
- Intended to be used as privately as possible and one-on-one with each individual.
Why is the sequencing of the questions important?
The answer to one question will lead a professional to the next question naturally and logically. For example, the answer to “What cancer has ‘touched’ you?” could spontaneously give answers to the next three questions. “I am on chemotherapy for stage 4 pancreatic cancer.” If, however, the answer is “I had thyroid cancer” a follow up would be to ask about the date of diagnosis. It could have been one month ago, or ten years, and that time frame would be important to know.
Why is Fast Facts a Verbal Intake Process?
The Fast Facts are a tool for the teacher and we have found that a verbal intact is preferred for the following reasons:
- Written forms are clinical. That kind of experience is all too familiar to survivors and thus, discouraging. Yoga sessions should not feel like visiting the doctor’s office.
- Keeping records of a person’s medical information is risky and could violate certain regulations and compliances. It is not necessary to save the information gathered for class, so the risk of liability and breaching patient confidentiality is an unnecessary one to take.
- Hand-written notes about individuals in a teacher’s personal notepad falls into the gray area. General notes for the primary purpose of remembering individuals and to foster relationships can be considered safe. But these notes should be written on the teacher’s own time, and not while speaking with survivors or meeting someone for the first time.