By
Ayse Guner
Arizona Daily Wildcat
Horse whisperer teaches students about patient communication
Dr. Allan Hamilton, head of the UA department of surgery, teaches his medical students about body language crucial to doctor and patient interactions.
However, instead of pictures and diagrams, he employs the help of horses to make his point.
Since January, three University of Arizona medical students have had the opportunity to study an unique course offered as a spring elective - Medicine and Horsemanship: An introduction to nonverbal human interaction at the bedside.
When Jennifer Slack, a first-year medical student, read the title of the course, she thought the class was "a little bit strange" and wondered how the instructor was going to conduct the class. But now, she says, the course has made her more sensitive and aware of her small movements - such as when she enters a room to interview a patient.
"Am I walking in with too much arrogance or too much energy?" Slack says.
"I don't want to intimidate the patient, so I kind of lean over just a little bit and not make direct eye contact with the patient right away," she adds.
Every Friday afternoon, students meet at Hamilton's Ranch on the east side of town, where about 34 pets wander around, and the students learn horsemanship exercises for two hours.
The idea, stemming from Hamilton's life-long interest in horses, at first surprised his peers, Hamilton says, but then it quickly moved into the curriculum as being the first of its kind in the nation. The course is designed to teach students about non-verbal communication that the horses use, which will eventually translate into students' body language.
The use of appropriate body language is the main component for a successful physical examination as well as for bedside manners, Hamilton says. Young physicians need to learn to handle difficult moments such as fatalities and how to comfort patients' families, he adds.
By learning how to communicate non-verbally with a horse, students will adapt these techniques in their professional career, he explains.
"Their body language is going to be a lot better," Hamilton says. "I think they are going to be much more tuned-in to what they are saying to their patients, so their words and their bodies talk together, which means they are going to talk much more from the heart and much more authentically."
Hamilton, who received his medical education from Harvard University, assisted a professor who was known as one of the busiest cardiologists in the world. Yet, he took the time to listen to his patients by making them feel like they were his only patient. This professor had a great influence on Hamilton in terms of showing him the significance of relating to patients, he says.
"I think that is part of what is missing in medicine nowadays," he says. "So often are our body languages, 'I don't have time for you, I am in a hurry, or I got paper work to do.'"
"Perfectly, what you are saying is, 'Hey, you are not the important thing here,' and I think one of the things is a horse won't let you get away with that."
During the course, Hamilton realized that horses can teach people about patience, gentleness and relating non-verbally, he says.
"Being with the horses has taught me how to be a better human being," Hamilton says. "There is not an ounce of deception in a horse. Whatever is in their hearts, they show you.
"And if someone says, 'You are just like a horse,' that means what you say is what you feel and what you do is what you say."
Hamilton has also used horses to tutor children and troubled juveniles in past years.
Speech-disordered and autistic children can establish communication better with a horse than they can without, he says, adding that after seeing the results, he came up with the idea to use horses in his medical teaching.
Chinook, a quarter horse in his 20s, runs wildly, drawing circles in the corral, as medical student Oren Gottfried tries to establish eye contact with the animal.
"Keep talking to her, keep talking," Hamilton says to Gottfried, who stands in the middle of the fenced-in area releasing his shoulders down, looking pale.
"My power doesn't work," Gottfried replies, staring at the horse.
"You have to establish some contact with her and put some energy on it and see if you can move her towards you," Hamilton suggests.
Gottfried is successful after a couple tries - Chinook comes to him and waits calmly.
"She's done good. Tell her that," Hamilton says, sitting on the fences. "Do the friendly game."
The term "friendly game" - rewarding the horse - was coined by world-famous horse trainer Pat Parelli. The rewarding aspect is only one of seven games used in learning exercises.
The friendly game can apply to patients, Hamilton says, but he stresses that he is not equating patients with horses.
Students in Hamilton's class have started to apply what they learn to their actual patient examinations and say they believe it works.
Karl Rosen, a third-year medical student, says although working with horses tends to be hard for him, he is already more tuned in with his non-verbal communication.
When the class works as a whole at the end of each session, they watch the videos of students interviewing patients, and they critique each other.
"This gives you the chance to step back," he says. "It gives you more of a blueprint for the next general surgery."
