The following appeared in the Fall 2000 Scalpel , Vol. The following essay was written by Dr. Nemitz as his nominee's statement to the WV Faculty Merit Foundation for the WV Professor of the Year Award. I have the privilege of teaching one of the most fascinating and unusual courses in higher education, gross anatomy, to very bright osteopathic medical students. Medical education is an extremely demanding process that is unrelenting, requiring students to work harder than they have ever been asked before, pushing them to their intellectual and emotional limits, often at enormous personal sacrifice. My discipline has the added factor of requiring beginning students to dissect a human cadaver, a task that is emotionally and physically difficult.
Motivation is a key element in the educational process of producing caring, competent physicians.
The following is what I have learned about motivating students to learn based on twenty years of experience in medical education. Probably the best way to motivate students to learn is for the teacher to be enthusiastic about the subject. By sharing my passion for what I do I convey very positive energy to my students that is contagious. But there is more to it than that, a large portion of our brains is devoted to processing emotion and these area are also important for learning and memory. Therefore, by sharing my expertise, as well as, my wonder and excitement about a subject, I make an emotional impression that motivates students to learn.