The Sacred Ritual of Not Being Bored

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Let’s be honest: if a student walks in tired, stressed, or dreading the CPR Class…
The defibrillator might be the highlight of the day.

That’s why I look for ways to cut the tension. To turn learning from a chore into curiosity.

Enter SARA.
(No, not the new nurse—don’t even say it.)

Smooth Activation Ritual Amusement.
A mindset I’ve built, especially in CPR sessions. 
It’s how “Not this again” becomes “Huh… this might be fun.”

So What Is the SARA Process?

1. Smooth – Start with something relatable or unexpected. A story, a question, a weird fact (weirder is better). Ease them in before the “serious” stuff starts.

2. Activation – Hook their brains. Make them do something small — a question, a quick prediction, or a “what if” scenario.

3. Ritual – Keep the structure consistent, and respect it as a procedure. Like a magic trick, it’s always the same setup — but everyone stays alert, knowing something surprising might appear from nowhere.

4. Amusement – Bring in humor, curiosity, or a tiny dose of chaos. A joke, a mystery, a dark twist. Whatever makes them lean forward instead of zone out.


You can ask: Is gamification the secret sauce of med ed?
Not really. ⛔🙊

It’s more like ketchup—
Doesn’t make the burger, But helps you swallow the dry parts.

And if five minutes of fun can turn dread into curiosity and put you on your way?
Well, for me—that’s a win.

💀Donoghue, A., Sawyer, T., Olaussen, A., Greif, R., & Toft, L. (2024). Gamified learning for resuscitation education: A systematic review. Resuscitation plus, 18, 100640. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.resplu.2024.100640









 

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