How the STFM Behavioral Science/Family Systems Educator Fellowship Influenced My Professional Development
- Step to the beat of a different drummer
- Bring your gift (pa-rum-pa-pum-pum)
- Support the rhythm of the group
—Hugh Blumenfeld
Amber Cadick, PhD, HSPP
During the keynote address at the STFM Annual Spring Conference last spring, the presenter spoke about the Beatles and which band member everyone would be. Our table, made up of my small group, decided that we would be the “Ringos.” We are the quirky faculty members, the ones that aren’t quite like the others. However, much like Ringo, we keep the beat and know when the rhythm is starting to go astray.
Prior to starting STFM’s Behavioral Science/Family Systems Educator Fellowship, I felt very alone in my position. I had my predecessor to use as a support, but she was busy starting her new position in a different city. I had her files, her old calendar, and her desk, but I felt very alone and concerned that I had made a terrible mistake leaving the familiarity and regulations of the Department of Veterans Affairs. My life was definitely a wild, irregular drum beat.
