Outstanding teacher: Amy Cutright, M.D.

Amy Cutright, M.D., of the UNMC Department of Emergency Medicine, will receive the Outstanding Teacher Award at the annual faculty meeting, which this year will be held virtually through Zoom at 3 p.m. on April 14.

• Name: Amy Cutright, M.D.
• Title: Assistant professor, UNMC Department of Emergency Medicine
• Joined UNMC: 2013
• Hometown: Vero Beach, Florida

What are the greatest rewards of teaching?

Helping students through the learning process as all the puzzle pieces of a history and physical exam form into a final diagnosis and plan, along with the excitement and wonder this generates, is the best reward of teaching for me.

Describe a moment in your career when you realized you had picked the right occupation.

I cannot point to a specific moment but instead to the realization that no matter how busy or chaotic an ED shift can be, it is always better with learners present. Spending some time talking about the patient, disease process, diagnosis and treatment with learners always makes the experience more enjoyable and fulfilling.

What are the biggest challenges you face as a teacher?

Medical education has the unique challenge of balancing patient care with education. Finding this balance and presenting medical education in a format that is as hands on and “real life” as possible is a stimulating challenge that will spur me forward for the entirety of my career as an educator.

How do you know when you’ve been successful as a teacher?

The ultimate evidence of success is to see someone you have taught, medical student or resident, a few years after their training tell you that what you taught them still shapes the choices they make and the way they think in their own practice.