Faculty Spotlight
Jesus J. Venereo, M.D.
Instructor, Medical Assisting
Palm Beach State College | Lake Worth
Certified Pathologist, Higher Institute of Medical Sciences, Villa Clara, Cuba
M.D., Higher Institute of Medical Sciences, Havana, Cuba
Blah, Blah, Blah? Not Dr. V.
The 8 a.m. Medical Assisting class in Diseases, Disorders and Treatment is getting
underway. Students are assembled, but instead of being half asleep, they are energized
by a song blaring through computer speakers. Today’s selection, “YMCA,” has everyone
dancing. Their instructor, Dr. Jesus Venereo, a medical doctor and pathologist, begins
every morning class by playing a student’s song choice. “It brings the class together
and starts conversations. You get to know things about them that you wouldn't otherwise,
if you were a ‘blah, blah, blah’ teacher.”
Dr. V., as his students call him, couldn't be farther from being a “blah, blah, blah” teacher, which is how he refers to long-winded lecturers. While some lecturing can’t be avoided, Venereo prefers not to be the “sage on the stage” and uses a combination of interactive strategies that puts the responsibility for learning on the students’ shoulders. “I flip it around and make them think. I kill them with questions. I say ‘I’m your guide and I’m here to lead you to success, but do not expect me to do your job. If you don’t work, you don’t learn.’”
