Caitlin Chappell
OTR Student
Susque-View Home Nursing and Rehabilitation Center
Classroom to Clinic: A Student's Story
Scared,
nervous, lacking confidence. These are a few of the feelings I faced as I
prepared to leave the classroom environment that I had grown comfortable with
over the past four years and begin the next step of my education in the clinic.
No one can really prepare you for what it is going to be like. Before finishing
out my last semester in the classroom, my teachers told us what we’ve all heard
before: you’ll be okay, you know what you’re doing, just trust your inner OT.
But in all honesty, when you’re thrown from the classroom into the clinic, two
completely different settings, you don’t feel okay, you don’t think you know
what you’re doing, and you don’t trust your inner OT, at least not at first.
The good news is that there are factors in the clinic that can help make the
transition easier and show that your teachers were right after all.
Probably the biggest factor in becoming comfortable in the clinic is having a supportive staff. Everyone I’ve worked with in my facility have been ready and willing to help whenever it was needed. Their main goal is for their students to be comfortable and learn a lot in order to be successful. The confidence they have in my abilities forced me to be confident in my abilities as well, and that has contributed to me being more successful in my first few weeks than I ever thought I would be.
Another important point to remember is that the clinic is not the same as the classroom. No matter how hard you study information for a test or practical, every patient you see is going to be different. It is important to not stay rigid to the classroom material but rather expand your thinking to fit every patient on an individual level. You’ll also learn a lot more if you are open to learning new techniques and interventions that may have never been discussed in the classroom at all. The classroom is your foundation, but the clinic is where you truly learn and grow into the therapist you will be in the future.
So, while it is normal to feel afraid of the transition between classroom and clinic, when you keep an open mind, try your best, and find your confidence, you will shine!
Probably the biggest factor in becoming comfortable in the clinic is having a supportive staff. Everyone I’ve worked with in my facility have been ready and willing to help whenever it was needed. Their main goal is for their students to be comfortable and learn a lot in order to be successful. The confidence they have in my abilities forced me to be confident in my abilities as well, and that has contributed to me being more successful in my first few weeks than I ever thought I would be.
Another important point to remember is that the clinic is not the same as the classroom. No matter how hard you study information for a test or practical, every patient you see is going to be different. It is important to not stay rigid to the classroom material but rather expand your thinking to fit every patient on an individual level. You’ll also learn a lot more if you are open to learning new techniques and interventions that may have never been discussed in the classroom at all. The classroom is your foundation, but the clinic is where you truly learn and grow into the therapist you will be in the future.
So, while it is normal to feel afraid of the transition between classroom and clinic, when you keep an open mind, try your best, and find your confidence, you will shine!
Meet Caitlin Chappell
Caitlin is from Williamsport, PA. She is currently studying at Misericordia University and will be graduating in May 2018 with her masters in occupational therapy, bachelors in health science, and minors in psychology and gerontology. She is working at Susque-View from May 15 to August 4 and enjoying her time here!
Caitlin is from Williamsport, PA. She is currently studying at Misericordia University and will be graduating in May 2018 with her masters in occupational therapy, bachelors in health science, and minors in psychology and gerontology. She is working at Susque-View from May 15 to August 4 and enjoying her time here!
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