It is a truth universally acknowledged that all fledgling OTs must eventually display some growth. Growth comes in various forms; increased confidence, appropriate application of knowledge, skilled handing, or more informed choices. Growth is not necessarily a radical change, rather, it can be a subtle change in ways of thinking that ultimately results in an improvement of practice.
I have always been a slow learner who is hesitant to take action without a great deal of practice. Alas, I've joined a fast-paced line of work that certainly pushes me out of my comfort zone. I do feel like I have grown as an OT. Its been a whirlwind of a fieldwork block, with very little time for hesitation and second-guesses. I've been lucky to have ample resources at my disposal, as well as team members and a supervisor willing to let me pick their brains. I've been able to learn very quickly by simply doing. In the past, and the first few days of fieldwork I was eager to sit and watch other team members and have them take the lead whilst I merely made observations. I would observe the OT session on toileting, instead of attempting my own assessment with the client, out of fear of something going wrong. That has long-since passed. I have grown to enjoy learning through practice, and embracing my mistakes. This has got to have been the biggest personal achievement of mine: being able to simply try out a session or an exercise with my client and take charge, without fear of all the "what if's". This allows for so much growth as a professional as I no longer rely on others for assistance and feel so much more confident in my own knowledge. This type of growth only comes with experience and having the trust of fellow team-members to allow you to try. As a result, fieldwork is not something that is feared anymore, I've grown to love it. I love trying new activities, I love successful sessions, and I love looking back on how I used to be and knowing that I'm better now. These feelings of accomplishment when growth is identified were explained by Dowthwaite (2019) who discussed in her article for theconversation.com that our happiness can be linked to
what we identify as meaningful experiences. Therefore, when feeling a sense of achievement over growth in the workplace, one is more inclined to associate the workplace with success and joy, which ultimately can lead to further accomplishments in the workplace.
One of the most challenging aspects of therapy can be the patient themselves. This can be due to non-compliance, lack of motivation or a challenging physical condition and presentation. For me, handling clients was always going to be difficult. I'm an introvert and had never really bonded with a client prior to this fieldwork block. Learning how to interact with clients naturally and physically handle them with care was certainly challenging. This has been an area of slow growth. Unlike linking theory to practice and improving in session planning, which have been areas of rapid growth. Issues with handling clients with confidence was one of the first areas of improvement that my supervisor had identified for me. Again, practice makes perfect, and now almost 3 months into fieldwork I can finally come out of a session believing that I've physically and emotionally handled my client correctly. Growth was only possible through identifying what I was finding difficult, in most sessions this was where my key points of control should be, and asking/researching how to improve. In his article for Forbes.com Muhammed (2018) stated that it is only when we evaluate our lives honestly, and are willing to identify not only successes, but shortcomings too, that we can grow. My growth as an OT student has not been a passive process, I've actively sought help and made the effort to improve.
The true test of growth has been my treatment sessions with my clients. Initially, they had me sweating, anxious and sometimes left me confused. Now, as fieldwork approaches its end, I go into my treatment sessions calm and collected with a clear plan in mind- no sweaty palms or unanswered questions remaining. This week, I did a session with my CVA client. My initial plan was to have her perform a money management activity in standing but after assessing her standing balance, I quickly realized that I would have to adapt my entire session to have her seated, as her standing balance was very poor. Had this session occurred a month ago, I would've panicked and would not have done my activity at all, instead I would have tried a completely different activity or assessment. Now, I'm able to think on my feet and simply adapted a few elements so that my client could perform the task whilst seated,and I incorporated more treatment of the upper limb through weight-bearing on the arm. Growth is evident as there are no moments of hesitation or time-outs to rethink. I simply "do".
So yes, it is indeed a truth universally acknowledged that all fledgling OTs must display some growth. This fledgling OT has learnt to flap her wings and can soar upon occasion, but there were definitely some branches flown into, and crash landings along the way. Only through mistakes can we learn, and only through trying again do we ever get the opportunity to succeed.
Until next week,
Kaylee
References:
Muhammed, A. (2018). 7 Powerful Ways To Accelerate Your Personal Growth. Retrieved April 24, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/abdullahimuhammed/2018/10/23/7-powerful-ways-to-accelerate-your-personal-growth/#21a3fbc5ed73
Dowthwaite, L. (2019). Striving for happiness could be making you unhappy – here’s how to find your own path. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/striving-for-happiness-could-be-making-you-unhappy-heres-how-to-find-your-own-path-115104
Images:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2e/fb/90/2efb90c0b69884f2a69e67bdf4d6bff7.gif
http://img.picturequotes.com/2/7/6113/life-doesnt-require-that-we-be-the-best-only-that-we-try-our-best-quote-1.jpg
http://www.successseriesllc.com/wordpress/2017/personal-growth-through-goals/
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1496/4322/articles/Screen_Shot_2018-05-28_at_6.40.09_PM_large.png?v=1527496841
I have always been a slow learner who is hesitant to take action without a great deal of practice. Alas, I've joined a fast-paced line of work that certainly pushes me out of my comfort zone. I do feel like I have grown as an OT. Its been a whirlwind of a fieldwork block, with very little time for hesitation and second-guesses. I've been lucky to have ample resources at my disposal, as well as team members and a supervisor willing to let me pick their brains. I've been able to learn very quickly by simply doing. In the past, and the first few days of fieldwork I was eager to sit and watch other team members and have them take the lead whilst I merely made observations. I would observe the OT session on toileting, instead of attempting my own assessment with the client, out of fear of something going wrong. That has long-since passed. I have grown to enjoy learning through practice, and embracing my mistakes. This has got to have been the biggest personal achievement of mine: being able to simply try out a session or an exercise with my client and take charge, without fear of all the "what if's". This allows for so much growth as a professional as I no longer rely on others for assistance and feel so much more confident in my own knowledge. This type of growth only comes with experience and having the trust of fellow team-members to allow you to try. As a result, fieldwork is not something that is feared anymore, I've grown to love it. I love trying new activities, I love successful sessions, and I love looking back on how I used to be and knowing that I'm better now. These feelings of accomplishment when growth is identified were explained by Dowthwaite (2019) who discussed in her article for theconversation.com that our happiness can be linked to
what we identify as meaningful experiences. Therefore, when feeling a sense of achievement over growth in the workplace, one is more inclined to associate the workplace with success and joy, which ultimately can lead to further accomplishments in the workplace.
One of the most challenging aspects of therapy can be the patient themselves. This can be due to non-compliance, lack of motivation or a challenging physical condition and presentation. For me, handling clients was always going to be difficult. I'm an introvert and had never really bonded with a client prior to this fieldwork block. Learning how to interact with clients naturally and physically handle them with care was certainly challenging. This has been an area of slow growth. Unlike linking theory to practice and improving in session planning, which have been areas of rapid growth. Issues with handling clients with confidence was one of the first areas of improvement that my supervisor had identified for me. Again, practice makes perfect, and now almost 3 months into fieldwork I can finally come out of a session believing that I've physically and emotionally handled my client correctly. Growth was only possible through identifying what I was finding difficult, in most sessions this was where my key points of control should be, and asking/researching how to improve. In his article for Forbes.com Muhammed (2018) stated that it is only when we evaluate our lives honestly, and are willing to identify not only successes, but shortcomings too, that we can grow. My growth as an OT student has not been a passive process, I've actively sought help and made the effort to improve.
So yes, it is indeed a truth universally acknowledged that all fledgling OTs must display some growth. This fledgling OT has learnt to flap her wings and can soar upon occasion, but there were definitely some branches flown into, and crash landings along the way. Only through mistakes can we learn, and only through trying again do we ever get the opportunity to succeed.
Until next week,
Kaylee
References:
Muhammed, A. (2018). 7 Powerful Ways To Accelerate Your Personal Growth. Retrieved April 24, 2019, from https://www.forbes.com/sites/abdullahimuhammed/2018/10/23/7-powerful-ways-to-accelerate-your-personal-growth/#21a3fbc5ed73
Dowthwaite, L. (2019). Striving for happiness could be making you unhappy – here’s how to find your own path. Retrieved from http://theconversation.com/striving-for-happiness-could-be-making-you-unhappy-heres-how-to-find-your-own-path-115104
Images:
https://i.pinimg.com/originals/2e/fb/90/2efb90c0b69884f2a69e67bdf4d6bff7.gif
http://img.picturequotes.com/2/7/6113/life-doesnt-require-that-we-be-the-best-only-that-we-try-our-best-quote-1.jpg
http://www.successseriesllc.com/wordpress/2017/personal-growth-through-goals/
https://cdn.shopify.com/s/files/1/1496/4322/articles/Screen_Shot_2018-05-28_at_6.40.09_PM_large.png?v=1527496841
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