You Won't Wake Up and Suddenly Have All The Answers

Dear PT Students,

“I feel like a fraud,” she said. She wasn’t my student, but she was in the middle of completing her final clinical.  

I think most of us can relate to this on some level.  One minute you’re taking a test and answering questions in class and the next you realize that hardly any patient presents like the textbook said they would.

But, you’re not a fraud, you’re not an imposter, and you are good enough.

You just don’t have the experience or the reps to feel confident.  That will come with practice.  In the mean-time, here are 3 ways to deal with the feeling.

1. Test/retest:  No one knows what they are doing when they start.  So, choose your best guess, try it and then see if you made a change. Use a system to figure out your next step. 
2. Don’t be afraid to ask:  The best clinicians I know always ask questions when they reach a point where they need help.  No one is supposed to have all the answers.
3. Be wrong:  You cannot become great without being wrong at some point.  It is okay to be wrong, just don’t stay there.  Learn from it and get better.

You won’t wake up one morning with all the answers.  You will gradually, but undeniably become the best clinician you can be.

Break Barriers,

Jenna and The Professional Rebellion