Fear of the Transition

This was a blog I wrote almost a year ago and forgot to finish and post! It's still unfinished, but everything that I said still holds true. I am actually taking a clinical reasoning course this semester so we will see how I feel by the end of the semester. 

Hmm...fear of the transition! "What transition?," you may ask! Well, i'm going to tell you lol. The transition from student to professional! Now, I know it's a long way from today --  about 2 years to be exact. However, I've actually had this fear for quite awhile, but as I near the reality, the fear sets in a little deeper and deeper.

Some people may think, "Why think about that now, you still have time before you are an actual professional?" Well, because I'm thinking there are some things I can do between now and then that will help ease my fear and make my transition from student to professional just a bit smoother and less nerve racking.

So what about the transition am I actually afraid of? Simple -- Clinical reasoning! Let's go ahead and define it real quick.

Clinical reasoning: "Process of collecting cues. Information processing. Understanding of patient situation. Plan/implement intervention . Evaluate outcomes. Reflect/learn from process."
Source: http://www.scribd.com/doc/24473111/Clinical-reasoning-for-Nursing-students-Glossary-of-terms

Now, the great thing about being a professional, especially one in Occupational Therapy, is that you usually work as a team with other professionals: Physical therapists, speech language pathologists, psychologists in some cases, etc. Also, many times you have a supervisor that you can meet with a reflect on your cases with.

Also, the field work experience that MOT programs require, should also help in the adjustment, but not completely. I recently found a blog that I really like. She has not been active since 2011, but the information on her blog is still really good. It's called "Practice, reasoning, and reflection." She addresses her experience with the transition from student to professional and then her struggles as a professional as time goes on. I think she is from Canada if i'm not mistaken, but it's still really relatable. Check it out if you are interested!

Unfortunately, a big reality is that MOT programs cannot possibly cover every situation that you may encounter as a professional. Therefore, you always have to be on top of your game.