Occupational Therapy // Hitting Your Stride

{a happy, confident pupper in front of the de Young Museum, San Francisco}

After two days of orientation and documentation system training, I spent my birthday at the hospital for my first day as a PRN (as needed) OT with their team.

And it was awesome.

While there's a lot I could say about hospital/acute care OT and why it's great, my biggest takeaway at the end of the day was that "hey. I know more than I thought I did. I have more experience than I thought I did. I'm actually... confident... in my ability to do my job. I'm not 'new' any more."

It was kind of a weird feeling.

So many of us, when we finally finish school and head out into the 'real world,' we exist by the mantra "fake it 'til you make it," in that school can only prepare you for so much and the rest you learn and figure out once you're on the job.

Patients and families look to you to be an authority and know your stuff during all interactions, and as a new grad, that's pretty daunting. THERE'S SO MUCH YOU DON'T KNOW.

That unprepared, slightly nervous, "gosh, I hope I'm answering their question fully" churn in your gut takes a while to go away, but it's not a disappearing feeling as much as it just... slowly fades.

One day, it just kind of hits you that you DO actually know what you're talking about. There's a ton of information that you now can produce at the drop of a hat. You can anticipate the questions your patients and their families will ask and you answer them before they can even think to verbalize anything. There are responses to situations that, when asked "what would you do?" during an interview, take you a moment to think about because you just react automatically now.

It's a really cool and slightly surreal feeling to have reached this point, I must say.

--

I'm not known for being a naturally "confident" person. It's definitely not in the top three adjectives friends or family would use to describe me.

But over the past 2-3 years that I've been working as an occupational therapist, my confidence in my ability to do my job and do it well has grown exponentially. I am good at what I do.

All this to say, for everyone out there who feels a little scared or a lot nervous about starting something new or getting that first job out of school, BREATHE. Yes, it may take a few years, but you'll hit your stride and eventually you too will be able to handle complicated/demanding/anxious patients and families with a calm smile and a reassuring tone. 👍