Introduction
In their last year in college, medical students are usually faced with big hopes and anxiety of evolving from a student to a professional. The placement of students usually prepares them to become professionals in a specified field. The article looks at the transition process from a student to a therapist. Transition is one of the four steps that the first year practitioner undergoes (Trysseenar & Perkins, 2001, p. 19). The transitional experience, the behaviors developed and the value shifts are important. Their understanding would help in designing an academic curriculum guide and in the supervision of the students. The transition from a student to clinical practitioner poses challenges to a lot of students in health professional.
Literature Review
The authors are keen to observe that there is a big difference that exists between a clinical practitioner and a novice. The skills that are held by physical therapists are gained through experience that are not really acquired and taught in the school. Like all other practices where development to expert is involved exposure and time are also important in developing a clinical expert. Growth of knowledge, experience and skills makes a novice practitioner an expert. Experienced therapists have schemata that involve encoding, storing, recalling and applying the information gained through past experience. The thinking capacity and design used by experts is different from that of novices (Trysseenar & Perkins, 2001, p. 20).
For example, the literature review reveals that experts in the clinical practice used the stored and classified information gained in clinical experiences and retrieve it for application as required in their line of work. Many of the new graduated especially in physical therapy have unrealistic expectations and stress on the experience they may have. However, the transition from a student to the clinic is one of the challenging experiences faced by the students. It is also true that the transitions involves learning were a student adapts a routine. Thereafter the development of skills is based on a five stage process where discrete capabilities are recognized. The stages according to the article are the novice, advanced beginner, being competent, being proficient, and becoming expert. These stages are only achievable depending on the time, and skills gained. Mentorship also plays a great role in developing the skills if one is exposed to a role model. Through assimilation, repetition of role, modeling a role and probably interactions helps. Through mentorship new therapists are introduced into professionalism through socialization. However understanding the process or how students can forgo the novice expert transition remains a challenge.
Methods
The method used was the phenomenological approach using therapists’ occupational students, physical therapists in first and final year placement, respectively. This was to ensure that transitional experiences were captured as they happened. The participants were issued with journals were the experiences entries were made and submitted through email or postal mails to the authors. Submission was done every two weeks (Trysseenar & Perkins, 2001, p. 21). In a population of 120 students graduating in 1996 in occupational and physical therapists were approached for the study with only 12 participating. All the participants were women, 3 did not return the journals, 3 ceased participation after writing the final clinical placements, while the other six completed. Out of the 6, 3 were occupational therapists, and the other 3 were physical therapists. None of the novices had gained full time employment. Before the study, interviews were carried on the occupational therapists. Authors read the submissions and highlighting selective approach were used. Peer review was also used and data compared.
Results
Participants experienced emotional impact that therapist underwent as well as how to cope with strategies especially during the stressful periods. As the time progressed the participants changed their language from low to high depending on the experience gained. The participants were exposed in the stages of expert skills development were participants took less time in adapting. Most of the data collected were from the first 3 stages of skill development. During the final year placement, the participants showed great expectations. This included financial and social freedom as well as having a profession. It is noted that the biggest challenge was stepping in the professional road. Competence inability was recorded in the 3 stages were the participants had self doubt and competence level concerns. As time progressed the focus was channeled to the welfare of the clients. Office politics and bureaucracy was reported in the journals during the euphoria, angst stages. For example, the academic experience and the reality in the workplace caused a discrepancy. Great shock was recorded in the initial months of practice, and was extended to attitude, skills knowledge and participants professional capability was affected. Educational gaps in matters of technique were also recorded. This varied from one participant to another. The participants sought strategies in the last months and last stages of development. The sought mentors had determinations and mastered the surroundings.
Limitation of the study is that it used 6 women out of 120 students making the sample too small. The experiences of male therapists were not established in the study. Thus the transition experiences were not fully covered in the study. There could have been influence by the close participation of the authors. Therefore the study has space for future study.
Discussion/Conclusion
Participants had challenges in the areas of work load, job searching, time management, and paper work. Through mentor access and opportunities to continue learning, motivations and adaptation brought about appreciation to the participants. The experiences were almost the same to the 6 participants and reflected same themes. It was also evident that the newly graduated students had competence problems as described in the euphoria and the angst stages of skill development. The development of strategies in the last phases is what is described in the Banners skills acquisition model of 1985. The shift in values and behavior change are described by the expectations themes, shock, education and politics experience by the participants. As time progressed the participants adapted and started to grow. This was after they become aware of their surroundings. The results are a proof that socialization is not an easy process as witnessed. The shift from personal perspective to the clients’ welfare awareness is an indication of skill development of the participants. Educators and mentors are required by the students to adapt in their career.
In conclusion, the findings of the study showed that the first and last year placements for the rehabilitation students posed challenges. The participants have stress that is experienced in professional transition. Themes and values that participants developed as shown in the journals are great expectation, shock, competence, educations, politics and strategies. The pattern of the behavioral trends reveals that there are always challenges in adaptation from classroom to professional practice. Adaptation occurs as the progress goes on in skills development.
Reference List
Trysseenar, J., & Perkins, J. (2001). From Student to therapist: Exploring the first year of practice”. American Journal of Occupational therapy, 55(1), 19-27.