The transition from student to practicing clinician can be overwhelming. As a student, you generally think you know what to expect. But when you’re a new clinician, everything is new — the organization, the patients, and the day-to-day experiences. I just celebrated my first year as an OT at FOX, so the challenges are still fresh in my mind.

Many recent graduates feel intimidated by the FOX house call style of therapy. I understand why. It’s hard enough being fresh out of school, and practicing therapy in a patient's home by yourself can feel like a bridge too far. I liked the idea of autonomy. I wanted the ability to create my own schedule and strike a work/life balance.

Even though I knew I wanted to work for FOX and had a great clinical education under my belt, I still had a lot to learn. While part of me wishes I could have skipped some of the discomforts of these three lessons, I know I have grown tremendously as a result.

1. My FOX Mentor Was My Best Resource

When I started looking for a clinical position, one of my priorities was finding a professional setting that provided mentorship. Some of my classmates accepted positions as the only OT in their entire organization. I did not want to learn that way. I wanted consistent, expert guidance, and I knew FOX had an outstanding mentorship program.

FOX partners new hires with a more experienced clinician, usually in the same discipline. In my case, my mentor was also my regional director. In the beginning, FOX mentorship is highly structured. My mentor and I initially had 2 planned phone conversations every week. We talked about a variety of clinical topics (like watching and responding to vital signs) to further my education. I also called or texted her every day as I was out on patient visits. Yes, I was on my own on patient visits, but she was always right there to help. She always answered my calls immediately — any day, any time.

I had the opportunity to observe her patient sessions, and she observed mine. My mentor gave me feedback about my patient sessions and my documentation. Those were humbling and extremely valuable experiences.

To this day, when I’m not sure what to do, have a hard day, or want to share a patient success story, she’s still there. She’s never judgmental, and she always has intervention ideas for me to consider. I didn’t expect my mentor, who is also my boss, to become a trusted friend. But that’s exactly what happened — she even came to my wedding.

It’s one of my professional goals to mentor a new clinician at FOX someday. That’s the way FOX thinks it should be: clinicians supporting and encouraging each other.

2. I Made Mistakes — And That’s Ok.

I never want to make mistakes on the job. I have high standards for myself personally and professionally, and that’s a good thing. But I’m a new clinician — and I’m human. I had to learn how to handle mistakes in the moment, and I also had to learn how to do better the next time.

Some mistakes on the job are inconsequential. For example, I took a patient’s blood pressure three times because I didn’t get it right the first two times. No one got hurt — I just felt embarrassed. I responded to that mistake by practicing at home, over and over, until it felt easy and natural. Taking vitals was harder than I imagined.

On the other hand, one first-year, serious mistake stands out clearly in my mind. I had a little bit too much confidence in my patient’s physical abilities and left her unsupported to do an activity. That decision resulted in her falling. Fortunately, she was unharmed.

I felt incompetent. I even started to wonder if I should be a clinician at all! That incident made me feel as though I failed my patient. She was very sweet — she seemed more concerned that I was ok!

Now I understand that despite the fact that we do our best as clinicians to minimize risk, our geriatric patients will fall at times. After I experienced a patient falling, I had to ask myself some hard questions. How did that patient fall? What would I do differently? And most importantly, if I never made mistakes, how would I grow as a clinician?

3. I Had to Learn to Manage My Time at Work Better

One of the biggest benefits of working at FOX is being able to manage my own time at work and free up time for self-care. I get to choose the days I work and set up patient session times that work well for me.

As a brand new FOX clinician, one aspect I continuously struggled with was the ability to manage my time efficiently throughout my sessions. This frequently led to me feeling inefficient throughout my day.

After noticing the struggle I was experiencing in the area of time management, my mentor provided specific strategies to be implemented into my sessions to assist with building my skill in this area.

My First Year as a Practicing Clinician at FOX Was a Success

As I look back at my first year at FOX, I’m amazed at how far I’ve come. My first year has been a success, but not because everything went perfectly. Thanks to my mentor and the willingness to learn from my mistakes, I’ve gotten more skilled and more confident. And best of all, I know I have a career with FOX I’ll love for a long time.