I Told a Patient Their Back Was Like a Jelly Donut — I Still Cringe Thinking About It
Some lessons are best learned through experience
A common symptom of excelling at a job is developing overconfidence. You may think an intern on his first clinical rotation of physical therapy school would be humble and curious, hesitant to embrace a mindset of “having it all figured out.” You would be wrong.
My first clinical rotation was in an outpatient orthopedics setting. After 20 months of sitting behind desks — except for three 2-week rotations where we are essentially shadows — I was eager to apply classroom knowledge and develop clinical skills. It didn’t take long to build my confidence.
After a mere two weeks, I considered myself to be strong in providing patient education. I now recognize I sat comfortably on the peak of mount stupid. As enough time and practice had not passed yet for me to learn and refine my craft, I was a glorified parrot, regurgitating information learned in school and from surrounding physical therapists.
I will note that my ability to connect with patients was strong. The social connection is often how subpar treatment can result in positive outcomes. By creating an environment the patients enjoyed, talking up all the interventions I provided — the placebo…
