No Fear — Well, Just A Little Bit…

So. I’m teaching this semester. Surprise! I didn’t really talk about it much when it was in the works which, to me, was until last Tuesday when I actually started. But it’s happening! I am officially a Lecturer at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in the College of Health Sciences, department of Occupational Therapy. This semester, I’m co-teaching OT 705: Physical Rehabilitation I, including the lab sections that accompany the weekly lecture: just under five hours every Tuesday. NBD. I got this.

I say that so confidently and yet! And yet! It wasn’t so very long ago that I was pursuing my BS at UWM, taking Phys Rehab I myself! Man, this class stressed me out. When I was in the program, we took Phys Rehab I our first semester and had two labs: Anatomical Kinesiology and Phys Rehab I. While I had labs before (Chem, Bio, and A and P I and II, to name a few), Phys Rehab was different. It was hands-on with LIVING PEOPLE with potential to CAUSE HARMto real, live people. Stress. So much stress. And I had the alphabet working against me: when we were paired up according to our last names, my partner was usually the six-foot-plus man in my class (Andrew was and is a delightful human and an excellent person, classmate, and OT. He is really tall, though, so that added to my stress level at the time). But I survived. I got an A- in Phys Rehab I, and an A- in Phys Rehab II. Then I survived (and dare I say, thrived) in two clinical fieldwork settings that were phys rehab based. I went on to have a solid, interesting career in acute care, and now I’m getting asked to teach the same subject I love! Oh, and did I mention that I’ve been asked to come to multiple universities and give talks about my “expertise” in this area? It’s almost enough to help me overcome my Imposter Syndrome… almost…

While I know inherently that I’m qualified to teach Phys Rehab, I still have these feelings of doubt stemming from ACOTE. What is ACOTE, you may ask? These are guidelines called Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education standards that tell me what my students need to learn while they are in my classroom. They’re… a lot. They’re all very practical skills, and they are absolutely covered by the readings, outside class assignments, and lab skills assignments. That said: it is my responsibility as the teacher to make sure we are hitting all those skills in class. When I took this class, I left feeling as if I had expanded my OT knowledge by, like, 1000%. I’m hoping my students feel the same. Ultimately, I hope what I teach them leads to them feeling confident in their fieldwork and when they’re sitting for their boards. It’s a ways off for them, but all of these puzzle pieces go together to make a larger scene, right? It’s never too soon to start thinking about where this class fits into their overall education.

So, what am I doing to combat my Imposter Syndrome and face my fear of failure? Well, I’m doing my best is what I’m doing. I’m doing the readings my students are assigned. I’m reviewing the ROM and MMT and assessment styles and making sure that what I’m teaching aligns with the formal styles they are expected to know. I’m excited and happy to teach them the terminology I find useful and the mnemonic devices that help me. I’m looking forward to telling them stories about my time in the clinical world and how I learned that these skills are truly necessary. I want to convert some of these students into acute care therapists! Mostly, I want to teach them the textbook right way to perform these clinical tasks. I want to help them succeed. Full stop. That’s my role: preparing future occupational therapists. Darn it, I think I’m up to the task.