You're too soft

 Ever since I began this OT journey, over a decade and almost a half now (gah...the time flies) I have been told that both clinically and academically I am a softy. That I prioritize relationship and support over rigor and strictness. Now, mind you this has been mostly from my supervisors and chairs, but my students have said on more than one occasion that I'm "hard" and have "high expectations". Both sets of stakeholders are right. I want to ensure that whether I'm treating you or your grandpa that I'm using evidence-based treatments and if I'm teaching you or your children or nieces and nephews I will be sure that they are meeting the program and ACOTE standards. I will keep the bar high but I will also check in with them and make sure they are doing ok as people. I will adhere to high rigor but I will also encourage you to advocate for some extended time on an assignment or a care conference where you say why you need some more therapy. Those are right and good things. 

Oftentimes, especially in academia, the accolades go to those who research and bring $$ grants and prestige to the institutions. Don't get it twisted, we need those folks, they push us in new directions and ensure that we stay on the cutting edge and make advances. I am eternally grateful for their work and their desire to live and work in that realm. I am not skilled in that area and work hard to meet the minimum standards on that plane. However, there are those of us who lean hard into the relationship side of teaching. Who see the student sitting in front of us as a link in a chain that extends back over 100 years and who will need to draw not only from their didactic knowledge of muscles, interventions, and conditions but from their inner self to connect to their clients. They need both. One without the other makes a mediocre therapist. As we continue to advance the practice of OT we talk a lot about finding those connection pieces but we don't always invest in the connections. We want the students to use their therapeutic selves but we are so focused on other pieces of the educational process (and it is immense) that we forget that they learn those skills from us and how we interact with them. We are their first teachers of the therapeutic use of self. 

Recently I've realized while I will be required to do research as part of my academic career it will always be a lift. And that's ok. I am here for the relationship and support piece. I love teaching students this art and craft. I love seeing their faces when things click. Getting emails about how they had a therapeutic breakthrough with a client. That is what fills my cup. I will always lean toward those. Again, so grateful for the researchers and presenters, I will be cheering you from the sidelines and asking you for tips. But maybe we can consider those of us who lean opposite of that realm? Let's move that scale a bit, and recognize that the "less academic" professors are working hard on the things that fill their cups too. We need both camps to make this engine that is so expansive and necessary to keep running. Let's ensure that all the people we work with know that their efforts are appreciated and important. Research AND Relationships. The best partnerships are where all parties feel like their contributions are valuable and equally deserving of recognition. 

So I'll keep being too soft. If you need a soft place to land, I'll be your girl. I'm also going to be advocating that the success scale be a bit more balanced. #Relationships #Academics #Clinical