Top 5 Characteristics Of A Successful Clinician

By Rachele Decrescenzo, PT, MPT, and Allison Ortman, OT,

Regional Director and Occupational Therapist

As a new graduate of a physical, occupational, or speech therapy program, you have endless career opportunities. You will have to decide if you want to work in a private practice versus a hospital, with children versus adults, a “9 to 5” versus per diem or travel work. There are characteristics that you need to possess for a successful career as a therapy professional in order to provide clinically-excellent and patient-centered care.

SELF-MOTIVATED

To grow professionally, demonstrate competency, and become an expert within your profession.

It is crucial to display a sense of self-motivation. Being self-motivated encompasses a variety of traits that lead to success. Be enthusiastic about your profession. Go above and beyond, research, gather, and disseminate knowledge. This is what makes a clinician great, and leads to the achievement and advancement of goals.

There may be times when our patients may be lacking self-motivation for one reason or another. Displaying this internal motivation with patients each day may be just what it takes to give them the push to achieve what they once thought impossible.

EXCHANGE OF ABUNDANCE

Have you ever been to a restaurant and had such an amazing experience that you were blown away or felt that someone went above and beyond just to ensure that you had a great time? This is an exchange of abundance.

If you strive to always give more than is expected, you will encounter great success with each of your individual patients and also throughout your career.

UNDERSTANDING

To have true understanding in any given situation, communication, affinity, and reality must work in harmony. This relates to the works of L. Ron Hubbard, applied to professional development.

In order to provide the highest quality care to your patient, and to achieve the best outcomes, combining these skills is paramount. Work to build affinity with your patients, your colleagues, and your support staff. If things don’t seem to be going right, try to look at the situation from another “reality.” Strive for open and honest communication in all situations.

BE FLEXIBLE

Flexibility for clinicians leads to success with our patients. While there is always a plan in place for treatment sessions, remaining flexible is essential. You will get thrown curve balls, and adapting accordingly is what sets clinicians aside and ensures goals are being achieved.

MANAGE TIME EFFECTIVELY

Managing time effectively leads to success as a clinician, and is crucial when planning treatment sessions, scheduling patients, and completing documentation in a timely fashion. Understanding the importance of effectively managing your time early on will reduce stress, improve efficiency as well as increase the quality of work being produced.

There are many characteristics of a “successful clinician.” This article highlights some of the top attributes. Keeping these in mind as you navigate through your therapy career will allow you to maintain a central focus on clinical excellence and patient-centered care.