Career Growth Isn’t Restricted To Management

By Courtney Gohean, OTR/L

Occupational therapist

As an experienced clinician, how do you further enrich your career path and greater develop your clinical skills? This was a question frequently on my mind ever since beginning my work as an occupational therapist in 2005 with FOX Rehabilitation.

THE PROFESSIONAL, ACADEMIC, CLINICAL EXCELLENCE PROGRAM

The easiest answer to that question was participating in PACE with FOX Rehabilitation. By participating in clinical activities from journal clubs to conference presentations, clinicians’ efforts are recognized by FOX with bonuses, reimbursements in clinical opportunities, additional paid time off, and more.

I have a small group of clinicians close to my treating region that all rallied together so we could tackle this program as a team. During the first portion of the year, we met weekly to review MedBridge courses and journal articles together. I appreciated the meetings, not just for the clinical boost but for the camaraderie as well. The remainder of the year, we finished the rest of the PACE criteria, which included social media posts, attending an event at a senior living community, and joining our account managers at physician lunches to educate and advocate for older adults’ access to rehabilitation services.

PACE is a no-brainer – an incentive way worth the time. If you are eager to move forward as a clinician and as an employee, PACE is the next step.

But there are other ways for professional growth as well. I recently had the opportunity to mentor two OT new graduates through our Emerging Professionals Program. This mentorship experience has been more rewarding that anything I have ever done professionally – one that I would highly recommend to my colleagues.

GUIDING THE FUTURE OF OUR FIELD

Being a mentor is a non-managerial professional growth opportunity. It is an experience that is constantly allowing me to develop my clinical skills.

The FOX mentorship program assists new and novice clinicians to become successful in an environment that promotes patient-centered care, evidence-based practice, and lifelong learning. The new graduate receives mentoring and training for geriatric-specific clinical skills, administrative tasks including documentation, and fulfillment of professional roles. Through the comprehensive mentorship program, the new clinician is set up for a gradual progression of patient care over the first three months with established goals and expectations. They are directed to complete self-learning modules and given resources that ensure clinical excellence is being modeled.

There are so many incredible benefits of being a mentor:

• improve communication and personal skills
• develop leadership and management qualities
• reinforce your own study skills and knowledge of your subject(s)
• increase your confidence and motivation
• engage in an opportunity valued by employers
• enhance your resume
• stimulate our personal and professional growth

Initially, the mentor guide calls for the mentor and mentee to speak daily. In my experience with two rounds of mentorship, our conversations usually follow along a clinical theme, though at times we are discussing the administrative side of our jobs. A common conversation usually includes the excitement (or challenges) of a case, the gains the patient has made or hopes to make, documentation strategies, and treatment approaches. The mentoring program has allowed me to bond with these new graduates and to share the excitement of what I love to do.

The mentoring role also has fulfilled me professionally. It has strengthened my communication abilities, clinical skills, and most importantly, it has given me a new perspective. Mentoring has allowed me to appreciate the importance of learning and has given me the opportunity to look outside my autonomous world. Additionally, becoming a mentor has encouraged me to step outside myself while utilizing skills that will ultimately help our fellow geriatric population and FOX’s growth.

There are benefits that come with being a clinician with some experience. However, opportunities for growth change with that time. For me, when I was a new OT, I was almost forced to learn because there was so much that was new to me. Though years later, I appreciate that FOX provides the incentive to continue to learn and emphasizes evidence-based practice. Moreover, PACE and the mentorship programs have given me an edge clinically and have opened up a new avenue for my professional career.

While the people in this photo are real FOX clinicians, they are not directly related to this article.