Within the first few days of my placement I was the only witness to a senior physiotherapist ‘spitting the dummy’ (for want of a better phrase).. The equipment room was a mess and in response to not being able to find the item she was after, she yelled and threw a pt’s file on the floor. She jumped up and down, screaming, for maybe only 5 or so seconds, then turned and stormed out. I picked up all the pages from the file, which had come apart, and spent quite a bit of time trying to put it back together chronologically. The incident was never spoken of again, nor was it acknowledged. I suspected the physio had had a hard day/ was under particular stress and/or perhaps that messiness of the room was something that she had to repeatedly address. Whilst the PT had not directed her frustration at me, I soon realised that it had impacted hugely on how I perceived her.
Although this PT was not my supervisor, I was at times under her supervision. From that day forward I was very cautious around the physio and felt I didn’t always perform to the best of my ability. I found I was unwilling to ask questions or ask for guidance and thus when I saw her pts they were getting only basic treatment, which I was certain was right for them. I wasn’t willing to discuss different options or ideas I had for these pts as I wasn’t sure how the physio would respond. About half way through my placement, I soon realised that this PT has a history of doing similar things and that it was the pts suffering because I was concerned about liaising with the PT. Eventually, as I began to get to know her and the rest of the team, I was more comfortable interacting with her as I did with all the other physios.
I learnt that single mistakes can have a lasting effect.. This was a very knowledgeable physio who was excellent with pts, however her original behaviour completely undermined my confidence in her abilities and also impacted on our future interactions. I think similar circumstances can impact on the relationships we have with pts too – if we portray little self-confidence in the early days of treatment, I suspect that they too will be less willing to participate in interactions with us and we will have a long way to go to prove ourselves as worthy therapists. I guess first impressions really do count!
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3 comments:
So true Amber. We can be very overwhelmed and cautious to put ourselves forward in a new setting, but as physiotherapy students, we are frequently being reassigned to new situations. I know on my first inpatients prac, I was very much "keep head down and do your best" rather than showing confidence and ease. That comes with experience I think, but it really does impact everyone we professionally interact with and how they will therefore chose to interact with us. Patients will adhere to our prescriptions more willingly if we seem confident, comfortable and professional. Doctors will appreciate our input, and nurses will work with us better as well if we are aware of how we come across to others. Just like job seeking and being confident to potential employers - its all about the first impression!
what a really interesting situation! as you said, it may have been a particularly stressful day, however if the other physio's said she had a history of similar behaviour, that is a bit of a worry! It makes you realise that 'stress management' is so incredibly important! Not only does it protray an unprofessional image 'spitting the dummy' at work, but it makes people around you feel uncomfortable (as you said you did) I know we all feel like cracking sometimes, and i think its really important to be able to recognise signs of when you are getting stressed and learn productive ways to manage it! I had a supervisor who had some personal stressors going on, and she managed it by taking a bit of time outside to compose herself.
it was good that you eventually became comfortable around her, but unfortunate that it did take a while. I know I wouldnt like to think of people having to walk on egg shells around me, so that is a motivator for me to manage stressful situations and try and always be professional!
I think that situation would have put me on edge as well! And it’s true what Alli was saying… it’s so important to recognise the signs of stress and learn to manage it, because if we don’t, we will burn out really quickly. But it’s a shame that situations like this occur, and that impressions of someone can so easily affect the way we treat patients. As you said, it’s all about confidence, and the first step towards your patients noticing this confidence is when you believe it yourself. I know I’ve been in situations before on prac where I haven’t been happy with my performance, and I’ve really let it get to me and affect my confidence. I guess it really boils down to moving on, not letting past issues get you down and take each new day as it comes.
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