Developing their own style

As placement unfolds, it is likely your student has done a lot of “copying” of how you do things.  When I think back to when I was an educator, unknowingly, I tried to mold my students into a version of me. Something felt easier to mentor/evaluate a student who was a “mini-me.”  I believe a real conscious effort is needed to allow your student to develop their own style.

Now, allowing students to develop their own style doesn’t mean you throw everything out the window. There are still expectations that need to be met.  But we each bring different styles to how we are as (student) OTs. This includes how we use humour (or not), how we communicate, how we write chart notes and the list goes on. This quote from one of our educators speaks to this:

“Always ask yourself if your feedback is coming from a place of personal preference or necessary to ensure the integrity and ethics of an OT role… When a student is doing something in a way that is different from you, you need to ask yourself, “Is it 'wrong?’” and/or “Are there are any negative consequences to this?”

Here are some comments from other educators in our community on allowing the development of style: 

“When it comes to writing reports and chart notes, I don't expect perfection. If the information is there and spelling/terminology is correct, I don't try to make too many changes. I believe everyone has their own writing style and I think it's important that students learn to develop their own and not just write how I do -I'm not the queen of report writing!”

“I try to be positive by encouraging independence and the student’s personal style.  I allow them the time to meet their client’s and work on their ability to communicate, not just ‘get the work done’”.

     "Encourage students to find their own style rather than trying to clone yourself!"

Understandably, we each have our own ways of doing things. We once had to figure out our own OT style too. Now, its your students turn.

Thanks to the OT educators who provided this feedback to share.
Lisa 

Revised by Julie, 2024