Independence

During my placements this year i have found that i have enjoyed most of them however i have also found that my stress levels have been pretty high. This had been a bit of a concern for me as i questioned whether it would be the same once i graduated and entered the workforce. During my most recent placement in India i managed to relieve some of these concerns. The placement was considered a rural and self-directed placement, and whilst we were over there we had a supervisor for about a week and then were left to our own devices. I found that being given the independence to make my own decisions about treatment palns and not having to worry about justifying everything to the supervisor, i got so much more enjoyment out of working. I am very confident in my skills and knowledge so i was not concerned about the extra responsibility that had been placed on my shoulders and it was so refreshing to be able to make my own choices as if i were actually out in the workforce as a qualified physio rather than a physio student. As students i think we are shaped by our supervisors and their personal views and a lot of physios differ in their opinion on how things should be done. Both physios may be right and have good reasons to back up their choices and as such are just presenting two alternative options. As a student we are forced to follow the opinion of our supervisor and often don't get the chance to approach things in our own way. Working in India gave me the opportunity to do things in my own way which i found thoroughly enjoyable and far more satisfying than following someone elses views. Hopefuilly this is what it will be like when in the workforce.