By Racheal Lawler, PhD, LAT, ATC
Spring is a season of new, a season of change, a season of growth. This is a time when many look for change, experience opportunities of growth and follow dreams of a new career.
How do we assist our newly certified peers with transition to practice, from transitioning from student to professional? Do we effectively welcome them into the professional setting and provide the onboarding and mentoring needed to successfully navigate all of the responsibilities? I encourage you to reach out to a newly certified athletic trainer. Offer to be a mentor. Remember how excited and uncertain you were during the process of transition to practice. Share your failures and successes. Most importantly, be there. Keep showing up because this is not a one and done event.
How can each of us help our new graduates through changing their thought processes from student to practitioner, to help them become comfortable with the uncomfortable? Start by encouraging them to lean on their education. Remind them they worked hard to get their credentials, so be strong in their confidence when using them, but stay within the scope of practice and seek assistance when needed. Advice given by professors and preceptors can be invaluable and should be combined with listening to new colleagues' advice. Be positive. Be understanding. Show patience with them and demonstrate how to have patience with oneself.
Growth needs to be encouraged, with opportunities provided for early successes. Mistakes will be made and must be learned from as that is part of the growth process. As a seasoned practitioner, be reflective of your growth with new practitioners, recognizing that your path will likely not be the same. Help them learn from your mistakes as well as successes. Our new peers are often better with technology, so be open and willing to learn from these tech-savvy young professionals, as they have a flare for taking what they have learned and using it how it best fits their needs, clinically and personally. Our newly certified peers may appear confident and excited, but know that they are likely apprehensive and are thirsty for the pearls and wisdom that come with experience. Be an endless source of encouragement to stoke flames for success and growth. These early professionals are the future of the Athletic Training profession so invest in them wisely
To our early professionals, welcome to the athletic training work force. We are excited to meet you, encourage you, and work together to provide quality health care to our patients. May your career be long and your successes be abundant.