Clinical Skills Confidence: Am I In the Right Setting?
Hello and welcome to another Clinical Skills Confidence post! To check out other posts in this series, check out more here.
Today, I want to chat about whether you’re in the right setting. I can only speak to the two settings I’ve worked in professionally (schools and private practice). I did an internship in the medical setting in graduate school, but since I never actually worked in one myself, I can’t speak to that setting.
So let’s chat. Everyone is different, so the right setting for you may not be the right setting for someone else. I’ve moved back and forth from the schools to private practice over my 14 years in this career.
The questions you need to ask yourself:
- Do I feel supported? Is administration supportive in schools? Is your boss supportive if you’re in private practice?
- Do I feel like I’m being paid competitively? This can be difficult in the schools where you may be on a teacher salary, but the benefits and summers off may be a good tradeoff for you. Also, you need to think about how you’re being paid (salary, contract). I have a post coming about this in a couple months.
- Am I happy most days? You won’t be happy 100% of the time, but if you’re content most of the time, it’s probably a good fit.
- Am I being challenged? I think this one is a tricky one, because feeling like you’re being challenged too much and it can be stressful. I think continuing to learn in this field is something I’ll always be doing, and it’s good to stay up to date on the latest research.
These are some questions I ask myself. I’ve changed jobs a fair amount and I always revisit these questions if I start to feel like a setting isn’t the right fit. What would you add?