Interveiw Reflection

 Overall, I feel like my interview went really well.  I was a bit nervous going into it, the only interviews I had done were for occupational therapy programs. To prepare for the interview, I reviewed over the materials Dr. Lancaster provided for us. I also talked through basic interview questions and topics with one of my peers.

One thing that went differently than I expected was the overall atmosphere of the interview. I expected it to feel intimidating and tense, but it was the exact opposite. My interviewer put me at ease and made me feel comfortable. I was able to answer the questions she asked confidently and appropriately.

Some things that I would change if I could go through this process again would be my positioning during the interview and how I answered the questions I was asked. Some of the constructive criticism I received from my interviewer was that I really needed a solid background with no distractions. During the interview, there was a ceiling fan visible in the background, so if I could do it again, I would position myself in front of a blank wall.

Another piece of constructive criticism I received from my interviewer is that I needed to dive a little deeper when answering questions. If I had this to do over again, I would include more personal experiences in my answers to questions.

One thing that I learned during this process is that I am prepared and capable to be an occupational therapist. When interviewing for a position, I must remember to be myself and be confident, because I have been preparing for 2 years for this moment. Another thing I learned during this process is that it is okay to pause and get your bearings while answering questions. It is better to answer thoughtfully than to answer quickly.

 I think this process was very helpful in preparing me for future interviews as an OT practitioner. I am thankful for the opportunity to have participated in this process.

Locus of Control

What is Locus of control? Before this assignment, I had not given it much thought. With my Bachelors degree being in psychology, I had heard the term ‘locus of control before’ but I was not exactly sure what it was.  According to a blog written by Erik Meira, The Science PT, locus of control refers to how a person perceives causes of change in their life. Some people understand their circumstances to be a direct result of external forces, things that are out of their control. Others understand their circumstances to be a direct result of internal forces, things inside of their control such as personal actions (Meira, 2013).

In my Leadership II course, we were asked to complete Rotter’s Locus of Control Scale. This is a questionnaire consists of 13 items and 6 filler items and you are instructed to select the statement that you most agree with. I personally found this to be difficult, because in some instances I like neither of the choices given to me. After it is completed, the questionnaire is scored using a scoring key. The total score ranges from 0 being completely Internal Locus of control and 23 being completely external locus of control. My score was 14, almost in the middle but leaning towards external locus of control.

I believe that my score is fairly accurate.  One of the things I struggle with is pessimism. I tend to refer to this as being a realist, but if I am being honest, I can be a bit negative. This is something that I am actively working on. I hope that in the future I am able to say that my score leans more toward an internal locus of control. I do think that having a more or less neutral locus of control will be helpful in clinical practice. This way, I can see things from all perspectives, but I do understand the importance of encouraging an internal locus of control in clients.  I think it is important to encourage clients in a way that leads them towards an internal locus of control so that they can focus on what is in their control rather than what is out of their control. According to the Science PT, this is the goal of an ethical provider (Meira, 2013). 

           

           

Reference:

Meira, E. (2013, December 5). Are your patients out of control? Erik. Retrieved August 02, 2020, from https://thesciencept.com/are-your-patients-out-of-control/

My, How Things have Changed!

A year doesn’t seem like such a long time ago, but when I compare my two drawings I feel like I am a totally different person. I guess a lot can change in a year. The drawing I created when participating in this activity the first time is pretty different from my current drawing. Initially, my drawing included a triangle shaped face, meaning that at the time, I thought leaders were born, not made. In my current drawing, I included a square shaped face because I have now seen that anyone can become a leader in the right circumstances. In my original drawing, I didn't include any eyebrows, meaning that being a “leader” wasn't really my “forte”. Now, I can identify my leadership as being primarily behind the scenes. My first drawing had no freckles, indicating that at the time, I did not see self-awareness as a necessary in leadership. I now know that self-awareness is very important in effective leadership. I believe that our current situation has definitely changed my opinion on the use of technology and leadership, I believe now that it is important.

A lot has changed since the start of OT school. I have grown so much as a person and as a future practitioner. Coming from small town Mississippi, I look back now and see a lot of my thinking as being close-minded. I am so thankful for UTHSC, my classmates, and instructors for helping change my way of thinking for the better.