My Professional Identity

  When I started out in my career in physiotherapy in 2017, I had no particular ambitions of including teaching as part of my career. As I continued to develop my skills as a practitioner both in public and private practice physiotherapy, I found myself feeling stagnant, and seeking another level of professional satisfaction. A few years into my career, I had the opportunity to be a Preceptor for a number of students in the University of British Columbia Master of Physical Therapy (UBC MPT) program. I found that helping students to develop their critical thinking skills and facilitating their synthesis of complex clinical dilemmas was extremely gratifying. I later became a Clinical Skills Assistant for the UBC MPT program, and continued to develop my teaching and facilitation skills with larger groups of students. 

As an instructor, I want to build the learning experiences needed for students to have that “aha” learning moment on their own. I find it tremendously rewarding to witness a student muddle their way through something and then be able to finally link all ideas together and have the puzzle pieces click into place. It is important for me to build a supportive learning environment where students feel brave, bold, and curious, and are comfortable taking risks and making mistakes in the spirit of learning.

Apprenticeship is a cornerstone of our profession and this is also a big part of my teaching approach. I feel there is so much to gain from open dialogue, coaching, and feedback with an experienced clinician. This can even happen from student to student in our program, as many students have different occupational backgrounds and professional interests. 

My aim is always to strike the right balance of challenging and encouraging students. This will be different for every student of course, and this is when (time and resource permitting), it is wonderful to get to know the motivational style and learning needs of every student. I know this is not always possible, but when it is, this personalized approach helps me to provide better instruction and ensures that students know I am willing to invest in their learning as much as they are willing to.