Overcoming Imposter Syndrome

 Imposter syndrome is a phenomenon where people think  that they are not as intelligent or competent as they are believed to be by others. It is inevitable that new grads may have feelings of doubt, fear, or inadequacy while beginning their OT career. However, it is important to accept that you are a beginner and take appropriate action to overcome the symptoms of imposter syndrome. 

 

When taking the Imposter Phenomenon Rating Scale test, I scored a 53. This means that I have a moderate amount of imposter phenomenon experiences. I think that my test results were spot on. As a student who is fixing to begin level 2 fieldwork, there are times when I feel unprepared and incompetent. When I think of everything that will be expected of me on fieldwork, I doubt myself and immediately become anxious and fearful that I will not be able to excel. A lot of my worries come from my desire to be great at everything I do. I typically go above and beyond and want to stand out from my peers. My anxiety typically comes  when I am in a position where I don’t feel that I am performing exceptionally, which pushes me to want to do better. On a positive note, I do  not believe that I am in the position that I’m  in due to luck or being in the “right place at the right time”. I acknowledge that my successes come from my hard work, dedication, personality strengths, and more. 

 

This assignment has been a great opportunity for me to acknowledge my strengths and weaknesses. I am now more aware of my tendencies to struggle with imposter syndrome. I now have a plan for tackling imposter syndrome in the future.  I will start by accepting that I am a beginner and that I am not expected to know everything. This profession requires me to be a life long learner. I will use my initiative to seek resources and mentorship to gain insight in areas where I might lack appropriate knowledge or confidence.  I plan to improve on my ability to self-reflect. Am I criticizing myself or comparing myself to others? Am I being too hard on myself? I have received an abundance of  feedback from  professors, clinical instructors, and other therapists, indicating that I am doing an excellent job and will make a great OT. I  want to learn to appreciate and listen to positive feedback and compliments that I receive and use them to boost up my confidence. Lastly, I will simply take it all in and enjoy what I do. I plan to take care of myself outside of work and give myself the credit that I deserve.