6 things to know when starting student clinic
Starting at the student clinic is possibly the most daunting and stressful part of your entire natural health degree. Regardless of your modality or if you’ve switched to online due to lockdowns, practising in the student clinic is a terrifying but exciting last step of your degree.
As an Endeavour College of Natural Health graduate, I first entered the student clinic with trepidation. Not kidding, I felt like I was going to pass out overwhelmed with the amount of pressure we were about to be immersed in.
On reflection, being in the student clinic was an incredible experience. It's when all the information you've been absorbing comes together. It's when you connect with your lecturers as colleagues and get to do what you love. You get an actual taste of life as a practitioner without the stress of running a practice.
But it's not all sunshine and rainbows. It's hard. So. Damn. Hard. So, here's six things to know when you're starting student clinic to avoid complete overwhelm and help you succeed!
6 things to know when starting student clinic
1. Get your notes in order
If you're the super organised type, you may be ahead of the game on this one. But if you're like many students, your lecture notes are in disarray. Start getting your uni notes in order, whether that's in your Google Drive or using tools like One Note or Evernote.
Organise them so they can be searched easily by symptom, condition or treatment. This will be invaluable whether your seeing clients online or face-to-face.
2. Set up a treatment protocol cheat sheet
You'll find plenty of treatment protocol cheat sheets floating around the student groups. Take those as examples and set up your own. This can be utilised when you're pressed for time in creating a treatment protocol for your clients or when you find yourself repeating the same recommendations.
3. Familiarise yourself with the dispensary list
Know what is in the student clinic dispensary. Create a spreadsheet that helps you quickly identify what supplements or herbal products can be prescribed as part of your treatment protocol. Note down the key precautions, interactions and dosages so you can be as efficient as possible.
4. Have your resources ready
Time is of the essence in the student clinic, so have your resources such as textbooks and drug and nutrient interaction tools ready. If you can, invest in e-books where possible as you won't want to be lugging around heavy textbooks if you’re going into the university. These can also be searched and referenced quickly.
5. Use your support buddy
If you are lucky to be partnered up with another student, they can help support you as a practitioner. Utilise this support! It's easy to want to take on everything when you're treating a client, but get them to help you so that you can formulate a good treatment plan.
Have them run to the dispensary or look interactions up. They are your goffer and you can return the favour by being an awesome support partner when roles reverse.
6. Build a bank of client resources
Client resources are essential in the student clinic. Not only do they help you to educate your client so they can implement your treatment plan, but they're also a part of your marking criteria. Yes, having client handouts can help improve your grades.
Spend the time researching and making your own handouts, or set yourself up with professionally made resources like those on Natural Health Resources. You can even purchase a Student Essentials Pack as a starter and then continue to build based on the cases you see.
7. Start marketing like yesterday
Start marketing yourself as a student practitioner to your friends, family, colleagues. Hell, even tell the barrister at your local coffee shop! Post something eye-catching on your student notice board, go to businesses nearby the student client with cards, share the cheap services with your workmates.
You need patients in that clinic and sorry to tell you, you can't rely on walk-ins. Get out there and tell people about you and what you're amazing at.
8. Ask for help
Learn to ask for help. This might be swallowing your pride and asking your friends to come into the clinic so you have a patient. It could be asking one of your student buddies for tutoring. Or it could be engaging in the student support services to avoid a breakdown.
Practising in the student clinic is a stressful time, so don't be afraid to be vulnerable and ask for support where you need it.
