There are a lot of things I wish to impart on my students, a lot of which would come across rather artsy fartsy, perhaps pompous even given the fact that my temples are not gray, my bearings not quite professorial. In fact, perhaps I am too young, too inexperience to even offer it, but here it is nonetheless - take a deep breath, and take a step back.
You have gone to school for quite a few years now, and I have no doubt in your ability to read and make the grades. I have confidence that you are doing your best to attain the science behind all that you do, to the point of citing literature and referencing sources for best practice. That is all good, and I am immensely proud of you. Yet, when you step into the clinic, take a deep breath and take a step back. I know you are eager to show me what you know, I know you are itching to demonstrate your competency, to do what is best for your patients. I trust you to do at least that. But take a deep breath, and take a step back. From science you have built your foundation, now let art take you to the next level, and you should never rush art.
There is art to everything that you do, each little knob you turn, each little tweak you make on the instruments. There is art in how you approach each patient, there are subtleties that transform the technical protocol into a graceful performance. Take a deep breath, and take a step back to appreciate that. Never forget that what separates you from other practitioners is your mark, the art that you bring to your approach to things. You can have all that art down to a science if you take a deep breath, and take a step back.
We all learn the same grammar, we all know probably the same amount of words from the dictionary, but that which separates the Shakespeare's and the Twain's of this world is how they make use of those very same vocabulary and grammatical structures and transform them into something tangible, something visceral. We, as audiologist and as professional, wield that same power. Anyone can look into someone's ears, anyone can perform cerumen management, anyone can talk about hearing loss and balance issues given the right amount of technical training, but not everyone can make it an experience endearing to the patients. Don't rush the moment, as impressive as it may sound to finish a test or a consult in record time, there is little glory in that save perhaps a fleeting moment of satisfaction.
