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Clinical Reasoning

In today's class, we discussed "clinical reasoning." Clinical reasoning is basically your instincts as a professional in the medical field, and in my case, as a future occupational therapist. As a first year student, the whole concept of clinical reasoning is a little intimidating and overwhelming to think about. It is hard not to worry about future situations in which I simply hope my instincts and decisions as a practitioner are right. That feeling you get when you are not quite sure what to do is referred to as "gray space."While observing, I often found myself wondering just how the OT knew what to do or how to respond to a situation. My professor today explained that often there is no one true answer to a situation, and you must use your clinical reasoning skills and instincts gained over time to make the best decision possible. I have faith that throughout my time in school and on fieldwork, I will gain more confidence in my own clinical reasoning skills. My goal as a future occupational therapist is to make decisions that are in the client's best interest, so that he or she may be as successful as possible.

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