Meet Stephanie So: Clinical Instructor for physiotherapy students
What clinical area of physiotherapy do you practice?
I wear two hats as a clinical physiotherapist. I work in acute care at SickKids where I work with children in the liver and small bowel transplant program as well as with children that have intestinal failure. I have been working at SickKids for my entire career since graduating from the University of Toronto in 1989.
I am also the co-owner of a private pediatric practice, Paediatric Physiotherapy Associates, that provides both physiotherapy and occupational therapy. We are celebrating 20 years of being in business this year, which is exciting. We provide home visits throughout the Greater Toronto Area and surrounding regions. We have a clinic in Scarborough where we have hosted student placements over the last two years.
How did you get involved with clinical teaching?
A few years after I graduated, I started getting involved doing Structured Clinical visits, now called Active Clinical Exposure (ACE) visits, at SickKids. Shortly after that I became a clinical instructor for students’ clinical internships at SickKids, which I have done every year since.
Two years ago, we decided to start offering clinical internships through our private practice. Prior to that time, it was difficult to do because we had a lot of therapists doing home visits and working part time, but we now have clinical instructors working at the clinic and have begun offering placements. I stepped into the role of Centre Coordinator of Clinical Education (CCCE) to coordinate the students’ activities and learning at our clinic.
U of T has a wealth of support for clinical instructors. They provide lots of information and several webinars that I could watch on my own time and learn more about hosting physiotherapy students for their clinical internships.
When we started hosting clinical internships at our private clinic, I really appreciated the comprehensive information that was provided. It’s also really easy to email the director of clinical education and chat about things going on and work through any situations that need to be addressed.
(Note: The department of physical therapy has a number of resources available to foster the development of clinical instructors)
What aspects of being a clinical instructor do you find the most gratifying? Do you have a memorable moment from your experience you would like to share?
As physiotherapists, we are constantly learning and growing and adding to our treatment toolbox throughout our entire career. I find it really gratifying to help new physiotherapists start laying a foundation for that treatment toolbox and their role as a therapist.
I've also had the pleasure of having some of my students become work colleagues. Several of my students now work side-by-side with me at SickKids. And in our private practice, one of our past students has now started seeing some clients at our clinic. Of course, I always love it when my students decide to work in paediatrics.
Why do you think it’s important for physiotherapists to help train future physical therapists?
Practicing clinically as a physiotherapist is where the rubber meets the road. Providing students with hands on experience allows us to take our students outside of that academic learning environment and show them what it is like to practice clinically as a physiotherapist. It is important for us to be involved in that process and model all the great aspects of physiotherapy to these students.
I think of my career and the physiotherapists who have been and still are my mentors and the important role they have played. Beyond just sharing knowledge, they showed me what it is like to communicate with families or children, and to engage with clients. Those are the skills that you cannot teach in a classroom.
In what ways do you find volunteering as a clinical instructor helps with your own professional development?
As a clinical instructor, you are challenged to keep abreast of new research and new treatment approaches. You will have students ask why you do things or practice certain ways, and I think that is a positive challenge so we do not get stuck doing things because it is what we have always done.
It is also a great opportunity to keep abreast with the current curriculum in the MScPT program at U of T because things do change and evolve over time, and I think it's great for those of us working in the field to continue to keep on top of everything that's going on with the new students and new graduates that we're going to be working with.
The other thing, for me personally, is that I am always so amazed at the skill level and the energy of the students and new graduates that I am surrounded by. Their energy and knowledge motivate me to continue to grow in my own professional journey. I think that every physiotherapist should consider opportunities to have a student and be involved in clinical education and know that it will be positive for them and their career.
Join our team of volunteers
We are always looking for volunteers to help with clinical skills labs, small group facilitation and clinical placements! Are you a practicing physiotherapist interested in volunteering your time to support the education and development of our future colleagues? Email us at pt.reception@utoronto.ca and we will be in touch.