If you are preparing for your fieldwork or are currently working in a level I or II setting, remember to use your experience to help you now and in the future on your NBCOT Certification Exam and with your future job. Incorporating a journal is a wonderful way to remember the diagnoses you evaluated and treated, how you graded interventions, the client response to treatments, typical complaints about pain or functional status, collaboration with team members, and how you planned a discharge.
Dedicate one notebook to your level I and II fieldworks. Then, when you begin preparing for your NBCOT Exam, you can review everything you have seen in a clinical setting. This is one step in the right direction to focus on what you know and need to review.
Now, use your OT savvy and clinical reasoning. This is where the difficult part of preparing for your exam and identifying your weak areas meet! Envision the various conditions you have encountered, now review how those specific conditions are evaluated and treated across the continuum of care. This is one of the hardest areas for exam candidates to overcome, honing in on weak areas and relating their knowledge across the continuum of care.
Get a jumpstart on your NBCOT studies and showcase your experience when you begin preparing for your interviews by using a journal during your fieldwork rotations. It is important to know, your success depends on the simplest tasks you do today.