DO YOU KNOW WHAT YOU DON'T KNOW?

Anyone who has spent any time with me discussing clinical issues or professional development knows that this is one of my favourite questions to ask.  

Do you know what you don’t know?  

How do you know what you don’t know?

Why do I love this question so much?

This question is one I ask myself everyday and it is the question that has helped me to fill my toolbox with the people, skills and resources that I need to ensure the best outcomes for my clients.

This question has led me to seek clinical supervision and support, to seek out CPD opportunities, challenged me to expand my knowledge base beyond my OT clinical skills, it has taught me to look for the why and the how and not just the what, which I have learnt is almost more important. 

This question played a big role in the inception of OT Driver Education, where one of our biggest goals is to help Driver Assessor OT’s to work out what they don’t know, to help fill those gaps in knowledge, and to provide the support they need to build their own knowledge base and skills.  In this highly complex area of clinical practice where many clinicians work in isolation and the technology is always changing, the gap between what we know and what we need to know is growing everyday.  Ongoing professional development and support networks, both formal and informal  are more important than they have ever been in ensuring our knowledge remains up to date and relevant. So ... do you know what you don’t know?