Imposter Syndrome

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As I prepare for my level II fieldwork rotations, my feelings are all over the place. I know I spent the last two years soaking up the most valuable information and knowledge that will help me be successful in the clinic, but I can't help but feel "not ready." 

This is, in its essence, Imposter Syndrome/ Phenomenon. It's the feeling of overwhelming inadequacy despite putting so much hard work and effort into something. As I was taking the Clance IP Scale questionnaire, I realized I relate more strongly with a lot of the statements than I anticipated. Just one example is when I am praised for an accomplishment, I don't feel like I can fulfill the the expectations in the future. I felt this way when I was elected as the ASD delegate for our SOTA and never truly felt like I fulfilled the role. I also felt like a fraud being inducted into the PTE honor society. I scored quite high on this questionnaire, which surprised me. While I didn't initially think it was effecting me that much, this opened my eyes to realizing that I actually am/ have been dealing with imposter syndrome. 

This is similar to my last post on locus of control in that I am confident in my abilities, but sometimes I feel as though I was "lucky" to be elected as ASD delegate or "lucky" to be inducted into PTE. I know this isn't true, as hard work does pay off. I have to remind myself that I am a hard worker and my accomplishments do deserve praise - this will keep me in the right mindset when on fieldwork. Work hard and stay humble! 

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