Clinical experiences are one of the most special and rewarding parts about the entire PT school experience. It’s where everything you have been learning in the classroom starts to come together piece by piece and truly comes full-circle. It’s where you get to participate in hands-on patient care and begin transitioning from a student physical therapist to a clinician. I have been blessed with some of the most amazing clinical instructors during my clinical experiences thus far. When my time with them came to an end, I knew that there were a million things that I wanted to say to show my gratitude for all that they did for me. However, it never failed that I always stared at a blank ‘thank you’ card for ages before I could actually begin writing to them. I found it so difficult to put into words how thankful I was for my time with them… how thankful I was for the things that they taught me… how thankful I was for how much they helped me grow and learn.
If you are seeking some inspiration for ways that YOU can put your own gratitude into words to thank your clinical instructor, I have put together a list of 50 meaningful ways that you can do just that. This list is to help you get your juices flowing, but remember that your final ‘thank you’ should be personal and specific to your personal experience with your own clinical instructor. A heartfelt ‘thank you’ goes a long way and clinical instructors are such an integral part of our learning process, so make sure that you give them the praise and recognition that they deserve!
To all of my clinical instructors:
THANK YOU for being the inspiration behind this blog post and giving me so many reasons to be thankful.
Thank you for being a dedicated clinical instructor and investing so much time into helping me learn. I know your schedule is busy, but you always made my clinical experience a priority.
Thank you for encouraging me to be comfortable making mistakes.
Thank you for providing me with a safe, encouraging learning environment.
Thank you for giving me work to do outside of the clinic. Conducting my own research has helped me stay up-to-date on current evidence-based practice and strengthened my clinical decision making skills.
Thank you for always being ready to answer my questions in a heartbeat.
Thank you for letting me be independent, but stepping in and providing guidance when I hit a road block or did not know how to appropriately proceed.
Thank you for teaching in action when I could not be actively involved in hands-on tasks.
Thank you for always ensuring that I was included in the clinical decision making process and had the opportunity to be directly involved in patient care.
Thank you for helping me practice my hands-on skills and for providing me with tips and techniques to improve my mechanics.
Thank you for teaching me something new every day and for fostering learning opportunities in even the smallest of places.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to spend time with other therapists to get exposure to different specialties and patient cases.
Thank you for fostering creativity within myself and helping me become better at devising interventions that are unique, fun, and individualized.
Thank you for helping me set goals for myself and for consistently checking in to see what you could do better or differently to help me achieve them.
Thank you for promoting self independence and giving me the opportunity to develop my own problem solving and critical thinking skills.
Thank you for recognizing and praising my strengths.
Thank you for being honest and open about my weaknesses.
Thank you for encouraging patients to give me feedback so they could judge how similar or different my hands-on skills felt compared to yours.
Thank you for giving me the opportunity to attend/present in-service presentations to further my learning.
Thank you for taking the reigns on the complex patient cases that I was not comfortable navigating on my own quite yet.
Thank you for teaching in action and giving me the opportunity to see skills and concepts being implemented in real-time.
Thank you for demonstrating superb communication and interpersonal skills and helping me improve my own.
Thank you for showing me how to work so well in an inter-professional team and collaborate with other health care professionals.
Thank you for inspiring me with how effortless it is for you to create meaningful relationships and connections with your patients.
Thank you for making sure that I was integrated into all aspects of patient care from the initial evaluation to the final discharge.
Thank you for taking extra time to explain skills and information that I had not yet been exposed to.
Thank you for providing constructive feedback that was always in the best interest of helping me learn and grow into a strong clinician.
Thank you for showing me what it means to practice with the utmost level of compassion.
Thank you for teaching me how to handle difficult situations with poise and integrity.
Thank you for being vulnerable in sharing your own weaknesses, challenges, and setbacks to help me learn how to overcome similar situations.
Thank you for helping me understand that nothing is black and white and that there will always be new obstacles and uncertainties to overcome.
Thank you for having realistic expectations for my abilities based on where I am in my didactic learning, but always encouraging me to learn/try something new.
Thank you for using your down time during the day to help me practice skills, go over case scenarios, and answer my questions.
Thank you for letting me take initiative with directing my own learning experiences.
Thank you for sharing about all of the different tools you have in your toolbox and continuing education opportunities that are available to me.
Thank you for instilling a whole new level of confidence within me.
Thank you for sharing stories about your own PT school experience to give me valuable insight and provide helpful advice.
Thank you for your immaculate attention to detail, which has helped me fine-tune my clinical skills and knowledge.
Thank you for challenging me to put on my thinking cap and never settling for the “easy way out.”
Thank you for reminding me that PT school is not easy, but I am more than capable of coming out of this experience as a strong and proficient clinician.
Thank you for fueling my eagerness to learn and showing me that this profession entails lifelong learning.
Thank you for lifting me up and providing the most sincere words of encouragement when I failed and felt like I wasn’t good enough.
Thank you for caring about my mental health and taking the time to ask, “How are you today? How are your classes going? Are you doing okay?”
Thank you for going above and beyond to make this a meaningful clinical experience for me and assuring that I saw/did as many things as possible during my time with you.
Thank you for remembering how it felt to be a student and taking a step back when I wasn’t ready for a particular task, but also for challenging me to become a better clinician.
Thank you for being patient and persistent when it felt nearly impossible for me to get that certain skill, technique, or concept down.
Thank you for celebrating victories with me, laughing with me, and even crying with me.
Thank you for always rooting for me and believing in me from day one.
Thank you for opening up your life to me and sharing not only your hopes and successes, but your doubts and worries, as well.
Thank you for giving back to the profession and providing guidance to the next generation of physical therapists.
Thank you for being a reminder of why I chose this profession and for being such an amazing role model for me to follow in the footsteps of.
Thanks so much for reading - I hope you found this post helpful! If you have any questions or additional recommendations, please feel free to leave them in a comment below :)
Shout out to all of the awesome clinical instructors out there - we appreciate you!