Go With the Flow

Practice is important, but all of that preparation may not necessarily be useful during an actual interview or game. Since it is nearly impossible to plan for every situation or scenario, not everything will go your way every time. It is vital to be able to adapt to unexpected situations and have an open mindset when interacting with professionals and other people.

Within the last week, I was fortunate enough to be able conduct two informational interviews with professionals. For my first interview, I interviewed Dr. Burgmeier at his office. He provided me with lots of insight on a profession in orthopedic surgery and injuries. The interview concluded successfully, and I am so grateful for all the valuable information that Dr. Burgmeier shared with me.

I was also given the opportunity to interview Dr. Boucher, who is a clinical neuropsychologist. When I was working as a student athletic trainer at the most recent football game, I connected with Dr. Boucher. She was very kind and allowed me to interview her spontaneously. While she is not personally an orthopedic surgeon, her work experience in working with children and pediatric concussions has provided me with knowledge on how adolescent athletes may react to injuries. In addition, she works at Andrews Institute alongside many orthopedic surgeons and specialists. As such, she was also able to connect me with orthopedic professionals and other medical specialists who may be able to help me further my research. I really appreciate the opportunity to get Dr. Boucher’s perspectives even though it was not in my original plan. Her input will allow me to further refine my future research. This is a perfect example of why I should continue to keep an open mind when interacting with people with different backgrounds. Sometimes you just have to go with the flow and be open to all possibilities.