The First Year Shift: Building Confidence in Acute Care Practice

Show Notes:

What changes when you are no longer the student with a clinical instructor in the room? In this episode of Acute Conversations, hosts Dr. Leo Arguelles and Dr. Daniel Young welcome back Fiona Kearns and Mika Mendoza one year after their first appearance as students. Now practicing in acute care, they offer an honest look at the difference between being prepared and feeling prepared.

Fiona and Mika discuss taking ownership of full caseloads, managing time and priorities, navigating complex discharge needs, and finding their voices within interdisciplinary teams. They also share the hands-on experiences that shaped their growth, from line management, ICU mobility and safe patient handling equipment to vestibular assessment, emergency care and cardiovascular practice.

Throughout the conversation, both clinicians return to the same foundations: protect patient and clinician safety, know the basics, ask questions and keep learning. Their reflections also highlight the value of mentors and colleagues who create room for early-career clinicians to build confidence without pretending to have every answer.

This episode offers practical perspective for students, new graduates, clinical instructors and experienced clinicians supporting the next generation of acute care physical therapists. Listen now on Apple or Spotify.

Today’s Guests:

Mikhaela Mendoza PT, DPT

mikaimendoza21@gmail.com

Fiona Kearns, PT, DPT

fkkearns2000@gmail.com

Guest Quotes:

3:49 Mikhaela “ I just told myself that, I trust in what I know, and if you don’t know, you just ask the questions, that the goal is to never feel like you’re the expert right away. That’s not necessarily the most realistic. It’s to just know when to ask the right questions.”