Ideas and resources to support health and care professionals to navigate uncertainty in everyday practice

Dr Deborah Harding is a professor in the Centre for Allied Health, St George’s, University of London.

A Platform for Practice

A platform for practice refers to a synthesis of our knowledge, skills, experiences in and out of work, personal qualities and preferences. In combination, these elements underpin and support us to prepare, engage in and deliver our everyday practice.

Practice Uncertainties

When I spoke with health professionals about supervision in my PhD research, I noticed how often they talked about their uncertainties in day-to-day practice. I noticed three main sources of uncertainty

Being Permeable

Permeable practitioners expect and recognise uncertainties in practice. This is because they are self-aware, aware of and for others, awareness-sharing, feedback-seeking, open to alternatives, critically aware and willing to change.

Resolving Uncertainties

Permeable practitioners recognise uncertainties as a prompt to learn and they seek to resolve their uncertainties by engaging in a variety of activities.