Wednesday, February 16, 2011
Nashville or Bust!
Got some good news today! I am going to be doing my second level 2 fieldwork rotation in the Nashville Public School system. They have 35 occupational and physical therapy staff people and serve over 1400 children. My professor seemed to think that was a lot, which means I will hopefully be seeing a wide variety of cases. Still waiting on my first assignment, but it's good to know at least one. And it's in a city I love! Yipeee!!!
Tuesday, February 1, 2011
Level 1 Fieldwork
Today was my first day of Level 1 Fieldwork at Southern Ohio Medical Center (SOMC). I am stationed in the Medical Surgery department, following the occupational and physical therapists at the facility. I saw 7 patients. Two threw up. Two nearly passed out. One thought the president of the US was Kennedy; one thought he had a white beard and wore a straw hat. Those 7 patients presented a wide range of diagnoses including total hip replacements, total knee replacements, ascites, distention, bipolar disorder, subacute stroke, dimentia, alcoholism, depression, neuropathy, and more. For class, I was required to journal about my experience. Rather than type it again, I will paste it here:
My first day at the SOMC Med Surg Unit was an amazing experience. First, I was able to experience a setting that was foreign to me. I have never shadowed OT in a hospital, so it was exciting to see something new. Second, I got to experience a variety of diagnoses first hand, rather than in a text book. Seeing the presenting symptoms first hand was extremely valuable to my education.
My impression of the setting – it is SOOOOO fast paced. I was overwhelmed at first, and struggled to keep up with the lingo, abbreviations, and patient chart information. Not only was the whole day fast paced, but the time frame between evaluation and discharge of each patient is also fast. Most patients only stay for 3-5 days. The OT typically only sees each patient for evaluation and discharge, and her assistant treats them daily until they leave. This seems to have both advantages and disadvantages. Because the patients turnover so quickly in this unit, the OT has to do several evaluations each day, leaving her no time to treat the patients. Her OTA is able to help with this, spreading the workload and putting less stress on both workers. However, this turnover also limits the therapist-patient relationship, allowing little to no time for rapport to develop.
I'm not sure this is a setting that I would want to work in everyday, due to the lack of therapist-patient relationship. That being said, I learned a lot today, thanks to my supervising OT. She challenged me from the beginning. She required me to review charts, come up with treatment plans, write sample goals, and I even performed an evaluation. I enjoyed the challenge, and I am looking forward to learning more each week. Everyone always said that everything you learn in the classroom pulls together and makes sense once you see it in the clinic. It seems as though, after one day, they were right.
My first day at the SOMC Med Surg Unit was an amazing experience. First, I was able to experience a setting that was foreign to me. I have never shadowed OT in a hospital, so it was exciting to see something new. Second, I got to experience a variety of diagnoses first hand, rather than in a text book. Seeing the presenting symptoms first hand was extremely valuable to my education.
My impression of the setting – it is SOOOOO fast paced. I was overwhelmed at first, and struggled to keep up with the lingo, abbreviations, and patient chart information. Not only was the whole day fast paced, but the time frame between evaluation and discharge of each patient is also fast. Most patients only stay for 3-5 days. The OT typically only sees each patient for evaluation and discharge, and her assistant treats them daily until they leave. This seems to have both advantages and disadvantages. Because the patients turnover so quickly in this unit, the OT has to do several evaluations each day, leaving her no time to treat the patients. Her OTA is able to help with this, spreading the workload and putting less stress on both workers. However, this turnover also limits the therapist-patient relationship, allowing little to no time for rapport to develop.
I'm not sure this is a setting that I would want to work in everyday, due to the lack of therapist-patient relationship. That being said, I learned a lot today, thanks to my supervising OT. She challenged me from the beginning. She required me to review charts, come up with treatment plans, write sample goals, and I even performed an evaluation. I enjoyed the challenge, and I am looking forward to learning more each week. Everyone always said that everything you learn in the classroom pulls together and makes sense once you see it in the clinic. It seems as though, after one day, they were right.
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