A hard beginning maketh a good ending...
So on Monday I had my first experience as a third year OT student on acute physical block. What does all this entail? Interview, assessment and - newly introduced in third year - intervention, all in the space of a couple of hours. Pressure? Not at all.
This was not the case with my client as he has a 10 week rehab period so I will be seeing him for my entire block. While there are some advantages, such as not having to write a case study at lastminute.com, and not having to print assessment forms a thousand times, it's something I have experienced in the previous year in both psych and physical blocks and was hoping for some new experiences and new diagnoses. I was rather dejected at having learnt that the turnover rate is not as high as I expected, but as my mother always says, make the best of every opportunity and you will make a difference in someones life (even if that life is your own.)
And that's exactly what OT is about. Making a difference in your clients' lives so that they are able to engage in any occupation of value to them, therefore leading to a fulfilling life. So while I might feel dejected, there is still an intrinsic motivation to help those in need, which I hope to do with my client.
My client has a spinal cord injury at T2 with various complications further down the spinal cord. This has resulted in little to no function in the client's lower limbs, poor trunk muscle control - which means poor static and dynamic sitting balance - and poor bowel and bladder control. As such, the client has difficulty engaging in basic ADL's such as bed mobility and transferring to and from a wheelchair.
Tomorrow I am planning an intervention session to help with bed mobility so that he can eventually transfer from supine to sitting on the edge of the bed with minimal assistance. It will be my first time actually treating a patient so I am quite nervous, but I've learnt throughout the last year on prac, that nerves are sign that something important is happening, and what could be more important than helping others once again become active participants in their own lives?
I was privileged enough to have observed both a physiotherapist and an OT session. I also wrote my first official SOAP notes into a patient file. All this gave me a sneak peak as to what life will be like when I am a qualified OT working within a multidisciplinary team. Pressure? Stress? Anxiety? Nerve - wracking? Definitely.
So what did I learn from this first day of fieldwork? I learnt different things from different people. From the supervisor I learnt that you should acknowledge your negative emotions - anger, sadness, frustration - feel it and then put it aside. It is impossible to go through a whole day without feeling anything negative, so rather than suppress it, take a minute to feel what you are feeling (internally) and then continue with your day.
From the OTs at the facility, I learnt that it's okay to not know, and furthermore, it's okay to ask for help. We all have to start somewhere, and with every field of study, that starting level is level 0. As student therapists, we need to use every resource available to us, and that includes the OT's in the facility we are placed at.
From my client I learnt that even in the worst case scenario, you can find something to laugh at. Whether it's about laughing at his lack of balance, or laughing at my attempts to speak Zulu, he was always able to find humor in the therapy session, even though he was in pain. This is something I have always tried to strive towards, and still battle with. It might not be a positive day, but there is something positive in every day and that is something I need to remember.
From my parents I learnt that even though things may not work out the way you planned, there is a reason for everything. A plan with your life or a reason certain things manifested the way they did that is going to allow you, an ordinary person to do extraordinary things.
From my fellow students I learnt that I am not alone. We are all struggling with something - whether it's nerves on the first day or difficulty with clients not being available, everyone has their own problems and are also trying to deal with them.
So to end off, I want to share a quote that is short and simple and is often what runs through my mind when times are tough, so however cliched:
"Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."
This was not the case with my client as he has a 10 week rehab period so I will be seeing him for my entire block. While there are some advantages, such as not having to write a case study at lastminute.com, and not having to print assessment forms a thousand times, it's something I have experienced in the previous year in both psych and physical blocks and was hoping for some new experiences and new diagnoses. I was rather dejected at having learnt that the turnover rate is not as high as I expected, but as my mother always says, make the best of every opportunity and you will make a difference in someones life (even if that life is your own.)
And that's exactly what OT is about. Making a difference in your clients' lives so that they are able to engage in any occupation of value to them, therefore leading to a fulfilling life. So while I might feel dejected, there is still an intrinsic motivation to help those in need, which I hope to do with my client.
My client has a spinal cord injury at T2 with various complications further down the spinal cord. This has resulted in little to no function in the client's lower limbs, poor trunk muscle control - which means poor static and dynamic sitting balance - and poor bowel and bladder control. As such, the client has difficulty engaging in basic ADL's such as bed mobility and transferring to and from a wheelchair.
Tomorrow I am planning an intervention session to help with bed mobility so that he can eventually transfer from supine to sitting on the edge of the bed with minimal assistance. It will be my first time actually treating a patient so I am quite nervous, but I've learnt throughout the last year on prac, that nerves are sign that something important is happening, and what could be more important than helping others once again become active participants in their own lives?
I was privileged enough to have observed both a physiotherapist and an OT session. I also wrote my first official SOAP notes into a patient file. All this gave me a sneak peak as to what life will be like when I am a qualified OT working within a multidisciplinary team. Pressure? Stress? Anxiety? Nerve - wracking? Definitely.
So what did I learn from this first day of fieldwork? I learnt different things from different people. From the supervisor I learnt that you should acknowledge your negative emotions - anger, sadness, frustration - feel it and then put it aside. It is impossible to go through a whole day without feeling anything negative, so rather than suppress it, take a minute to feel what you are feeling (internally) and then continue with your day.
From the OTs at the facility, I learnt that it's okay to not know, and furthermore, it's okay to ask for help. We all have to start somewhere, and with every field of study, that starting level is level 0. As student therapists, we need to use every resource available to us, and that includes the OT's in the facility we are placed at.
From my client I learnt that even in the worst case scenario, you can find something to laugh at. Whether it's about laughing at his lack of balance, or laughing at my attempts to speak Zulu, he was always able to find humor in the therapy session, even though he was in pain. This is something I have always tried to strive towards, and still battle with. It might not be a positive day, but there is something positive in every day and that is something I need to remember.
From my parents I learnt that even though things may not work out the way you planned, there is a reason for everything. A plan with your life or a reason certain things manifested the way they did that is going to allow you, an ordinary person to do extraordinary things.
From my fellow students I learnt that I am not alone. We are all struggling with something - whether it's nerves on the first day or difficulty with clients not being available, everyone has their own problems and are also trying to deal with them.
So to end off, I want to share a quote that is short and simple and is often what runs through my mind when times are tough, so however cliched:
"Difficult roads often lead to beautiful destinations."
You make me proud. You are going to change so many lives living a life that matters. Proud mom of a dedicated 3rd year OT student.
ReplyDeleteWhat an insightful look into the life and experiences of a young person starting an inspiring career. You make us proud. From an old teacher.
ReplyDelete