It has been a very long time since I’ve last blogged. As you
know I’ve been busy trying to finish up the academic course work to achieve my
MSOT degree, therefore I did not have much extra time to blog. I also had to
complete 24 weeks of clinicals, 12 weeks in the Pediatric Setting & 12
weeks in the Adult setting.
For the pediatric setting I chose to complete the placement
with our local BOCES program & I absolutely loved it. I had a lot of
anxieties & hesitations regarding this placement before starting because
when I had to complete in the pediatric setting for my associates degree it was
the worst experience ever. I vowed that I would never work with the kids again.
However, this most recent pediatric placement changed my mind. The supervisor I
had made this a wonderful experience. She allowed me to explore, be creative
and experiment with different treatment ideas; all of which were frowned upon during
my last placement. Here’s the thing, if a child is having difficulty with
handwriting, don’t you need to find the source? It’s not about having the child
practice writing; you have to figure out why they are having trouble. Is it muscle weakness, a sensory processing
issue, or something else?. Once you figure out the problem areas, then you work on those areas before you address the
handwriting. At my last setting, my supervisor only focused on handwriting. He hated when I tried to incorporate sensory based activities and at this last setting, I was able to incorporate different activites to address the child's deficits. It was hard saying
goodbye to all of the kids 4 months ago. It’s hard to believe that it was 4 months ago &
the kids are already back to school. I really miss those kids.
My adult placement was not as pleasant. It
started out really great, but by the halfway point, I was so stressed on a daily
basis that it affected my performance. I was afraid that I was not going to
pass. It is so stressful when you have someone watching your every move and
listening to your every word. I was told that my documentation was not up to
par, which I agree, it needs work, but it takes years to perfect your documentation
skills in the healthcare field. Every company does their documentation
differently, so it was hard at times. I was also told that my “safety” & “judgment”
skills were lacking. I am not able to “anticipate and cope with complications
during treatment sessions, identify and adhere to precautions, properly set-up
equipment, and providing the proper amount of assistance clients require to
perform mobility”. This was like a punch in the gut. I feel that I am able to
do the above in safe and confident manner. I do agree that at times I was a
little nervous or unsure, because it was a situation that I was not familiar
with. At times I feel that I was not given a chance to demonstrate my abilities,
as my supervisor would always jump right in. Anyway, I passed this placement
and I am thankful I do not have to go through that again. It was a very
stressful time for me.
I am now in the process of preparing for the certification
exam. It is a four-hour exam. I will have to go to a prometric testing center in
order to access this exam. I have been trying to get in about 2-3 hours of
studying a day since 9/3 & some days it’s very difficult. I plan on taking
the exam during the month of October. I will be spending more time hitting the
books, reviewing information & taking practice exams. I really want to and
need to pass this exam. So here’s to studying……..
