Snowy days!

Placement - weeks 2 and 3!

Well i've certainly been experiencing and learning about the many aspects and diversity of being an OT in the community as well as the many challenges including very snowy, icy weather conditions! This meant we had to plan client visits well in advance and consider parking facilities regarding the road conditions! A lot of appointments had to be cancelled due to the weather being so severe so unfortunately I have not made it out with the physio's yet, but i'm hoping to this week.

Thinking like an OT

I feel positive this week as i'm beginning to really feel like i'm getting into the mindset of an OT and thinking about every aspect of a person and their engagement in occupation and being able to really relate the theory we've learned regarding this in our life sciences class! Theory really does make more sense in practice! An achievement for me last week was that I completed my first ever initial assessment with a patient (One of many yet to come I hope!) It felt really natural doing it too, just like a natural conversation. I feel it is really important to see a client within their home environment as it feels a lot more informal and you get a true reflection of that person and gain a better understanding of how they function within their home. Then it is easier to highlight problematic areas and as an OT we can implement compensatory strategies and equipment to enable their functioning as independently as possible, specific to their individual needs.

During the past couple of weeks I have been out with my educator on visits, as well as the OTA and the TAP. The therapy assistants are great and have an extensive range of experience! Yesterday I went on a speech and language therapy visit to a client with Parkinson's and it was really interesting to see the different strategies used in this area and how Parkinson's can ultimately affect speech and the impact this can have in engaging in occupations. For the client the most important activity to work on was speaking on the telephone, this was due to the fact she had been a receptionist all of her life and she was understandably, really feeling the frustrations of not being able to function with this task as she used to. Breathing techniques and strategies were put in place for her to practice and since this, she has made a successful phone call to book a hospital appointment and she is feeling a lot more positive. I have seen a lot of the positive side of OT over the last couple of weeks and saw the positive effects of how something as simple as being hoisted out of bed and sat into a chair after being bed bound for some weeks can have on a person's well-being and the well-being of their family - that particular visit had me very emotional, it was so powerful!

I have also been back on a follow up visit to the client i'm supporting with some visual structure strategies. I was able to do a kitchen assessment with the client under the watchful eye of my educator in the background! It was brilliant and I felt really natural doing it. Doing this assessment has highlighted the areas the client needs some support with and I will be working on some strategies that suit their specific needs. I'm really excited about this.

Halfway there!

I'm now halfway through my placement and had my halfway report and meeting with my educator and tutor yesterday and I'm pleased to say that it went really well! It's very apparent that my previous work experience has put me in very good stead for OT and being in a practice environment. During my remaining time here I want to try and get out with physio, complete my case study and visual structure strategies, and link my theory to practice through the use of my case study.

I'm still finding my room in student halls freezing cold! Thank goodness my mum bought me these socks. 

And thank goodness for hot water bottles! I don't know where i'd be without mine.

New Year - New Placement!

Happy New Year! 

A break over the Christmas holidays proved to be well needed! As I stopped everything, all the stress and tiredness seemed to catch up with me and I ended up feeling rather run down with a nasty virus over the holidays - pretty much all the way up until placement, but I was so glad of a break. It was nice to be able to spend some quality time with family and friends too.

"What? You commute to Carlisle!?"

Over the holidays I found when talking about my course to people I constantly get this reaction when I explain that I go to uni in Carlisle... I feel like I have to justify myself all of the time! But to be honest whilst I was resting over Christmas, I did reflect back and think... "how the heck do I manage getting up at 5am to travel to Carlisle and back twice a week!" That's determination for you.

Practice Placement 1.

I am now a week and one day into placement! It has flown by already. I'm really enjoying it so far and the team are really lovely and have made me very welcome. As it is a community placement I had an awareness of how they work and was familiar with their process of record and note keeping as my previous placement was in a community team.

I have been out on a few visits and have seen varied long-life conditions ranging from MND, MS and Rett Syndrome. I have also spent a day at a rehab unit which offers re-ablement therapy for patients for 6 weeks prior to leaving hospital, working on performing their ADL's as independently as possible providing support for their individual needs and making sure they are safe and well to return home. I have also purchased my first ever tape measure and have been to do a hip precautions assessment! I had a trip to the community loan store and have been learning about the huge variety of equipment available! Also about the different processes of ordering different pieces of equipment and the clinical reasoning behind it.

My educator has highlighted some of my strengths from previous work experience with visual aids to support a patient with MS - This is allowing me to come up with some strategies for them through activity analysis and standardised cognition assessment (MOCA) to highlight problem areas within their cognition and memory. Visual memory aids will then be put into place where necessary. I'm really excited about this and it's is great to be able to use my skills in OT intervention and feel like i'm progressing by doing something more independently. The aim is by the end of the placement for me to go out with support from one of the occupational therapy assistants and run an assessment on my own with this patient which would be a great opportunity!

I have been busy creating some basic visual structure examples relating to the patents specific needs.

I am hoping to utilise all of the resources and experiences possible to gain lots of experience from this placement. I am working hard with my educator through supervision highlighting how I can reach my learning outcomes for the level of this placement. I am hoping to go on some visits with the physio's during this week and pick their brains about anatomy! (excuse the pun).

My ID badge
(Excuse the awful photo)

Ive not only had to get used to a whole new placement, new people, and new places. Ive also been getting used to living in student halls! I am staying in Preston in short term student accommodation whilst here as It was too far to commute from home. Everything is new! The commute to placement from Preston is difficult to get used to as well. I cannot go out anywhere without my sat nav at the moment! I am glad to have my friend staying with me in the same flat who is on placement here too. It's always good to have someone here for some support! As results day is looming in the back of our minds and getting closer...

I'll leave you with a picture from my very cold student halls room... Notice Bertie the skeleton came along with me too!

My little desk area in my student halls room!

I will post more throughout my placement about my progress and experiences! Thanks for reading :)