Student Reflections on Fieldwork, continued from Page 7
What was your favorite client experience? I have so many
favorites! One of the many was a photography group I did
with a few clients. It was a beautiful spring day and the trees
were all blooming, so we went outside and the clients picked
what they wanted to take pictures of. I used a bluetooth switch
with the Ipad so that the clients could take the pictures. Of
course, we ended up taking some great selfies as well! I really
enjoyed getting to know my clients and assisting them in
participating in meaningful, fun activities.
What models or theories of practice did you utilize during
this rotation? I utilized the Model of Human Occupation to
better understand my clients and their needs. By considering
each client’s volition, habituation, performance capacity, and
environment I was able to think critically about how these
factors were interacting to impact their occupations and how
I could best support them.
What qualities are important for students interested in
this setting? It’s important to be flexible and creative. You
have to be okay with meeting someone where they are that
day and adjusting your plan accordingly. You have to enjoy
being creative and adapting or modifying equipment or
activities since the clients are so diverse.
How did this FW setting prepare you for future practice?
I had a lot of practice with adapting activities to allow my
clients to participate and engage. Being able to think about
downgrades or upgrades to facilitate participation has helped
me immensely in my current practice. My time at Marklund
also helped me improve my observation skills which have
helped me conduct my evaluations.
What did you learn about yourself? I learned that it’s
important to be patient with yourself as a student and approach
each day as a new opportunity to learn. I also learned I really
liked working with a team of professionals (OT, PT, SLP, case
management, nursing) and learning from different disciplines,
which is why I really like working in the schools.
Where are you working now as an OT? I’m working now
as a school-based occupational therapist at North Suburban
Special Education District. I love being able to work with
students in their natural setting to help them participate
fully in their student role. I also work at Horsefeathers
Therapeutic Riding where I utilize hippotherapy, in which
equine movement is a treatment tool/strategy in my plan of
care with clients.
What is your dream OT job? I actually have my dream OT
job working with horses and my clients at Horsefeathers! In
the future, I’d love to work with a primary care team to help
clients optimize their health and wellness.
May 2018 OT Photography Group
(Faces obscured for privacy)
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