What The Function

We have arrived (almost, I see one kid on Fridays) at the end of week six. I think I can compare the first six weeks of a level 2 fieldwork to one of those tough mudder races. It was not pretty, but I made it. The new has worn off, and the responsibility, stress, and learning has kicked in. Being in pediatrics for this rotation is kind of it's own circus - many of my friends working with adults in various settings are reporting that things are 'clicking' for them - they remember learning certain protocols, theories, or treatment ideas, and they're finally seeing them in action. Pediatrics is a lot different - theories still apply, treatment ideas and protocols still apply, but sometimes the exact same diagnoses shows up in two kids in polar opposite ways. Even the opposite is true - sometimes two very different diagnoses can show up in kids and look the same. One of the trickiest parts of my fieldwork so far has just been the kids. Most of the time, adults understand ...

Holy moly, we are THREE WEEKS into fieldwork. Sometimes, when I get overwhelmed, I think about the last few weeks and everything that I have learned - both OT related and not OT related. Coming from the suburbs of Kansas means that I had a LOT of adjusting to do to live in the New Orleans area. Let's start with school related things. 1. I'M ACTUALLY DOING IT.  I currently am responsible for 20 kids, I get six (ish) each week. The clinic is pretty low right now, so starting next week, I have all the kids. So far, I have adjusted pretty well to this clinic. Things are more familiar to me now. I know almost all the kids, I know when some of them come in, I know a lot of their parents names. I know how long a certain child needs to swing before he is ready to work hard in therapy, I know which kids need to be negotiated with one minute of free time at the end of the session to work really hard now. I know which kids are only motivated to do my obstacle course if it involves di...