Hi, I'm Lauryn and I'm growing my confidence!My responsibilities are already starting to grow as I become more acquainted with this setting and this facility in particular. Yesterday, my fieldwork educator let me participate in the evaluations and treatments of her clients. Of course I am nowhere near as skilled as she, so I fumbled around quite a bit, incidentally making me stumble around a little more because I was nervous to mess up.
Now when I say "mess up," I mean drastically create a problem for my fieldwork educator. For her, that may be something as simple as I forgot to take the gait belt off the client after the therapy session and we have to turn around to retrieve it. But for me, that is putting my mentor into an inconvenient situation, which distresses me because I want this teaching experience to be effortless for her. Fortunately, I think my fieldwork educator was aware of my nervousness and brushed it aside without a second glance because today she let me run at least three therapy sessions on my own! Yes, you heard that right: THREE. The sad part is that I didn't realize that she was letting me work with them on my own until I was halfway through my first client's treatment... *palms face* Once I made the connection, I had to quell my excitement. It's exciting for several reasons: a) I know my "stuff" and so she trusts me to work with her clients; b) since she has faith in me, I should also have faith in myself; and c) I was doing myofascial release, trigger point massage therapy, splinting, and Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation (PNF) of the upper extremities! My professional confidence is progressively developing, but I am so grateful that I can already see the scope of my classroom knowledge in the application of my fieldwork. It was at this moment that I was so glad I had learned something while in school because I could now apply it to real-life situations! Continuing with this, I want to brag about The University of Tennessee Health Science Center's Master of Occupational Therapy program. It has been one of the most challenging programs I have ever been a part of, but the hard work is paying off. I am so grateful for all of the wisdom, energy, and knowledge that my professors have provided to me. I hope I can represent the program well along this journey. They have done me a tremendous favor and I only wish to repay it! Until next time! -Lauryn E. Hill, MOTS
1 Comment
Stephanie Lancaster
7/14/2017 01:24:31 pm
Good for you, Lauryn! It sounds like your OT identity is shaping up exactly like it's supposed to, and I am so excited for you!!
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AuthorI am an occupational therapy student at The University of Tennessee Health Science Center in Memphis, TN. The purpose of this blog is to demonstrate competence in my graduate-level program through journal reflections pertaining to one of the four main competency areas. Through practice, I hope to become consistent at journaling so that I can help my future clients to the best of my professional ability. Archives
August 2017
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