I cannot believe that it is over.
The last nine weeks have flown by. Part of me feels like I just got here and another part feels like its been more than two months. I remember my first day and week and being so nervous, and it is amazing how much more comfortable I feel. Leaving here is really the beginning of all the ends. Soon school will be over, and then we will graduate and so on. I have honestly been a little emotional this week. I am so thankful for this opportunity and I feel so lucky to have worked with four amazing therapists. Everyone was so kind and welcoming and I could not have asked for a better internship experience. The tools I have developed and the skills I have learned will stay with me for the rest of my life. It feels weird that I'm writing my last blog post and that I will not be back at the ICCD next week. Well over and out! hopefully I will see all my readers at my presentation.
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I can't believe the internship is almost over. Over break my supervisor emailed me and said everyone loved the book I had made and asked if I could make another. I really want to spend my last week with the kids so I got to work. I printed hundreds of pages and hole punched so much. I finished the second book and printed out the extra pages. Now I just have to hole punch them and put them in. The last thing on my to do list is write my thank yous! See you all next week for my last posts ever!
Wednesdays and Thursdays are my favorite day. On these days the OTs I work with did a great job of establishing from day one what kids I would observe. That has helped make my schedule a little more stable. On Mondays and Tuesdays for no particular reason, it has been harder to establish a steady schedule. This is probably my fault because I have a hard time just approaching people and starting a conversation, even if it's work related. I am working on it, and on Monday and Tuesday this week I found the OTs I work with and just asked when I could observe, rather than sit around in my office.
Other than that I printed out the last of my book on Tuesday. That means next I have to put everything in binder sheets and put it in the binder. If it's too thing then i guess I'll keep looking for worksheets on different websites. Something I've been thinking a lot about recently is how citizens access services and health care. On Wednesdays the OT I work with sees a young boy. This boy doesn't need OT for his motor function or learning disability, but rather he needs it for self regulation. He is constantly moving and his emotions swap between silly and frustrated to out of control and he never seems to be calm.
A huge part of OT is self regulation and learning how to make your mind and body feel calm. It's what they call the green zone. As you read this you are probably in the green zone- you're happy because you are in control of your mind and body and you are calm. In OT it seems self regulation falls second to other skills, but I think it's just as important. Every time I see this boy he is really wild. He likes to run around and "hulk smash" people and at the table he gets frustrated and throws his chair down. But his insured sessions have been running out, and although they applied for more, because he doesn't "need" OT he probably won't get anymore sessions. It wont be the end of the world, He will grow up. But I have a feeling he will spend a lot of time having to deal with a lot of self regulation problems. It just makes me think about how hard services are to access to so many americans. We need to reform the system so people can access what they need so every person can be their best selves. On Monday I decided that I was going to fix the printer. So I called the tech support for the company and was informed that he would not be able to help me and I had to call the local branch.
So I gave them a call and the guy answered and said he would call me back soon. I'd lost hope that he would call because it had been so long, so I accepted defeat and went on with my day. But at 4:30 my phone rang! Turns out the problem wasn't with the printer, but with my computer. Most computers actually. As always it was because my computer is an apple product. Apple products are painfully difficult to use with non-apple appliances. The problem was that my computer did not have the software to be able to connect to the printer. All I had to do was download the software he sent me and install the version for my computer. Then I just had manually re-add the printer! I shared these instructions with the other woman in the office who was also having troubles. Turns out most people in the office couldn't print! She shared the instructions with the whole office and told everyone that I had figured it out! On Tuesday I came in and I got so many thank you's and comments of appreciation. I felt so proud of myself and I was so happy I had helped so many people with this small yet large thing. Other than that the week has been great! I feel so much more comfortable at the office and since the printer people have been so open to ask me for help of to do things. Which I really enjoy, even though busy work isn't fun for some it is just what interns want and love! I am so excited for the next few weeks! I am a little late to the personal blog game, but better late than never.
Four weeks in, and I am just beginning to feel settled in. People recognize me, and feel comfortable asking me favors. This week I finished making two laminated copies of handwriting without tears, and everyone has thanked me for it. It feels wonderful to have done something small but useful! One of the OT's even sent out an email to the whole office to publicly thank me! I think I've felt very intimidated and useless and I'm starting to feel a little more important. The OT's I work with have begun to trust me more too i think. The down side of this week was technology. Normally I am very good with technology and I fix glitches quite easily. But printers have never been my friend. They lead my on and work for a few days, and then they drop me! Nothing prints! On Monday I spent close to three hours trying to fix the printer, and I am sad to report it is still not working. This printer is not a small house printer, it is a large and intricate printer. IT REQUIRES A PASSWORD TO CHANGE THE SETTINGS. I do not know the password. No one does. If it's not fixed on Monday I will defiantly call the manufacturer! All in all, I am looking forward to the coming weeks and seeing how my role develops! |
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