Assignment 10: Internship Update

• How has your perception of the internship/organization changed since you started the internship?
• What is surprising you about this internship?

Choose one of the following two questions to respond to:

• What have you learned from the routine or boring parts of the internship?
• In what ways do you feel like you can improve your performance?

Since I have begun my internship at Essential Therapy Clinic, I have learned a lot about physical, speech, and occupational therapies. Many of the sessions I have observed have taught me to have a new respect for the therapists in the clinic. I observed the therapists having an extreme level of respect and patience with the kids and proving consistently positive feedback as they worked to achieve their goals. I now see the extreme importance placed in these character traits and strive to exemplify them each day.

In the past two months I have been surprised at how many different strategies the therapists utilize to achieve their goals in each session. For example, the games played in each session appear as just games to most people, but a simple game of Connect 4 can be used to teach fine motor skills, interpersonal skills, and stability if it is played in a high kneeling position. The diversity of skills applied to a single activity has been encouraging me to be more creative and this will benefit me in the future.

In the future I will make an effort to ask more questions and be more interactive with my mentors. I often struggle finding the appropriate balance of engagement and not interrupting the ongoing sessions. I hope that by concentrating my efforts in this area I will see measurable growth in myself. I also hope to increase the amount of knowledge I possess about occupational therapy treatments. While I have this opportunity, I plan to take full advantage of it and learn as much as I can.