Heart to Lungs

As blood moves from the heart to the lungs in order to retrieve the oxygen needed to sustain us, gaining knowledge is a foundational piece of advanced expertise. This goal focuses on the development and streamlining of education regarding therapy provisions provided to patients on an advanced cardiac surgical unit. Artifact I provides evidence of knowledge building in support of an interdisciplinary approach to patient care. In presenting to the surgical team and developing useful tools to support communication and care across the board I was able to build a foundation of knowledge regarding the value of skilled occupational therapy within this population. By attending and participating in daily multidisciplinary rounds I have been able to build my own knowledge of the different lens used in treating the patients, as well as build the presence of rehab and provide education on the value provided by the team.

Goal Reflection

In the beginning of this journey to build an occupational therapy presence in the cardiac ICU, I felt as though I was leading the charge, and promoting rehab to those who didn't understand it. It took me a long time and multiple meetings to realize that while I may have been educating other's on the role of occupational therapy in the advanced cardiac surgical unit, or even on what occupational therapy is, I was really learning more about what all of the other members of the interdisciplinary team do with this patient population, and what their role on the team is. I had become so tunneled in my vision of building the occupational therapy profession and the value of rehab, that I was missing the bigger opportunity for myself. Being able to understand the role of others helps to identify where I fit on the team, and how my position really does bring value to patient care. Taking it back to the circulation of blood through the heart and to the lungs to gather oxygen, there is no piece that works alone. Each part of the anatomy has a function, and a vital role to play. The entire process doesn't work without each piece.

Looking at the entire interdisciplinary team, sitting down and presenting my ideas and having a dialogue about what my role is did so much more than build the role of rehab and of occupational therapy, it built the role I have within the team. It isn't about what I can do for the patient, and the value I bring to the equation. Yes, those things are important but those things mean nothing if I am not making the same effort to understand and value the role of every other member of the team. This entire process of building my knowledge, putting it into a concise presentation for other's to learn from, and building that relationships among the team has provided me with a much more open understanding of the interdisciplinary team and the valuable role each member plays. Critical care doctors and nurse practitioners, bedside nurses, ECMO specialists, respiratory therapists, cardiothoracic surgeons, all of the rehab professionals, case management, pharmacy, nutrition, nurse managers, all of these members of the team have a vital role that should be understood and valued by every other member of the team. This is a critical viewpoint that I feel I was missing before this experience, and knowing the value of each team member has brought a much bigger respect and understanding of the entire critical care process, and has made me a better practitioner.