OTA 1280/90 Pediatric/Adolescent Lecture/Lab

Pediatric Telehealth and Onsite Clinic Participation Reflection --------------------------------------------------

Clinic location: 3491 W. Wights Fort Road West Jordan, UT 84088 

Leading clinician: Mary Pugh, COTA/L

Supervising OT: Gabe Byars

I participated in and observed onsite clinic on March 25 and April 15 and the telehealth clinic  on March 28. Unfortunately, I never got to lead an intervention due to several unforeseen circumstances, but I still learned a lot from observing and helping the primaries in my session.  The hands-on experience of treating an actual client gave me an opportunity to see in action what we had learned in class. I was able to better understand certain pediatric disorders after seeing examples in person. Treatment plan gave me the opportunity to think through the needs of the children and to practice clinical reason. In 45 minutes, one really doesn't have time to waste, and I realized that good treatment planning helps me both prepare for possible interpersonal events and to use evidence-based interventions effectively. Additionally, the clinic environment provides the perfect environment for practice with thinking on your feet. Children are especially labile in their interests and motivation, so a good practitioner can think on their feet and direct their attention effectively. I realized that many children often respond well to kind but firm direction, and they really do need boundaries and clear expectations to succeed in therapy and in social relationships. I still need practice with this particular skill, as I often have a hard time balancing firmness and kindness in giving direction.

I also helped a lot during onsite interventions. During the April 15th session, my classmate, Adylee, and I led one activity while the primary, Rachelle, completed the COPM with the client's mother.  This was a really rewarding experience to see how much this particular client had progressed during the semester, and I was happy to help with at least session so that Rachelle could do the evaluation. 

I may not choose to work with children often in my professional life, but many of the skills I learned through these clinics are transferrable to adults. Clinical reasoning, researching and applying evidence-based practice, and utilizing interpersonal reasoning are all invaluable tools in the OT toolbox.

Pediatric Lab Experiences ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------