I just spoke with several of my former students at an event the other night when they came in to talk about their experiences transitioning from student to practitioner for the beneift of our current students....interestingly, three quarters of them said that they wound up working in areas that they never would have even considered if it hadn't been for their fieldwork experiences. Many got their first job thru connections they made while doing fieldwork. So it is important to maximize the opportunity if you can...(11 years ago when I was a student in an area with lot of OT students, you got what you got and no one even asked if you had any preferences, so consider yorself lucky!)
What has your previous work experience been? Although obviously you haven't worked as an OT yet, if you DO have experience with one population in a setting, ie, maybe you haved worked as a CNA in a nursing home while in school, I would try to see something different on fieldwork...maybe try for a pediatric poulation in the schools or a community setting. You see, even though you haven't practiced OT yet, half of the learning that occurs on fieldwork is discovering what types of environments and clients energize you..hospital settings tend to be fast paced (rehab or psych)..some people thrive in those environments while it stresses other people way too much. Sometimes people who thought they wanted to work with kids discover that they don't like dealing with the families and some of the not so great stuff you see in those situations...so look at the types of people you have worked with already, think about what you saw on yor level I fieldworks, and try to get as much variety as possible to compliment the experience you already have. Another tip I have is to go rural if you can to a setting where the OT's see a variety of people...more bang for your buck in the variety department. In my opinion, this is the time to take a risk...this is most likely the the ONLY opportunity you will get to try your hand in a variety of areas for 6 months without the pressures that employed OT's face. I remember one of my fieldwork educators telling me to enjoy my student status on FW, "because once you are on someones payroll it is an entirely different game " and I thought she was a bit off at the time for making that remark, but she wasn't kidding! Its not that one can't try new things, but the reality of productivity expectations and achieving competency as an OT makes it harder to explore or shift gears. I hope this helps you look at FW from a different perspective...good luck! Terrianne Jones, OTR The College of St. Catherine *********��*********** Unsubscribe? Send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] In the message's *body*, put the following text: unsubscribe OTlist ** List messages are archived at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] *********��***********
