Hi I was really glad to read your email. You are right there are a lot of Dor's that really force productivity on therapist. But we have to remember that at the end of the day it is our clinical judgement to do what is appropriate or not. Productivity should be considered but shouldn't be the only consideration. We have be able to judge wether its appropriate to do group or concurrent treatments with certain patients or not. Most of the Dor's that I work with know that I work this way so they never give me a case load that is more than what is necessary. Thank you.
Jerome On Aug 17, 2007, at 9:55 AM, [EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote: hi, i am a new OT and spent the summer working in a snf. i loved the patients and the staff i worked with were all caring and creative. While I agree that OT is not just upper extremity work I think it's a shame to spend so much time defending or trying to make people understand a philosophy and take that time and put it toward real issues. I always tried to make treatment sessions relevant, and what is important to one patient isn't to another. for example, I would gladly spend time problem solving with a patient on being independent in don/doff shoes and socks if that was important but some people say right now that isn't a priority to me or someone will help me with that when I'm home. but I'd really like to be able to make a cup of tea. all right then, we'll focus on that. OT involves dynamic interaction with the environment, which includes UE and LE. a patient said, well someone will give me a shower, and my sister will cook for me, so I said, well are you going to sit up in bed and get out of the bed. she laughed, but I explained that OT would help her learn and practice these skills so she'd feel comfortable doing these things at home. all this said, I see staff burn out when meeting minutes just keep piling on and on - 600 minutes in a day - 120% productivity - !! - meet that and more is added - working with 4 patients in one session, not in a group session. caseloads are switched to meet more minutes so that it doesn't matter what relationship you've developed over the course of a few weeks, you may come in one day and find that patient off your caseload now. staff and patient morale suffer. the mindset of the dor is getting the money - this makes for terrible OT. I joinged this list hoping to learn from experienced therapists and hear about a wide range of experiences and opportunities. Linda ************************************** Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL at http://discover.aol.com/memed/aolcom30tour -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] ************************************************************************************** Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. www.otdegree.com/otn ************************************************************************************** -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected] ************************************************************************************** Enroll in Boston University's post-professional Master of Science for OTs Online. Gain the skills and credentials to propel your career. www.otdegree.com/otn **************************************************************************************
