And as if to add "insult to injury", my clinical director told me that we have a mandatory inservice next week. The topic is orthopedic referrals and OT is to be involved "especially for the UE". :-(
I do NOT focus OT treatment on any body part, so I think my director is not going to be happy when I don't take ortho referrals. Well, at least not to focus my treatment on the UE. Ron ----- Original Message ----- From: [email protected] <[email protected]> Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 To: [email protected] <[email protected]> Subj: [OTlist] How NOT to be an OT vcn> Wow...as a graduate student in the OT profession I find myself vcn> appauled at the below comments. Too many times we are not vcn> identifying with the patient on their needs, this is found through vcn> an easy interview or needs assessment. I have recently done a vcn> project with the ALC here in stillwater, and the site is planning vcn> on implementing the program based on our practice of addressing the vcn> needs of the site, the needs of the community as well as the needs vcn> and desires of the students. I do not want to graduate with this vcn> degree with an image such as the one below. and i will fight to vcn> change that. I am fortunate to have worked and study under some vcn> wonderful OT's! Lets hope that the therapists talked about below vcn> realize their failures and make the necessary changes to embrace vcn> what OT is really for and how it is incredibly beneficial to the vcn> patient. sincerely, sarah croft vcn> ----- Original Message ----- vcn> From: "Ron Carson" <[email protected]> vcn> To: [email protected] vcn> Sent: Thursday, March 19, 2009 7:04:48 AM GMT -06:00 US/Canada Central vcn> Subject: [OTlist] How NOT to be an OT vcn> For our new members, let me explain that I like highlighting the vcn> "stupid" OT experiences that I run across. What follows are two such vcn> examples: vcn> 1. Patient comes home from rehab after a fall with resultant hip vcn> pinning. I asked him about what OT did for him in rehab. He comments vcn> that they had him working on his arms and doing things like pegs, vcn> sander, and shoulder arc, etc. Now, here's the catch, the patient can vcn> NOT dress his affected LE and is too scared to take a shower. Now, I'm vcn> not saying that his OT's didn't address these issues but the impression vcn> the patient walked away with are the "stupid" toys that many OT's play vcn> with. I ask, did these OT's do BEST practice? Did they provide SKILLED, vcn> medically necessary therapy services? Did they address the patient's vcn> most important goals? vcn> 2. Another patient, just out of rehab. 90 years old, previously living vcn> alone and now temporarily living with her son. During my home health vcn> eval, I explained to the patient/son that as an OT, I am there to teach vcn> the patient how to be safe and independent in their home. I went on to vcn> explain that this may include everything from car transfer to cooking vcn> and that what I do is based on the needs/desires of the patient. The vcn> son, who was very nice, immediately said, "Mom can do those things like vcn> folding clothes". Now, I never mentioned folding clothes but I do know vcn> that MANY rehab OT's do have patients standing at a table folding vcn> clothes. Did this man get the impression that OT is about teaching vcn> people to "fold clothes"? If so, what a SAD statement about our vcn> profession. vcn> Thanks, vcn> Ron -- Options? www.otnow.com/mailman/options/otlist_otnow.com Archive? www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]
