Acute Care - OT Student
Sarah Williams - Occupational Therapy Student
University of Indianapolis, Indianapolis, Indiana
(9/23/05) My first Level II fieldwork experience has truly been well-rounded. I am in a hospital setting that includes acute care, rehabilitation, outpatient services, home health, and a psych unit.
My current rotation includes two days of acute care, where I have seen various diagnoses including degenerative joint disease of the hips and knees, CVAs, Alzheimer's disease, COPD, and motor vehicle accidents. The other three days I spend in outpatient rehab, where I split my time between patients who have neurological impairments and patients who have hand impairments. In this setting I have been able to gain a wealth of knowledge from the therapists around me and through my own learning processes.
The facility is one of the few places in town that accepts Medicare as a form of payment; therefore a lot of the patients that I see are older adults. I find it very rewarding to work with this population as there are always secondary conditions that affect treatment. It is great way to learn flexibility and to apply techniques learned in the classroom.
I would highly suggest a fieldwork setting that would enable you to develop skills in a variety of areas. I believe that in order to understand an area of practice you must be engrossed in that area. To me, the best way to achieve that is to live it.
