Wow....it stuck :)

There is only a year left of classes for OT school. As exciting as that may seem it is nerve racking to know that in a year and a half I will be treating actual people when right now I feel incompetent. Today I started  my adult FW1(means I just observe and no touch...unless assisted) at UT Southwestern outpatient. I walked in nervous and anxious that I would be ignorant about treatment and after 3.45 hours I left feeling secure in my knowledge. It was great to see what we were lectured on in class actually be in play in a real life setting. For instance we made static (no moving) wrist splints in class last Friday and today I watched a therapist make two. We also talked about the psychosocial aspects of therapy and I was able to notice and observe these attributes in patients. It is encouraging to hear from therapists that they did not know much until getting hands on in the clinic. Today I feel much more confident about my skills and perceptions about occupational therapy. It is great to have a job where you can help so many people and never stop learning.

I also learned that I am not fond of burn patients...which is a major area of the clinic. We will see how my tolerance towards burns goes. (I just do not like causing someone pain.)