It is a truth universally acknowledged that all good things
must come to an end. This week marked the end of our psychosocial fieldwork
block. The close of third year. Looking back on this block, its clear to see
what a positive, exciting and heart-warming experience it was. From the amazing
venue, and the incredible group of people I had the opportunity to work with,
to the clients who just brightened up our days… the whole experience will be
hard to ever beat. Very rarely do I exit a block wishing that it had never
ended. It’s a great feeling.
Psychosocial block was full of lessons: Lessons I taught to
clients. Lessons clients taught me. Lessons my supervisor taught me. Life
lessons. Marriage lessons. Patience lessons. Kindness lessons. Lots of lessons.
Lesson 1: Find the funny
The Cheshire Cat once said, “we’re all mad here”, and topped
it off with a wide smirk. Right he was! This block taught me that no matter how
sane you try to be, there’s no escaping the insanity of life. Working with high
functioning recovering addicts is an indescribable experience; they make you
laugh, they make you cry, they make you really confused and then they make you
laugh again. Sure, there are serious times and heavy conversations, but there
was always a light at the end of the tunnel. I learnt how to not take myself
too seriously, not be a bore, and work on my repertoire of “knock-knock” jokes
(no, seriously, they come in handy). By adapting
my handling of clients and approach to sessions, I was able to develop a
stronger therapeutic relationship and achieve goals quicker. My clients enjoyed
chatting-they didn’t enjoy lectures. They enjoyed laughing- they didn’t enjoy
crying. By the end of prac, I had taught myself how to redirect conversations so
that they end on a high, how to turn fear into a chuckle and a sigh, and how to
shake off that anxiety and turn it into excitement. I think that this more “laid-back”/”by-the
way” approach worked very well in the context of my prac site. Furthermore, I
became a more relaxed person (which was DESPERATELY needed), and it was so
great to end prac days smiling instead of huffing. So. Find the funny. Laugh at
yourself. Laugh with (not at!) your clients. And laugh at the past. Its way
better than crying.
Lesson 2: Make friends
Sometimes, fledgling OTs are so caught up in the hustle and
bustle of prac life that we forget to be kind and friendly to those around us.
During physical block, nurses were seen as scary and avoided like the plague.
Doctors were hidden from, lest they ask you questions about anatomy that you don’t
know the answer to. Physios were too cheerful and generally made you question
your degree choice, so also avoided. Basically, you were part of an MDT, but as
a student you really don’t feel like you belong there. During this block, I had
a fantastic experience when approaching and working with other staff members at
the facility. Even as a student my opinions were taken on-board, staff members
sought out my advice and I was front and centre in helping to develop plans of
action for treatment. It was incredible. I absolutely hate feeling like I’m in
the way, and (miraculously) during this block that never happened. It could be
that the staff were just doing their jobs, but I’d like to note that they were
all exceptionally nice human beings whose kindness made a tremendous impact on
the way that I experienced this block. So. It helps to be nice to people that you
work with. By reaching out to them, you can be rewarded with a seat at the
table. Play your cards right.
Lesson 3: Listen
Physical block is a block that trains you to take action. Psychosocial
block is a block that trains you to take a step back. Over this period of fieldwork,
I’ve developed that skill that seems to be dying in the 21st century
(and certainly among my generation): LISTENING. It’s a skill that I thought I
had already mastered, I do sit in 6 hour lectures after all. However, psych
block develops a new kind of listening. You listen to what’s said and what’s
not said. I conducted a session where my client had to compose his own rap song
and I played him an Eminem song as a demonstration. He was so excited, and we
rapped along together. Afterwards, he looked perplexed and asked how I had
known what his favourite song was. I replied that he had mentioned it in our
first conversation. I could clearly see after the session how much it meant to
him that I had remembered what he had told me in passing. These scenarios
happened throughout this block. These clients have spent most of their lives
being misunderstood, disregarded and brushed off, so to have someone acknowledge
them and actually listen to them when they spoke, clearly meant a lot. Its not
hard, but for some reason we get so wrapped up in our own agendas that we
forget the basics.
Upon reflecting on my own experiences, and the experiences
of my peers, I thought it would be great to see what lessons others had taken away
from working in this field or the medical field in general. What I found were
these awesome pieces below that made me realize that so many others go through
the exact same learning experiences that we do on all corners of the world:
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/15-learn-working-hospital
If you need a laugh, here’s some life lessons from nurses. My favourite: “’I’ll
ask your nurse.’ Is always the right answer”.
https://www.theodysseyonline.com/lessons-from-my-healthcare-job
Here, a hospital administrator talks about the highs and lows of being in a
hospital environment and what life lessons have stuck with her. She ends off
with: “No matter how small your role, no matter how unimportant you think you
are, you can make the biggest difference in someone's day, whether it be by
putting their mind at ease about something or giving them the time of day to
make a conversation”. Brilliant!
As the sun sets on third year psychosocial block, the
promise of a new adventure awakes. We walk away from this block as more mature
OTs, wiser OTs, kinder OTs, and happier OTs. Success? Oh yes.
References:
Carney, M. (2016). 15 Things You Learn While Working In A
Hospital. Retrieved 11 October 2019, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/15-learn-working-hospital
Carney, M. (2016). 15 Things You Learn While Working In A
Hospital. Retrieved 11 October 2019, from https://www.theodysseyonline.com/15-learn-working-hospital
AOTA. (2017). New Practitioners Get Real About Their First
OT Job [Video File]. Available at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EDNr9xyEyn8
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