My internship project went very well I think. The planning process went really smooth and everything worked out in the end. One thing that I would have changed would be to make it something I was continuously doing and not just something to keep up with. My favorite part out of all of it was the pride in peoples faces when they get the certificate and bag because they feel so accomplished.
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Something I would pass on to future interns is to choose something you really enjoy and know what you're getting into because you don't want to spend a month in misery. It is so much better to be at an internship you genuinely have interest in or you wont really have the full experience.
I am still interested in UCSD because of the medical school that they have. My mindset and future goals have changed a little and I am not quite sure where I want my career to go. I know that I want to continue with something in the medical field but I am stuck between a therapist for adolescent eating disorders or a neonatal surgeon .
Everyone around me is so kind and have so much patience with every patient that comes into the rehabilitation center. Whether they are very difficult and refuse any type of treatment or they want to do everything they can to be discharged. I have gained so much more respect for physical therapists because they are so walked on and always end up rooting for the patient to stay and get the necessary care. Taking on this internship has definitely changed my career mindset and really made me consider something in the therapy side.
I plan on giving a memorized speech along with a tour around my internship because I do not have access to a room to present my slideshow in. I have asked a lot of questions to my mentors throughout my internship about the company itself, the care given & how they treat certain patients as well as the need for certain exercises so I feel pretty prepared for any questions. While I was working at my internship, I have gained a new appreciation for physical therapists. They have to deal with a lot of mean people and they still have the dedication to be nice and continue trying to work with the patients. I wish I had more time at my internship because I am having such a good time and learning so much about anatomy and what bones need to be working very well for you to completely function. I feel like I have made a meaningful contribution to my workplace because they are always needing an extra hand, whether its with pushing a wheelchair behind someone or filing a paper I am always doing something that they need done. I helped to clean the equipment, went along on speech evaluations to help lightly translate, filed doctor orders, did a few simple exercises, pushed wheelchairs behind patients as they practiced walking.
I have learned a lot about the importance of communication at my internship. If there isn't communication it can mess up the care system and a patient can be falsely discharged. Once a week we have a care meeting where we discuss the patients treatment and progress in order to figure out what further treatment the patient needs, if any. I believe that communication is key in any work environment because if you aren't communicating you aren't fully sure of what your coworkers are doing and that can lead to many problems and misunderstandings.
My project was to create discharge bags and create a template for a certificate of completion to give patients when they have finished rehab and are to be sent home. The bags come with a pill box, a yelp card as well as the certificate. First I helped the rehab team to brainstorm ideas of what to put in the bags as a discharge gift. We had to choose something that was affordable but also useful to every patient. Since so many of our patients are elderly and take medicines daily, we went with a pill box. We included the yelp card because they can be printed for a low cost and to help the therapy at South Bay get honest reviews, this helps the therapists improve on their program with the warm and cool feedback. The certificates are to emphasize the progress our patient has made and it captures the spirit of the rehabilitation program. All of the therapists have such big heart and are so willing to help even the most difficult patient without losing their temper. They are constantly motivating and pushing patients to do their very best to reassure the patient can be safe at home. Finding a template for the certificates was kind of difficult because they wouldn't print right or they were already stamped with another company's logo. I feel that in the end of all of this, I will have a real sense of pride and accomplishment seeing a patient receive the bag and know that at one point, they had no hope of walking again, and that day, they are safely walking away.
I like my internship very much. I feel like I am doing something that is worth my time and I cant wait to get up and go every morning. My internship makes me feel like I am doing something that benefits my community and I am learning things that I am actually interested in. Working at South Bay Post Acute Care has given me a new perspective on my future career and did exactly what I expected by giving me a new perspective on the medical field in a position I never saw myself being.
At my internship, I watch a lot of people just accept how they are living and give up on trying for rehab. Its really sad to watch especially when you know how much it can benefit them in the long run. I think that this is something I will bring with me to school because I tend to give up and lose hope pretty easy, but thinking of a long term goal might help me improve academically.
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