It's finally here! The Creighton OTD class of 2015 is beginning their final rotation. A rotation that at the beginning of the program was an unknown, intimidating four months to think about for me. Each time someone would mention "professional rotation" I would quickly begin feeling anxious, wondering how am I ever going to figure out what to do during that rotation?! I should've known that God would have the perfect plan for me.
Ever since I was a little girl, I always said I wanted to work with kids one way or another. I have continually been drawn to the pediatric population. I worked at day cares in high school and college and was also a nanny during college. So is it surprising that now this four month rotation is revolving around children and exploring occupational therapy's (OT's) scope of practice with pediatrics further? Probably not!
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This self-directed final rotation of our curriculum allows us to formulate our own learning objectives and create activities to complete along the way that will help us accomplish those objectives by the end of our 16 weeks. Within the pediatric population alone, there are many roles an occupational therapists can have. I have specifically chosen to further develop my skills within the NICU. This will take place at The University of Iowa Children's Hospital. UI Children's Hospital has a Level IV 80+ bed NICU. I will be learning to evaluate and treat premature infants, along with educating and supporting their families throughout their stay. An intervention commonly used within the NICU, when appropriate, is infant massage. During these 16 weeks, I plan to obtain my Certified Educator of Infant Massage certificate. As I was formulating my plan for this rotation, I also thought it would be very important to learn more related to after hospitalization and what that continuum of care looks like. I will be spending approximately one day per week at an outpatient clinic to further understand what specific assessments, interventions, and further certifications and training therapists are using in practice. Are there things that inpatient therapists can better prepare parents for prior to discharge that would assist in the transition to home and/or outpatient services? My hope is to gain a better understanding of that continuum of care from inpatient to outpatient in the pediatric population.
OT within the NICU is a specialized area to work in and many people are not aware that therapists can play a vital role on these units with the collaboration of the entire interdisciplinary team. I hope to assist in further advocating for our profession within these units to foster a nurturing environment for these infants to thrive and grow in the NICU and following discharge.
That is a quick breakdown of what this rotation will consist of. I can't wait to see what further opportunities arise and where these next few months take me! Further information and resources to follow!
I am so excited to embark on this journey and share it with you as I further my skills and knowledge in pediatrics prior to graduation! Being able to complete this rotation is such a blessing!