Chicago, Illinois, United States
Doctor of Occupational Therapy in Chicago, Illinois.
In my 14-week doctoral capstone experience at Chicago Public Schools, I focused on program evaluation and implementation of functional skill interventions for adolescents and young adults to promote independence in academics, social participation, and self-care skills. I created and modified functional skill kits to be implemented with students of various ability levels that are suited to their needs and interests in life skills. These skills include folding laundry, being independent with a morning/night routine, safety awareness, sorting and organizing documents, and more. Alongside this experience, I conducted a research study focused on gaining perspective on client-centered and occupation-based practices with adolescents with disabilities across practice settings.
In this Level IIB fieldwork experience, I completed 12 weeks of supervised fieldwork on the spinal cord innovation floor of an inpatient rehabilitation center. In this role, I gained hands-on experience and entry-level competence in creating creative client-centered and occupation-based interventions for patients with a spinal cord injury or illness impacting the spinal cord. I carried a caseload of 4-5 patients whom I worked with for at least 1 hour per day. I demonstrated competence with planning and leading interventions, participating in interprofessional conferences regarding patient progress, leading family education sessions with various family dynamics to promote carryover of strategies upon discharge, and completing thorough documentation regarding activities and their connection to the patient's goals.
In this Level IIA fieldwork experience, I completed 12 weeks of supervised fieldwork in an acute care setting. I gained hands-on experience and entry-level competence in initiating various assessments, coordinating discharge planning, collaborating with a team of OTs, PTs, SLPs, RNs, MDs, and PAs for patient care, and completing documentation for a caseload of 8-9 patients. I participated in a journal club meeting and led a discussion regarding hospital-acquired delirium in patients in acute care and recommendations to promote client-centered care with individuals experiencing altered mental status in this setting.
In this Level IB fieldwork experience, I completed two weeks of supervised fieldwork in an outpatient pediatric setting. I gained hands-on experience with pediatric interventions for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), cerebral palsy (CP), and various developmental and intellectual disabilities. I was familiarized with interventions focused on alleviating behaviors, integrating sensory elements to multiple environments to promote regulation in children, and using visual resources to structure sessions and routines.