PROGRESS REPORT #1
This week signifies the beginning of a new journey for me. The first week of my Therapeutic Recreation internship! The mix of nerves and excitement makes my stomach turn but all of the jitters instaneously disappeared as I was greeted by the familiar faces of my supervisors. They welcomed me with open arms and were very warm about sharing the facility ins and outs with me. I was introduced to all staff as well as my fellow Recreation Therapy Department staff. They’ve been great in showing me, teaching me, giving advice as well as giving me opportunities to jump in. This is especially because this week was all about getting comfortable with the layout, policies, and the residents of the building. I am grateful for all their help!
ORIENTATION:
The introduction of my internship was a lot of orientation business. This may have been a little boring and repetitive but I understand the importance of knowing the policies and where things are. Making the tour is crucial to helping me be more independent when looking for something or carrying out a task in the future. However, I couldn’t wait to finish the orientation business so that I could dive right into the event programming. My responsibility was to sit in on programs and get a feel for how they were led. Everyday each one of the Recreation Therapy Assistants facilitates exercise. I learned quickly that everyone has a different style and way of facilitating. Some of the assistants count, some chat, some recite the daily schedule of events, some make small talk and some were silent, some laughter, some questioning. Either way, exercise is a familiar way to start the day and many residents attend regularly! It didn’t take but a couple days to learn the names and faces. However, I made sure to start recognizing common behaviors. Common behaviors could help me learn how some residents like to do things. Some resident’s are particular with the way things are run and some are very easy going. Therefore, I took mental notes so I could learn different resident limitations and strengths. This will help me so that I can recognize changes that may occur in the future. After a couple days of watching exercise I was already brainstorming of ways that I could adapt and improve the exercise program. In weeks to come, I will have a regular spot in leading exercise.
MOTIVATION
In between programs, my supervisor encourages me to do one-on-one visits. I visited with a few residents and got to learn their names and background. They opened up and shared with me personal stories about their children and family. They seemed grateful of my willing ear to listen. Ever since I put in the ten minutes of effort to get to know them, they recognize me and seem to respond to me in the hallways or when I ask about their interest in the event programming for the week. This is pure motivation for me to do more one-on-one visits.
PERSONAL INSIGHTS
The first weeks FLEW BY! I expected the initial transition to be more difficult than it has been! I had a permanent smile on my face as I walked the halls. I was constantly introducing myself because I am anxious to meet and know everyone! From my experience these first weeks, I’ve found it fairly easy to put myself out there and introduce myself as the new girl. I usually did this, when transporting residents back to their rooms or when I was exploring. Personally, I found it rewarding because most people positively received my presence and welcomed me to Hillview. This makes me feel so good about where am at in my life and that I can make this experience into something special. I can’t wait to find out what the rest of the semester has in store for me!
