some people have no idea what i do... i will try to describe a day in the life of a psych OT:
OT's in mental health do GROUPS! tons and tons of groups. such groups include craft groups, communication, assertiveness training, expressive therapy, self expression, stress management, light exercise, relaxation... and the soon new to be LUNCH GROUP led by yours truly. of course what we do in the groups depend on the individuals that day and their individual needs. groups is very therapeutic as group members can provide ideas, support and friendship. it often makes more of a difference for someone to hear the praise or support from another group member than us, the therapists. although i do see the benefits of group therapy, i think i would prefer one on one, which is just not feasible in an inpatient acute psyche unit. therefore at this point i might venture to suggest that my preferred focus would be rehab. i love getting to know patients/clients and learning about them in the process of treating and facilitating them. i think this would be easier done one on one. however, i do not want to discredit the value and success of groups.
let it be known that eval is treatment and treatment is eval!! haha! as scott would say. but this is true indeed. every group or interaction with a patient is an opportunity to evaluate them and as we are constantly evaluating them we re adjusting treatment to meet their needs. i have learned to complete progress notes after each group. it has been challenging, yet i am getting more comfortable with this process. i have to remember that progress of goals, changes in symptoms and ADL's are most worthy for documentation.
when a patient first enters our unit we are to meet them and evaluate them so that we can learn about their strengths/weaknesses in order to help them to get home. we do this with two functional tasks. one is a random functional task that evaluates the patient's concentration, memory, problem solving, frustration tolerance and organization. the results of the functional task should transfer to all other functional activities of daily life. the other is a standardized test called Allen Cognitive Levels test or ACL. i have yet to administer this eval tool. i think i will begin the challenge this week. standardized tests are especially nice because they provide scores that classifies the individual's function into categories. scores are accompanied with specifics as to the individuals abilities and tells us how capable they will be out in the community and at home. this is mostly used when the individual cannot complete the other functional task or if they cannot read (since the other task involves written directions). often the ACL might be administered near discharge time to help the team in deciding the patient's function upon discharge.
apart from evaluations and groups, we spend a lot of time in meetings. daily rounds fills everyone in on the current status of each patient. team meetings allow for more thorough discussions for each patient. because we OT's work with each patient, we need to attend all 3 team meetings- so can make for a long day.
welllll... if there are any holes- please let me know. that is a typical rendition of the OT in a psyche unit.
let it be known that eval is treatment and treatment is eval!! haha! as scott would say. but this is true indeed. every group or interaction with a patient is an opportunity to evaluate them and as we are constantly evaluating them we re adjusting treatment to meet their needs. i have learned to complete progress notes after each group. it has been challenging, yet i am getting more comfortable with this process. i have to remember that progress of goals, changes in symptoms and ADL's are most worthy for documentation.
when a patient first enters our unit we are to meet them and evaluate them so that we can learn about their strengths/weaknesses in order to help them to get home. we do this with two functional tasks. one is a random functional task that evaluates the patient's concentration, memory, problem solving, frustration tolerance and organization. the results of the functional task should transfer to all other functional activities of daily life. the other is a standardized test called Allen Cognitive Levels test or ACL. i have yet to administer this eval tool. i think i will begin the challenge this week. standardized tests are especially nice because they provide scores that classifies the individual's function into categories. scores are accompanied with specifics as to the individuals abilities and tells us how capable they will be out in the community and at home. this is mostly used when the individual cannot complete the other functional task or if they cannot read (since the other task involves written directions). often the ACL might be administered near discharge time to help the team in deciding the patient's function upon discharge.
apart from evaluations and groups, we spend a lot of time in meetings. daily rounds fills everyone in on the current status of each patient. team meetings allow for more thorough discussions for each patient. because we OT's work with each patient, we need to attend all 3 team meetings- so can make for a long day.
welllll... if there are any holes- please let me know. that is a typical rendition of the OT in a psyche unit.
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