shoot: the next leg of the journey

28 may 2006

and so the shuttler had successfully completed six weeks of internship at the paediatric setting. so much for all that waiting for the end of the internship to come by. when it really ended, the shuttler found herself missing the place for everything ranging from weird working colleagues, the restless kids, the kids that left an impression, the foodcourt, and her clinical educators. even the long bus journey home.

the shuttler managed to get a decent, or would she even dare to say, a good grade for her internship. she's extremely glad that her efforts to keep an open mind, and to do what she needed to do despite her lack of interest and skills in the particular field, paid off nicely. it hadn't been the easiest task around, but the shuttler managed to pull it off, and in the process, pulling the wool over everyone's eyes making them think that she had enjoyed the setting very much. well, the shuttler had enjoyed the working relationships forged there with the other occupational therapists, but she remains defensive about working with paediatrics.

in the process of the internship, the shuttler may just have realized her area of interest to further develop her skills in. and no, sad to say, it's not in the field of paediatrics. she thinks that orthopaedics may just be her thing, and with much encouragement from her clinical educator, the shuttler may consider developing in the field of orthopaedics.

it's an exciting discovery as the shuttler officially embarks on her third year of studies tomorrow. and looking back at the past two years of professional education, the shuttler is glad to say that with each internship, she is even more certain that she has found her calling in the occupational therapy profession.

with absolutely no regrets.

shoot: uncertainty

14 apr 2006

it didn't seem that long ago that the shuttler had been lamenting about working in a paediatric setting, but before she knows it, she's all but four days away from completing the first internship as a third year occupational therapy student. the past five weeks had been an extremely hectic and draining period, but the shuttler is glad to say that she has learnt a fair lot from her clinical educator.

the shuttler sees each internship period as a self-discovery journey, besides the steep learning curve she encounters at each settting. thrown into an environment which is way beyond her usual comfort zones, the shuttler had a very challenging time trying to adapt and learn at the same time. kids, as she always say, are way beyond her.

but thankfully, the shuttler had a clinical educator who was willing to teach, explain and demostrate things to her, giving the shuttler some room for adaptation and learning. she was also tolerant of the mistakes the shuttler made in the course of therapy implementation, always urging the shuttler to learn from mistakes. an encouraging clinical educator does make a world of a difference, and the shuttler is extremely thankful that she has met yet another inspiring therapist in the course of her internships.

the shuttler doesn't really know if she's suitable for the field of paediatrics yet. deep down in her heart, she does not think so. she simply hopes that her clinical performance this time round is decent and presentable.

she shall know by the end of this week.

and to all the other occupational therapy students on their last week of internship, do hang in there!