Job Shadow Reflection

Brittney Monson

I had the opportunity to job shadow at two different places and with two Occupational Therapists. The first location I visited was called Avalon West Health and Rehabilitation. I got to shadow Nyalls. The second facility I went to was Copper Ridge Health Care. I shadowed their Director of Rehab, Steve Newton (OTR/L, MBA). For my JATC class we were required to set up two job shadows that were each three hours long. We did not have a list to choose from, we had to conduct research to see which facility would not only match our interests, but a place that would actually let us job shadow. I was on the phone over an hour calling every medical facility that could possibly have an Occupational Therapist. It was interesting because many places did not even know what an OT was. When I went to Avalon West Health and Rehabilitation I was very nervous. When I entered the building I was shown to the gym where the OT would be located in. He was surprised to see me, and it was really awkward at first. We went to the first patient’s room. I stood and watched Nyalls as he helped the first patient. He focused on helping create movements that would result in muscle memory for his patient while she was working on transferring from her bed to her wheelchair, by herself. Nyalls also made sure that she knew how to get around her room because her stay was going to (Because of the HIPPA laws, he was not legally allowed to tell me why she was in rehabilitation). The other client I got to see Nyalls work with, also focused on transferring independently. While the first client was silent and patient, the second was

quite rambunctious and said what she thought quite bluntly. It was interesting to see the different types of people that a medical professional gets to work with, and how they interact with them. The overall experience at Avalon West was underwhelming. I felt anxious in the unkempt small rooms, and the staff could have been a little more friendly with me. About a month later I went to Copper Ridge Healthcare. I was still very nervous going into this part of my job shadow because my first experience could have been a lot better. However, I immediately felt welcomed by their very friendly staff- a much different experience from Avalon West- I was shown to their gym and had the opportunity to not only meet one, but two OT’s. I had a little chat with Matt (the OT I did not shadow). He told me that this became his career a lot later in life than most people, and that it is a very physically demanding job. Then I met with Steve and we headed over to the first client. She had had a stroke, and needed help with her motor and perceptual skills. Steve warned me that she might lash out because she had lost the ability to communicate. We were not in the room very long before she lashed out, and we left her after she was mildly pacified. The second patient we helped was male, and he had also had a stroke. Steve mainly worked on the strength and range of motion on the male’s right arm. After the client left Steve told me that since he had had his stroke such a long time ago, he would not be likely to regain much motion back. I really enjoyed my time at this location, and felt like I learned a lot and saw what I could potentially be doing in the future.

I learned many things from these job shadowing experiences. I learned that I would prefer to do a job in the medical field that involved more things like syringes, blood pressure cuffs, and pulse oximeters. I did enjoy myself, but figured out that I would prefer to work in a setting other than the geriatrics one. I am overall really grateful for the experiences that I had, and that it helped me decide that another career would be better suited for me.