Professional Skills
You show up on time, you show up prepared, you bring a pen, and come in with the right attitude-ready to learn.
What is punctuality?
You know patient specific precautions, their level of function, prepare equipment, and communicate with patient prior to moving them.
What is a safe transfer?
You have a patient with a wound vac and IV. The IV alarm has been going off and you call the nurse. The nurse hasn't answered the phone yet. The patient states, "Just turn it off, I think it's done." What would you do?
Politely share with patient that you are not trained to handle IV machines and you will have to wait for the nurse to work on that. DO NOT TURN IT OFF!
You are open to change in schedules, able to take on additional duties as assigned (Appropriate to your role), you don't freeze when asked to do something in the moment.
What is flexibility/Adaptability?
You familiarize yourself with how to don/doff orthotics/braces, try it in your free time. You check equipment is functioning correctly prior to using it. You let your CI know prior to the session if you need more practice/training with the device/equipment and practice to ensure correct use.
What is equipment safety/safe use of equipment?
You are treating a patient and have been using a new orthotic device for the past week. They are discharging from your care in few days. What should you do prior to their discharge?
Train the caregiver regarding donning/doffing instructions, wearing schedule, how to check skin and who to contact if needed. (Same goes for tape on skin, modalities, DME equipment)
You accept direction (Including correction) from those who are more knowledgeable or more experienced, and when you attempt the tasks the second time, you seek to do it better, revise the ways you perform it, and demonstrate problem solving in the process.
What is responsiveness to constructive feedback?
You show the patient that you care with your words and with your body language, you don't make faces when encountered with body fluids/wounds, you make eye-contact, you listen to your patients, you make them feel supported.
What is empathy?
You are treating a patient who requires maximum assistance for dressing and they state, "I want to dress myself today." What would you do?
Grade the activity for most success (Posture, AE, written steps), educate patient regarding steps, and give them autonomy over part of the task while helping them to ensure safety and avoid frustration.
You read patient's medical history, precautions, and familiarize yourself with concepts that may be useful for that patient's treatment and ask questions and clarifications from your CI prior to treating the patient.
What is an "Active learner" - A person who is responsible for own learning.
You don't look into patient charts that are not on your caseload. You don't talk about patient's medical information in elevators/hallways/bathrooms. You don't gossip about patient's private information, and you don't post patient related information via personal emails/social media/family.
What is Patient Privacy Act/HIPAA?
You are treating a group of patients in a group session. One of the patient asks you to bring them juice as they skipped their breakfast. What would you do?
Know their precautions: Aspiration precautions, diabetes, heart healthy diet, liquid restrictions (Patients on dialysis). If you don't know, ask the RN/check the chart prior to giving them water/beverages/food.
You do what you say you will do, by the time you said you would do it, to the extent you said you would do it, and to the level of quality you said you would do it and not require reminders to get it done.
What is dependability?
You email your CI prior to: Starting your clinical rotation, running late to work shift, missing work due to being sick, and handoff for patient treatment to other OT/treatment team member.
What is good professional communication?
Your rotation is in a pediatric out-patient clinic. You observe bruising on your 13 year old patient's back. Your patient tells you it's nothing, they just got it from playing with their sibling. Would you do anything further about it?
Carefully observe patient's body language and expressions, not just what they say. Report to your CI, document in your chart and follow-up with the recommended steps. (It may be a bruising from playing or may be a sign of abuse). Do not confront patient or family without discussing with your CI.