OT Diary English Sample

So this is where I’ll be working in the following year: a rehabilitation clinic far away from the city. Because of its location, there is a big parking lot around it.

Here we are.

It’s an early summer day and the air is getting hot and humid.

Argh, it’s boiling…

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Summertime always reminds me of things that happened in the past.

Why did I choose to study occupational therapy?

Because I wanted to help and be around people.

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I joined many clubs in my freshman and sophomore years of college.

I volunteered to help feed children with cerebral palsy at a foundation for the disabled.

ll! it so we They do

And show those who have been taking antipsychotic drugs and suffering from mental disorders how to do some exercises.

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I also helped engage disabled elderly people at nursing homes in all kinds of activities.

Look, first we fold it...

(Volunteer)

...like this.

We had to adjust the activities for the elders.

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And then I entered this period where there’s not as much fun.

(Human Development)

(Orthopedics)

(Neuroscience)

I had to memorize a whole bunch of me dical ter ms, s y m pto m s, d e v e lo p m e nta l m i le sto n e a n d co u nt le s s collaborative notes*.

Back then, I felt close to the diseases but far away from people. *Dubbed the greatest invention in medical school, collaboratively written notes by students in the same class is a must-read before exams.

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( White Coat Ceremony)

Most medical schools hold a white coat ceremony for third-year students.

This was the first time I wore the white coat in front of people.

I began to feel like I possessed a mighty power to help others.

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Um...hi, I’m the new occupational therapist.

The day finally arrives when I begin working in a medical practice.

I put on my white coat.

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Hey, the exam results are out.

Which school do you go to?

School of Occupational Therapy, X University.

What is that for?

Um...I’m not really sure…

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( Be brave still. ) Medical Record No.:003 Name: Zhang X Ze Diagnosis: complete thoracic spinal cord injury

( The Handsome Zhang Da )

(Complete spinal cord injury after a serious car accident.)

(To train dynamic sitting balance and trunk stability.)

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It’s Zhang Da.

It’s been...five years?

have How

042

?

been you

Zhang Da was a patient of mine in my second year of practice.

He had complete thoracic spinal cord injury*.

Hi.

Zhang was young, only 24. He had a handsome face.

In fact, I was quite nervous when I first met him. I thought he must be very depressed since he was injured at such a young age.

There was a downpour of rain when I went to pick up my then girlfriend…

ythin feel an I can’t nipples.

my g below

He told me everything about his diagnosis and how he got injured the first time we met. Somehow I didn’t know how to react.

*Spinal cord injury may result in different functional deficits depending on the location of damage. Thoracic spinal cord injury affects sensation and movement below the chest.

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For he feels no strength in the lower half of his body, his sitting balance is not very secure. In the beginning, I showed him many exercises to train his sitting stability.

While diligently doing those seemingly easy exercises, Zhang is always covered in sweat.

His wheelchair has a “Mike Wazowski� wrapping.

I did it myself.

He sounds so confident.

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He does really good handicrafts and has even sold ID cases that he made to other therapists.

In my childhood,

when I used to learn many things from TV dramas, ne! ‌ e alo on me em p Leav g ive u Just

I thought

that people in wheelchairs were like this because the spirit of their feet experienced tremendous shock.

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People called them disabled.

And they too believed that they had become useless ever since.

They lived in sorrow for the rest of their lives.

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Hey, are you spacing out?

We were saying that we’d go see a movie together.

Wanna come along?

That day, he drove to pick us up. He first told us to get in the car.

Then he quickly folded his wheelchair.

Hey, could you help pass my legs to the back?

Ok. Let’s go!

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You guys can enjoy priority seating when you watch movies with me. Just wait for me in your seats.

Is he gonna be ok?

Should we go help him?

Hey, I’m here!

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Uh, could you wait for me outside? I need to go number one.

As therapists, we don’t necessarily know how our patients fulfill their physiological needs

I use this, a disposable Foley catheter.

I carry about ten of them with me every day.

You guys are curious?

Just put on the gloves.

Some watersoluble lubricant on the tip of the tube.

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A closed urinary drainage system would require a 2000 ml urine bag on the other end. We call it a “cheeky bag”.

Slowly and gently insert about 15 cm until it’s a bit stuck.

That means it has reached the sphincter.

Then connect the other end of the tube to a container.

because you can keep drinking water and not having to go number one. But I don’t use it much, unless I have to go on a long trip.

It’s mainly because I, too, care about my appearance.

Who would want to be seen wearing a urine bag?

And the cheeky bag may be accidentally pulled and becomes blood-tinged. It sounds terrifying, right?

Ha, but that’s our everyday life.

What they have lost is never just the function of their legs…

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Anyway, let’s go.

But these are not what I’m most curious about…

You couldn’t possibly accept all these from the beginning, could you?

Many friends have supported me.

They all said they’d take me out when I recover.

Urgh!

(Training back muscles)

How did you overcome them?

But it’s mainly because of my family. After my accident, they put their work aside to take care of me every day.

My family didn’t give up on me so there was no reason for me to give up on myself. I wanted them to stop worrying and feeling sad.

I wanted them to be proud of me.

The accident happened on May 19th. I take it as my second birthday, the day when God gave me a chance to begin another life.

So I don’t like to be called a patient all the time.

We’re just injured.

(Panting…)

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t. star ast new ve at le d n a a r h b a ou y is se, y wo r y da Ever tter or be For d. e i tr

Later I left this position but I still follow him on Instagram.

He is just like most of us. He has a job, his favorite pastimes and hobbies.

He had a few girlfriends.

He is active in attending activities for people with disabilities.

(Taipei Children's Amusement Park)

Things of both great and little importance occupy his life. He still has a focus in life.

052

Occupational therapy emphasizes on an individual’s occupation. But every day in this world, diseases, accidents, degeneration or aging occur and make people lose the ability to carry out their occupations and become ill or unhealthy.

Miss Chen, suffering from trigger finger* after spending too much time playing Candy Crush on her cell phone, most wants to…

Rehabilitate my hands and advance to the next level of the game.

Mr. Zhang, who has developed hemiplegia after a hemorrhagic stroke, most wants to…

Walk to the bathroom by myself.

Mr. Li, whose arms became weak and couldn’t be raised after undergoing an operation on his herniated cervical disc, most wants to…

Catch up and drink tea with my old friends.

Mrs. Chen, who cannot lift up her feet after undergoing an operation of lumbar intervertebral disc protrusion, most wants to…

Go grocery shopping with my husband on his scooter.

*Officially known as “stenosing tenosynovitis of the flexor tendons,” trigger finger is caused by swelling or inflammation of the first annular pulley and flexor tendons due to overuse.

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And our job is to understand our patients as well as the most important things to them at the moment and to offer suitable treatment tailor-made to help them regain focus in life. To them, an occupational therapist may seem more like a coach for life.

054

Now we’ll loosen up your joint and release the adhesions. But you still have to modify your lifestyle. Don’t use your fingers too much these days.

Let’s practise holding the cup at this height to train the strength of your hand.

If you want to walk to the bathroom, you must practise standing up from a sitting position.

Let’s practise lifting your leg as if you’re getting on a scooter.

Zhang Da is a successful example.

While checking his recent posts, I have a feeling that the spirit of his legs has not left him.

He has found a new way to control his body.

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Hey, let me tell you something.

Last night I dreamed that I was doing weight training and the spirit of my legs came back!

I was on a treadmill and got so tired from running‌

that when I woke up the next day, I didn’t want to go to work.

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Mister, your car is done.

Click!

Zhang Da later became very keen on refitting his car. His feet now have a new spirit.

In an ordinary rehabilitation clinic

I’m c o ming !

Running around treating one patient after another is the daily life of an OT.

Yo u h ave

Now, hold your arm there.

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a new patie

nt!

After effects?

Can they be managed?

Ms. Elainee...

I want to go back to work‌

Ms. Elainee...

When will I get better?

Will the symptoms go away?

My hands are uncomfortable‌

Will I fully recover?

How much longer will it take?

Ms. Elainee...

People look forward to seeing me every day...

060

Yeah.

So crazy.

You have more than 30 today?

Sometimes I hear my coworkers discuss how many patients they have a day.

Mm, I have only 23 today.

And my senior has more than 30.

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In order to meet the target of seeing a fair number of patients, , we have a maximum 5 to 10 minutes session for each of them. The quick rotation leaves me little energy to further understand their individual needs and to get to know them, not just their physical condition.

Keep pushing.

Ah, hi…

Oh, you’re here.

Just a moment.

Mr. Li, wait for me on that chair.

What? You also need to be evaluated for the number of patients you see?

Of course…

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The more patients swipe their National Health Insurance cards,

the more money comes in.

That’s why even though we know some patients are not likely to physically recover, we don’t choose to discharge them but let them keep coming back.

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Let me press your arm.

They are just like broken dolls.

In the beginning, we think about how we can fix them.

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But gradually, I realize that if the damag e is irreversible,

I’d rather like to know,

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how they can live with the disability and continue doing things that are important to them.

A new patient for you!

But that is impossible for a therapist working in a busy rehabilitation clinic that values effectiveness and resembles a production line.

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