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Kendall Brown

KINS 4306

Reflection Paper
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Introduction

My name is Kendall Brown, and I am a senior Public Health major with a minor

in Physical Education at Georgia College & State University. I am completing my

internship at Rehab Advantage and Sports Medicine. This clinic has been active since

2002 and has since expanded to Sandersville as well. There are six physical therapists,

four physical therapy assistants, one occupational therapist, one occupational therapist

assistant, four office staff, and one floor assistant. The patients that are served here

must be referred by a physician to have therapy time. The ages of their patients tend to

be middle aged and older. Most of their clientele is part of the elderly population. Rehab

Advantage’s motto is “Where the real advantage is in the results”. During each patient’s

evaluation, which is the first session where assessments and goals are determined, the

therapists always ask their client what their personal goals are. The therapists do their

best to structure the sessions around their client’s wants and needs. Rehab Advantage

has 7 core values that they remember by the acronym SUCCESS. The “S” stands for

service, “U” stands for uplift, “C” for collaborate, “C” for creativity, “E” for excellence,

“S” for stewardess” and “S” for sincere. I think their core values go to show how their

one goal is centered around patient success.

Description of Experiences

While I was interning at Rehab Advantage, I was expected to gather materials for

the occupational therapist I was observing. Oftentimes I also had to assist the physical

therapists since there were multiple instances where the floor assistant was busy, so I

had to step in. I enjoyed observing methods of pain management. Electrical stimulation,

laser therapy, ultrasound machine, the foot kiosk, and dry needling were my favorite

methods to observe. I learned that if I want to use these methods in my future practice
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then I will need to first become certified in methods of modality. As a certified

occupational therapist, I will be required to achieve a certain amount of continuing

education hours, so I am expecting to study methods of modality for my practice. One of

the parts I struggled with throughout my time interning was removing electrical

stimulation pads off patients. I was not confident in my abilities removing the pads

because I was unfamiliar with the patients. I did not know how sensitive the patients

were in their injured areas and I did not want to be the reason the patients had more

pain. One patient had an injured elbow and thumb. I remember removing a pad from

her thumb and she yelped. I felt terrible knowing I was responsible for her pain. Another

time I removed pads from a patient’s shoulder and her skin was pulling with the pads. I

was nervous to continue pulling so I gently pressed the skin down to assist the removal.

Sometimes I had to help the floor assistant by removing the pads off of the physical

therapy patients as well. A good majority of PT patients receive therapy directly after

surgery, so their skin is sensitive. Needing to remove their pads forced me to get over my

fears and assist the patient.

As my time at my internship progressed, I was allowed to lead some sessions

under my supervisor’s observation. My supervisor allowed me to assist when she had

two or three patients at once. I really enjoyed acting like I knew what I was talking

about. It made me excited for my future. If I could change anything about my

internship, I would have liked to play more of a part in the therapy sessions. It truly was

fulfilling to know I was playing a part in someone’s progression. It was interesting to see

how the patients perform the same exercise in different ways. For example, the motion

from using TheraBands on the wall can be imitated by laying on the mat and using

dumbbells.
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Perception and Evaluation of Internship

This internship met my personal goal. My only goal for this internship was to

determine if I wanted to pursue a career in occupational therapy or behavioral sciences.

Having worked with autistic children for two years, I learned that I love working with

that population. I assumed the clients that Rehab Advantage served were a part of the

younger generation as per the pictures posted on their website. I was shocked on my

first day to learn that Rehab Advantage mainly serves clients who qualify for Medicare.

The internship gave me valuable experience working with a population I was unfamiliar

with. My supervisors liked my idea of creating a pamphlet consisting of strengthening

and mobility exercises so much that I was asked to expand on my idea to incorporate

exercises that the physical therapists use as well. My supervisor was the clinic’s on-site

occupational therapist. She has had student interns in the past, so she was not new to

having someone be her shadow. Around week 8, Olivia started allowing me to be more

hands on during the sessions since she could tell I was learning. Although observing is a

critical part of the learning experience, I feel like I got more out of my internship on the

days I was allowed to assist her in leading sessions. I would recommend this location to

anyone who is looking for an OT internship. I received wonderful words of advice from

most all the employees. I have not had much experience working with the elderly

population so partaking in this internship allowed me to see another side of therapy.

Just like working with autistic children, elderly people need extra motivation to perform

well. Interning at Rehab Advantage allowed me to strengthen my adaptability skills, as

the elderly population oftentimes require modifications to exercises so that they can

perform them efficiently. Interning at Rehab Advantage has helped me determine that I

like working in a clinic setting. Part of my career goal is to work with autistic children.
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Since Rehab Advantage serves elderly people, it is not necessarily the location I envision

for myself. However, I have gained excellent experience working with a different type of

vulnerable population.

Internship Preparedness

I feel as though my education at Georgia College prepared me very well for my

internship even though my major is Public Health and not Exercise Science. Public

Health has taught me to look beyond the obvious and meet people where they are. I took

Anatomy 1 and 2, biology, and chemistry as part of my undergrad program. I was able to

take structural kinesiology, skill analysis, and intro into biomechanics as part of my

Physical Education minor. The class that I feel prepared me the most was structural

kinesiology. Given my background in Anatomy, this course felt like a review while also

going more in-depth. I learned how to test range of motion for all the joints. I am very

glad I learned how to do that because I observed my supervisor perform these tests quite

often. Each patient is tested during their initial session and periodically throughout

their time in therapy. As a student, I found it interesting to see things I learned in

action. Medical Terminology also came in handy since I have already been exposed to

some of the field’s jargon. I am thankful for the experiences I have using applications

such as Word, PowerPoint, and Canva. Most all my projects for Rehab Advantage

require me to create something that is visually appealing. I am creating two pamphlets,

a brochure, informational PowerPoint, and a Velcro board to increase both strength and

mobility. I have never thought of myself as creative, but I admit that I have proficient

skills in developing infographics. I have made multiple infographics throughout my

enrollment in Community Health and Epidemiology. I can use those experiences to

benefit a place whose goal is to improve the lives of community members.

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I would not change anything about the Public Health program at GCSU. I did not

know what I was getting into when I enrolled as a Public Health student other than I

could do something in the medical field. I received valuable education regarding

working with vulnerable populations which is something I now know I will be pursuing

post-graduation. The best thing that the Public Health program allowed me was

community service hours in a setting of my choosing. I chose to work with the Life

Enrichment Center which gave me experiences in which I could apply classroom

knowledge. At my internship, I was able to put my knowledge to use working with the

elderly population.

Internship Performance

I greatly strengthened my interpersonal skills throughout my time at Rehab

Advantage. There were multiple instances where I had to engage in active listening then

make decisions based upon the conversation. As my time at Rehab Advantage

progressed Olivia allowed me to lead some sessions under her guidance. I greatly

enjoyed assisting the patients and helping them perform their exercises in the correct

form. I had multiple patients ask me why they must stand a certain way or why it

matters that they must hold their thumb towards the ceiling during some exercises.

Anatomy and Structural Kinesiology taught me about muscle orientations and how they

connect to bones. I was able to use my past knowledge to tell the patients that

anatomical positioning opens the shoulder joint so that tendons do not get pinched.

Many times, when I assisted in leading a session Olivia told me that I did a good job

which made me feel like she saw my potential to lead although I do not have much

experience in the realm of occupational therapy. I am proud of the work I produced this

semester. I am especially proud of myself for creating a modality board. My hope is that
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the Velcro tic-tac-toe board will put smiles on faces because they will not be expecting it.

Sometimes elderly people can start to feel depressed since their bodies are not

performing as they used to. I wanted to create something that will help more than just

physical strength since one’s mood can affect their healing rate. Although my days

looked similar, I still found things to be excited over in writing my journals. I effectively

used my time management skills accomplish all my assignments on time while ensuring

being active during my supervisor’s sessions. As an occupational therapist, I will need to

strengthen my critical thinking skills so that I can effectively create programs that are

adequate for the patients.

Personal/Professional Insights

My goal for my internship was to determine my career path. Having worked with

autistic children for three years I learned to love that community. I always knew I

wanted to be some form of caregiver, but I did not know in what capacity. I was debating

on pursuing behavioral analysis as a BCBA (board certified behavioral analysis) since I

found a love for that population. However, all throughout my life I have had the idea

that I want to be an occupational therapist. I wanted to use this internship opportunity

to observe an OT in action so I could determine if that was what I wanted to do with my

life. I came to the realization that I like working with clients. If I went the BCBA route I

would not have as much client interaction as I would prefer. This internship showed me

that I do want to pursue occupational therapy. I am graduating without having

completed a Physics course I need for the graduate program I hope to attend. At the

beginning of this internship, I had multiple conversations with my supervisor about

pursuing OT or OTA (occupational therapy assistant). I began thinking of becoming an

OTA since I could go that route without needing the Physics course. However, it would
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be better for me to go ahead and get my OT licensure since I would be able to perform

evaluations and cosign on OTA’s notes. The scope of practice is significantly larger for

occupational therapists than it is for an OTA. Since I will be required to obtain

continuing education hours, I know that I will be able to incorporate autism in some

capacity. Since Rehab Advantage largely serves the elderly population, I was able to

observe a different side of therapy. Senior citizens require modifications to be made to

the exercises so that they can adequately preform the motions. Every patient who is not

here for any post-op services require strengthening to increase range of motion. I feel I

have gotten excellent experience with a different vulnerable population.