Categories: uncategorized
Date: 15 September 2010 02:49:11
One week ago tonight I was feeling anxious, sick to my stomach, anxious, nervous, upset, teary (and did I mention anxious?)
However, after the first day was the 2nd...then all of the sudden I've wrapped up day #5 and I'm familiar with the paperwork, the rhythm of the facility, am remembering some names of people in the building, and am feeling really happy about this change in practice area.
Which is such a blessing.
Because I was really questioning myself and recent decisions.
(Seriously...things got pretty dark for a while the last few weeks)
I'm also exhausted at the end of each workday b/c I've utilized so much mental & emotional energy at work, but that's a different post for another day.
After the overwhelming first day (which was 10.5 hours - long for me after not working since June!) the consecutive days got better. And now I'm not phased when new things come my way - if I can't figure it out, there's always someone to ask.
I'm providing mostly dysphagia (swallowing) therapy with elderly adults in a medical rehabilitative setting. Also some cognition and motor speech therapy, too. Basically I make a "to do" list for the next day, and when I walk in that next morning I may have a new evaluation to do for a new patient (or three), see my regular patients, handle things as they come up...and make a new list at the end of the day for tomorrow.
I'm using many of the same tools in my clinical tool set as those I made & used the past 10 years in the pediatric setting...except my clients go by "Mr" or "Mrs.", have a more advanced vocabulary, and often make great strides in recovery in short amounts of time (although sometimes the patients remain the same...or perhaps they decline in status). That's how it works.
There are still many weeks ahead on this particular canvas (possibly until early November, but may be extended to December) but I anticipate it will pass quickly, I'll learn a lot, and no one will get hurt.
So far, this particular brushstroke in the Blank Canvas Project may tentatively be categorized as a success.