Occupational Therapy
Day in the Life
Hi! My name is Annie and I am a second-year Master of Science in Occupational Therapy (MSOT) student in my level 2A fieldwork rotation. This means that I have completed the didactic coursework and now am in fieldwork full time getting hands-on experience! I am currently at a rehabilitation hospital working with adults and older adults which is the population I want to work with when I finish school.
What a day in my life looks like:
4:40 a.m.: I wake up, get ready, and eat breakfast.
5:30 - 5:40 a.m.: Leave for fieldwork.
6:30 a.m.: Arrive at rehabilitation hospital, chart review and prepare for the day. Sometimes, this is extensive (like if I have an eval and need to chart review for a new patient) and sometimes it’s simple (if I am familiar with all my patients and know their conditions and assist levels).
7:00 - 8:15 a.m.: First session! This is usually an Activity of Daily Living (ADL) such as shower and getting dressed. Showering is my favorite because patient’s usually really enjoy this as a start to their day!
8:15 - 8:45 a.m.: Short break where I have a snack and do some documenting. I try to get my note done for the first patient during this time and catch up on any other notes such as weeklys or discharges.
8:45 - 9:00 a.m.: Interdisciplinary team meeting. This is a short meeting where each profession goes around and discusses each patient. The team includes occupational therapy (OT), physical therapy (PT), speech-language pathology (SLP), medicine (MD), nursing, and the case manager.
9:00 a.m. - 12:30 p.m.: I typically have about three more patients during this time. Some of these are ADLs like the first patient and some are non-ADL sessions where I get to focus on treatment and individualizing interventions for each client. I always aim to choose interventions based on the client’s goals and home responsibilities. For example, I had one of my patients make soup on the stove to simulate cooking at home.
12:30 - 1:30 p.m.: Lunch break and typically I catch up on notes during lunch. I try to document during sessions as best as I can but sometimes that’s not realistic depending on the patient.
1:30 - 3:00 p.m.: I’ll either have one or two patients in the afternoon for a non-ADL session.
3:00 - 3:30 p.m.: Finish up documenting and signing every note for the day and review anything/ask my supervisor questions.
3:30 - 4:30 p.m.: Go home and make early dinner (it is very early for dinner but my schedule works out best this way and I always come home hungry).
4:45 - 7:00 p.m.: After I eat something real quick, I either go to work, or take a class at the gym/go for a run! (I’ve tried doing both but found I’m just way too tired with the 4:40 a.m. wake up).
7:00 - 8:30 p.m.: My favorite time of the day! I shower, have something else to eat, pack my lunch for the next day, and decompress (watch my show or read my book). Depending on my patients at the time, this is when I will think of/research intervention ideas or plan what I’m doing with a patient for the next day.
8:30/9:00 p.m.: I try to go to bed before 9 p.m. if I can so I am ready for another day to do it all again!
