As my senior year at Clemson University approached, I began exploring course options that would complete my final semesters. With the help of my internship coordinator, I was able to begin the Health Science Internship. I completed my internship at two sites that had occupational therapy services, which included AnMed Health Pediatric Therapy Works and Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. It was a truly wonderful decision to complete my internship at two occupational therapy outpatient clinics. I never knew how different these two places really were from one another until I started to fully grasp just what each specialization entailed. I loved having the variety of patient cases and being able to expand my knowledge of each specialty even more so than I ever imagined. This internship not only taught me new things about occupational therapy, but it also allowed me an opportunity to apply my skills and to improve them. This hands-on experience has given me priceless skill application and field knowledge that I will take with me as I continue to pursue a career in occupational therapy.

 

The main skills that I applied at my internship sites were:

• Communication

  • During my internship, I had to learn how to become a better auditory learner since I am a strong visual/tactile learner. I would say that this experience helped me improve my ability to listen, which is very important when working with patients.

• Teamwork

  • I also had to work with others to ensure that a task was completed and that all of the patients got the care that they deserved.

• Organization

  • I spent much of my time organizing anything from equipment to patient charts/notes.

• Time Management

  • Throughout my experience, I also had to apply time management skills effectively in order to commute successfully between internship sites, complete class assignments, and my part-time job as well.

• Professionalism

  • Lastly, my professionalism has improved greatly over the course of the last two months. Every day I aimed to act with integrity, respect, competence, empathy, courtesy, and dependability. I will take all of these skills and the knowledge I have with me on my journey to become an occupational therapist.