Thursday: Halfway review and working from home
Thursday was another virtual day. In the morning, I had my halfway review with Liz. I thought that we had a good discussion about the placement so far, and I was happy with Liz's feedback. I have a clear idea of what is expected from me and the other students for the next two weeks, although I think we need to be honest with our educators and make sure we don’t take on too many projects, given that the placement is so short. Going forward, I will include a deeper level of self-reflection in my blog articles, as this is something which I have avoided so far!
Over the next two weeks, I will also try different forms of adaptive communication such as Makaton when needed. A recent BBC article on Makaton being used in the special Olympics football team caught my eye. I plan to pick up some Makaton over the next couple of weeks. Even if I don't use it on this placement, there's a fair chance that Makaton will come in helpful at some point in my physio career.
Another learning point for me is how to approach and build up a rapport with people online. When asking people about their experiences with adaptive sports, we should remember to get to know them as people first. After all, we're designing projects for real people with life stories, hopes and ambitions. Liz reminded me of the #hellomynameis campaign. As healthcare workers, it's easy to dive straight into an assessment, but we shouldn't forget the human element behind communication. We're finding out why people have chosen a particular exercise, and how it gives them confidence in other areas of life. I know I wouldn’t appreciate being sent a long list of questions from someone who hasn't tried to get to know me. This is something I'll bear in mind going forwards.
I spent some time arranging online meetings with members and participants of various snooker and climbing groups. We were very kindly invited to meet a climbing group in Cumbria for a pint and a climbing session. It's a shame that we're so far away from the rugged cliffs of Cumbria! I would always be up for a climbing session and a pint, but I think a Zoom chat is more realistic!
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| I'm not sure if this is Cumbria but it looks mountainous! Image sourced from Pixabay |
Friday: Chelmsford
Gab and I went to Chelmsford on Friday. This is our third visit to Chelmsford, and we feel, like in Colchester, that we are building up a good rapport with some of the regular participants. Friday’s classes included an introduction to group exercise (a small class with seated resistance exercises), a big boccia session and multisports. Tennis and ping pong were on the menu for multisports, and I think it worked well. I’m far from being the best tennis player myself, but I gave one of the participants some individual practice. He also tends to lose concentration and gets distracted very easily, so I encouraged him to stay focused. He did much better when he was focused on the task at hand.
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| Game, set and match! Image sourced from Pixabay |
Also, at the end of the group exercise session, one of the participants asked Gab and I for advice on managing pain. She is a wheelchair user and finds that she experiences elbow pain when using her wheelchair. We gave her some general advice on simple pain relief (e.g. heat and cold packs) and remembering to stretch and do regular arm exercises to avoid prolonged static positions. I think our physio education on pain relief and activity modification came in useful here.
Next week
Next week will be my last full week with SfC! It's become a bit clichéd to say 'time has gone by so fast' but it's true. 4½ weeks for a physio placement isn't long at all. I'll make sure I continue to get the most out of my time with SfC. Gab & I will visit another leisure centre (Basildon) next week and the three of us will crack on with our project work.
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