I have been shadowing for a week at a center with older individuals and the OT told me that I am too quiet. I feel the same way. I know I'm too quiet. It's not that I have things to say and am anxious. I just have nothing to say and have slight anxiety. The only thing I can come up with is asking about the patients' diagnosis, which I don't vocalize since it's personal.
I know I've got to be more social for this profession because I really want to be an OT. It is something I continue to work on in a different location, a pediatric setting and I am getting better at being okay with interacting with kids by myself and talking with them, but I might be quiet again sometimes.
It's hard for me in this new setting and population. I'm nearly completely silent when I'm there. I just don't know how to become a better conversationalist. I don't want to be the person that needs another person to start the conversation, but that's been how it was since I was young. Anybody who went through a similar situation or has any advice?
Hey! Here is some advice I wish I'd known when I was volunteering. I'm currently an OT student in my Level II's and I tell all the volunteers the same thing when I encounter them because I remember how hard it was to get through volunteer hours, especially if you were more of the quiet type (as I was!). I'm still actually quiet myself, but I'm okay with it. Here is some advice in simple terms:
Know when it is the right time to ask questions. When the OTs are doing treatment, it's best to remain more like a "fly on the wall". The reason is because as an OT, you can be trying to observe a patient as they are doing their ADLs and looking for about 20 different things that can be currently going wrong. If not experienced enough, OTs really need to focus in and observe the client themselves, no matter what setting you are volunteering in. As a volunteer, you really can't touch clients for liability reasons, but ask how you can help out during the session. Sometimes the OT will ask you do very simple things that still can be interactive with clients. Don't feel bad if you do remain quiet throughout the entire session, because it can interfere with therapy if you are asking too many questions at the wrong times. Only ask questions during the therapy session if the OT "brings you in", let's say, if the OT ask you questions directly or allows you to ask some questions. Try to ask questions after the session.
If you are given the opportunity to ask questions during a therapy session, NEVER ask any questions that you wouldn't feel comfortable telling a volunteer. Try to set the tone where the client tells you about what went wrong. Of course, you can just ask the common questions that are used for everyday conversation. Some common questions can be: How did you injury yourself? What are some things that you are currently finding difficult to do? How has this impacted you?
Remember though, when asking questions directly to the OT (and some tips to get a good LOR), try to tie every single question to function or an activity. OT is about becoming more independent in everyday activities. Ask questions that are pertinent to getting the client back their everyday routine. Ask about the goals the OT set for the client, "what are the client's goals?" Remember every single OT has different reasoning and sets up the therapy session differently. Ask the OT why did you use this specific modality? Why did they do this specific exercise? What is the purpose of A, B, and C? And lastly, how does this help the client reach their goals? You can ask about the diagnosis of a client (preferably away from the client). If you do, observe how the OT sets up the intervention session or recommends a specific exercise or activity for the client to do, then ask: how does this activity help the client with the diagnosis become more independent? If you do get the underlying diagnosis, try to go home and look up the diagnosis on wikipedia or whatever and see some of the symptoms. The following day if you happen to see the same client, watch how the OT conducts the session and note how the session improves overall function. Then, follow up with more questions after the session.
Think reasoning. Why did the OT choose "the activity they are doing"? Although, you may not understand at this at moment (but you will eventually!)...try to observe a client do their activities and try it yourself on how you can make the activity "harder" or "easier" for the client to do, or in OT lingo: try to figure out how you can grade the activity up or grade the activity down. Fellow OT students or other OTs that read this post will get the idea. If you think something will work, ask the OT in private about it and they will be impressed that you're actively observing.
What also really helped me when I was volunteering: I asked the OT if it was okay to bring a small notebook in with me and jot down just notes or observations that really interested me. On slow days, I would actively jot down things or just try to make connections to what each OT was doing and the reasoning behind it. The OT noticed I was actively engaged and actually mentioned this in my LOR. This really helped me during interviews.
Hope this helps!
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