A Year in Review

Wow! Roughly, 1 year ago I began my journey as a traveling occupational therapist. It was uncharted territory for me. Small town girl, who had rarely left the state of West Virginia for any other purpose than a quiet family vacation to Myrtle Beach. Home was always 2 hours away in college and a place I could visit anytime I wanted. I visited family a minimum of 1 time per month, so moving further away from home was a game changer that brought on a whole laundry list of emotions!

Throughout the last year I have learned so much about the travel industry, about my profession as an OT, and ultimately I have learned a lot about myself as well. To put it simply, I started travel as an extreme type A personality. There must be a plan, everyone must be on time, there must be organization, and I had to over analyze every single move I made prior to making a decision (complete with options A, B, C, & D!!). There were a lot of what if's, but's, and what could be's in my vocabulary and very few just let it happen's! & let me tell you, if anything has changed it is that. I have FINALLY allowed myself to relax, I have become open to different possibilities including location, job, responsibilities, and most importantly more accepting of the world around me. I have a new perspective on life, with increased appreciation for the small things, for allowing things to happen as they are supposed to instead of the constant need to control every outcome. Now granted, I still make plans with multiple possible outcomes, however I handle change and the unexpected a bit easier these days!

I started this amazing journey in Richmond, VA where I had the best job! I will not lie to you, I was confident the first day of work and certain I knew what I was doing. Nope! I quickly realized that I had absolutely no clue what my role was, how to do my job, etc. There was so much to learn! Thankfully, I was blessed with an amazing team surrounding me. A team that was incredibly helpful, willing to go the extra mile to mold me into the therapist I am today. I had a very diverse group of patients on my caseload with new challenges every week (something I love about the healthcare field). & just like most jobs I have had, I gained many friends that I will cherish forever. Could not thank them enough for their guidance, patience, and continued support. I will forever be grateful for the group of individuals who aided in making it such a wonderful experience.

Some of the influential women I worked with in RVA

My next position was in Virginia Beach. Though the facility I was placed in was not my favorite in the world, it was a very good learning experience. This is where I most definitely learned the importance of sticking to your own clinical judgement and advocating for your patients (A whole blog topic of its own!) This is also where I experienced my first panic when given a two week notice! (Which I coped with a tub of ice cream, a 6-pack of Blue Moon, and the relaxing sounds of the beach!)

Miss Natalie, a great friend and therapist I acquired while working in VB

As mentioned in an earlier post, Amy nailed a perfect position within two weeks in a little city called Poquoson. Quickly disappointed due to my new 50 minute commute to work, I could not have been more wrong about this one! What an absolutely rewarding experience. This job really reminded me of why we as healthcare professionals do what we do everyday. True definition of teamwork. One of the most caring groups of individuals you could find. We had fun, we got our work done, and most importantly we provided wonderful care to our residents. Because this was a small facility, it was a bit easier to provide a more personal kind of care to each one. There is just something about knowing everyone's name, being able to greet them in the morning, and really getting to know who they are, what they cherished, etc that will forever remain near and dear to me.

My partner in Crime in Poquoson; The Redheaded Dynamic OT Duo

Then, the good 'ol  country roads took me back to Almost Heaven, West Virginia! This move, was more about family than a career choice. However, this location was where I received my first experience with acquiring power wheelchairs for a few of my patients. A task given to me on week one, I could not even begin to explain the frustrations accompanied by this process and the mess of history/paperwork involved. I spent hours, upon hours, working on it. Hated every minute of it, until the delivery of one very necessary chair changed my life. This particular patient had needed a new chair for years as her current chair would not charge, was 14+ years old, and the cushions were ripped so terribly that she was having medical complications and pain just by sitting in it. The patient wanted nothing to do with me. "I will believe it when I see it, you're a liar!" When the chair was finally delivered (Surprisingly on my last day at the facility) I could not wait to get to her room! She screamed, she cried, and she drove that power chair around the facility like she owned the place. It was BEAUTIFUL!! Completely made the countless hours worth while. I hope she is still racing through the halls with a smile!

Hello to the Sunshine State! I began my first experience as a home health therapist. Initial impression: pure hatred. From uncomfortable houses, to patients having my personal number, late hours, people thinking they were the only human being on the planet, 911 calls... the list goes on. There were so many things that I did not like about it. More than anything, I think it was something that I just was not used to. One day I decided to change my attitude, to focus on the positives instead. I changed my routine, improved upon my time management, and have learned that it isn't all that bad! Thankful to learn a new setting, to work with a great group of people, and increase my skill set. I may have learned that home care is not my favorite setting, but the skills I have learned can definitely be taken throughout my career in other settings which is ultimately one of the main reasons I decided to travel!

All in all, I have been blessed beyond measure within the last year. 5 Jobs, 5 cities, 3 different settings. I could have never done it without the love, encouragement, and guidance I have received from the most amazing recruiter but more importantly, my very dear friend Amy Barnes.

I am incredibly grateful to call this beautiful lady a colleague, a mentor, but my  favorite role that she possesses is that of a friend! I absolutely,p positively could not be where I am today without her!

As I close this chapter in Florida with so many amazing memories and friends, I am excited to start yet another journey! Headed back to Virginia, and I cannot wait!!!