[humanser] Questions about practicum and documentation

Thu May 15 23:38:08 UTC 2014

Thank you all for your feedback and support on and offlist.  I am
really greatful for the brainstorming that is happening here, and also
comforted by the fact that, while this seems like a total set back for
me since I've always had really good grades thus far, that issues of a
similar nature have happened to other professionals in human services,
and those professionals are obviously... well, professionals today
after the fact.  I feel like I am doing everything I can, and did
everything I could do during the course.  I talked with my music
therapist contact on my own to try to solve issues myself, but I
really do need my professors to be a part of the solution since they
are, after all, going to be the ones giving the grade, and have the
expectations that I cannot realistically meet as they have them now.

A retired music therapist I was connected with thanks to these
messages and a list reader also pointed out something that could be
really helpful.  The professional standards and code of ethics for the
American Music Therapy Association do not specify how a person should
and should not prepare documentation.  Documentation must be gathered,
but there are no guidelines as to how it can and can't be taken down.
So, this means all the fuss over my documentation is coming from my
professors and is totally arbitrary based on their expectations, not
the professional organization's.  I also have an idea of what to do if
things get dicy when I retake this same practicum next Spring.
Unfortunately, I am going to have to wait a year to see what happens
next, but having this plan of how to handle the situation somewhat
helps.  Thank goodness for networking!

Another tidbit of information that I forgot to mention earlier, is
this.  My professors know I want to work in a pediatric hospital
setting.  In the same meeting in which they gave me a failing grade
for the practicum course, they said that they don't know how I would
do hospital work because I am not able to see the monitors.  This was
honestly something I have never really worried about.  It is pretty to
hear a person's breathing if you just listen for it, and breathing and
heart rate go hand in hand.  If the breathing is shallow, obviously
the heart rate is going to be elevated because the person is working
harder to breathe, not to mention that most of the time heart monitors
beat.  Resperators make a distinct sound that I've heard before, and
it is fairly easy to figure out how a person is feeling based on how
they interact with you.  The big thing in hospital music therapy work
is that you also make sure the person wants you to do music therapy
with them before you actually do it when they're a new patient, so I
would be able to verbally ask, "Would you like me to come in and play
some music with you?"  In a pediatric hospital, I would also be
working most likely as a member of an interdisciplinary team too, so I
would be able to consult with other professionals about patient
information.  I am not all that concerned about my abilities to work
in this setting, but it seemed like the professors had considerable
doubts in the meeting.  I don't really know how to really get them
past this point, because their refusal to communicate with a
professional who is blind and in the field is, I think, the thing that
would fix a lot of these issues.  I'm trying to show them that there
are blind people who do just fine in this field while finding
resources we can use to work for good clinical results in me as a
therapist, but they just won't get on board, and I'm not quite sure
how to get them to.

On 5/14/14, Sandy via humanser <humanser at nfbnet.org> wrote:
> Hello to all,
>
> You know, some of the worst offenders are those who are in some sort of
> helping field, such as rehab and social work.  I have never, never
> understood how Springfield College, with its rather large rehabilitation
> services, does not provide accommodations.  At least now their office and
> classrooms are in a building thart now has an elevator.  Over the years many
> students with disabilities have taken that major.  It used to be the office
> was on the third floor in an old former factory building.  One day a
> professor told me of a student who couldn't climb due to his disability, and
> how the man spent 15 minutes to get up all the steps, and another 15 to get
> down.
>
>  The one neat thing, when I took sme rehab classes, was the knowledge of a
> professor named Raymond Berte.  He had cancer, had his voice box removed,
> was told he would never teach.  He continued to teach, learning to speak by
> burping up air and amplifying his voice.  He developed more cancer and left
> the States to get a drug not legal here; eventually he died.  I have not
> researched to get his book, but know he wrote a book on his story and
> philosophy -- had a positive viewpoint. One evening class was somewhat scary
> cause he had a guy he counseled speak to us about rape because the guy had
> raped I don't remember how many people.
>
>
> Sandy
> --------------------------------------------------
> From: "Darla Rogers via humanser" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 3:00 PM
> To: "'justin williams'" <justin.williams2 at gmail.com>; "'Human Services
> Mailing List'" <humanser at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [humanser] Questions about practicum and documentation
>
>> Dear Justin,
>>
>> Not only did I do that, but I had enough one term, so I called a meeting
>> and handed out Braille agendas to everyone; that didn't end all the
>> obstacles, but whenever I'm in Oregon, and the faculty knows, they
>> re-arrange class schedules for me to speak.
>> Darla
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: justin williams [mailto:justin.williams2 at gmail.com]
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 1:56 PM
>> To: 'Darla Rogers'; 'Human Services Mailing List'
>> Subject: RE: [humanser] Questions about practicum and documentation
>>
>> Did you ask the people who put obstacles in the way why they did it?
>> Especially in the V.R. field; that is ridiculous.
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Darla
>> Rogers via humanser
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 2:30 PM
>> To: 'Ericka Short'; 'Human Services Mailing List'
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Questions about practicum and documentation
>>
>> Beautifully said, Ericka; I was in a VR internship and even had issues
>> with the very people you would not think would put up obstacles.
>> Thankfully, most people believed in me, and even the particular professor
>> and I have a very respectful relationship now.
>> Darla
>>
>>
>> -----Original Message-----
>> From: humanser [mailto:humanser-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Ericka
>> Short via humanser
>> Sent: Wednesday, May 14, 2014 1:16 PM
>> To: Human Services Mailing List
>> Subject: Re: [humanser] Questions about practicum and documentation
>>
>> Sandy is right.  You need to spend time with each one.  I used to work at
>> a nursing home in activities.  Though I have more sight thanyou, I can't
>> see at a distance.  In group activities I would walk around and  interact
>> directly with them.  I worked often with  residents who had dementias or
>> speech issues.  If you are able --some don't want to be touched, You can
>> can use your hands over theirs to help them do an activity.  This gives
>> you some idea of what they are capable of.  If they have stressed muscles
>> or are slow to move then you know they are able to do some part of the
>> movement.  I remember in your message some part where you walked around
>> thus the residents didn't get feet movement.  Can the residents be in a
>> circle or semicircle instead of a group exercise class?  We had residents
>> in a semi circle and they could see what was going on plus I spoke what I
>> was doing so it was able to be understood by those who couldn't see my
>> actions.  I was chewed out a few times in the beginning, but I ignored
>> them and went to certain residents and did actions with them, making the
>> resident the
>> "assistant". This allowed me to know what they could or couldn't do.   I
>> had
>> had all abilities in my group exercise class which it doesn't sound like
>> you did.
>>
>> I can understand why you feel it is the professors' responsibility but in
>> the end your success is determined by what youdo, not what they choose to
>> do.  For this next  practicum, talk to the music therapist directly.  This
>>
>> is a great resource because she has done it before.  You are very blessed
>> to have this  role model and person to  bounce ideas off.  I've never had
>> that .  I did my internship in social work twice too.  In the first
>> situation I was not given  any direction or responsibility so I learned
>> nothing.  I learned more from the two days I worked with the activity
>> director.  The supervisor at the nursing home didn't want me there because
>>
>> the other person was  on maternity leave and didn't want a disabled person
>>
>> to train.  She just wanted someone to dump work on without worries.
>> Disabled Student Services did nothing to help me nor did myprofessor.  It
>> was awful and I felt abandoned.  At that time I didn't know anyone in the
>> NFB to call.  My second one was better because I did it in my hometown
>> where people already knew me and supported me.  I spent some days with the
>>
>> adut day program and the rest  at the county aging department.  In WI each
>>
>> county has an Aging and Disability resource center.  I  spent the days
>> with the county  going on home visits and helping create the ADRC for my
>> home county.  I also  helped update the  resource directory.  It was a
>> much better situation all around and I  did much better because I had
>> people who wanted to work with me.
>> They  didn't  really know what I could or couldn't see, but they realized
>> I was a person with a heart for the job.  I hope  the people you work with
>>
>> second time around think of you as a person first.  It makes a big
>> difference!  I like JD's suggestion of having a NFB rep there at the
>> meeting with the profs.  I also think you need to meet the  director of
>> the program you do your practicum with  beforehand.  Get a feel for what
>> you will be doing and what she/he expects out of you.  This would give you
>>
>> both time to get advice from the  blind MT, but also allow you to advocate
>>
>> for doing more than the bare minimum.  You want to know all of the typical
>>
>> days responsibilities and try them out there.  If you don't you will be
>> miserable doing your internship.  I've also been through elementary ed
>> practicums and I can sympathize with  Sandy's comments.  The only thing I
>> did well was with the preschoolers.  The second time I was in a middle
>> school LD resource classroom and again wasn't given anything to do.  The
>> teacher didn't want me there. It was just awful. Advisor or teacher would
>> talk to me.  I tried to meet with the advisor at least because I wasn't
>> asked to do anything.  He wouldn't.  This was way before I found my
>> advocacy voice.  I never had trouble with teachers until then either.
>>
>> You will get through the second with flying colors!
>>
>> Ericka J. Short
>>
>> "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me". Philippians 4:13
>> "No hand is too small or too big to do good in this world." EJ. Short
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/djrogers0628%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/justin.williams2%40gmail.com
>>
>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> humanser mailing list
>> humanser at nfbnet.org
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
>> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
>> humanser:
>> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/sandraburgess%40msn.com
>>
>
> _______________________________________________
> humanser mailing list
> humanser at nfbnet.org
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/listinfo/humanser_nfbnet.org
> To unsubscribe, change your list options or get your account info for
> humanser:
> http://nfbnet.org/mailman/options/humanser_nfbnet.org/crazy4clarinet104%40gmail.com
>

-- 
Kaiti