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1. Occupational Therapy Internships
Katie Sutcliffe
Health 4200
Summer 2015
Clemson University

2. Introduction
For my Health Science Internship, I chose to
complete 90 hours at AnMed Health Pediatric
Therapy Works and 90 hours at Clemson Sports
Medicine and Rehabilitation. With the help of my
internship coordinator, I was able to collaborate
with pediatric occupational therapists and a
certified hand therapist. This PowerPoint is a
representation of my time spent as an intern
learning the ins and outs of occupational therapy.
In this PowerPoint, you will be able to learn about
both clinics, my responsibilities, my goals and
objectives, and my projects that I completed during
my time as an occupational therapy intern.

3. AnMed Health
Pediatric Therapy Works
About this Site:
• Located on 701 North Fant Street in Anderson, South Carolina.
Pediatric Therapy Works is an outpatient clinic that is across the
street from the AnMed Health Medical Center Campus.
• This is a convenient location because of its close proximity
to all of the surrounding medical facilities. By having
medical facilities close to each other this can help improve
the establishment of a patient’s medical network.

4. Department of Interest
• The department of interest was rehabilitation services, but more
specifically, pediatric occupational therapy.
• Occupational therapy at Pediatric Therapy Works focuses on children
with medical cases, such as autism, brachial plexus injury, cerebral
palsy, developmental delays, chromosomal and genetic syndromes,
fine motor and handwriting difficulties, sensory processing
dysfunction, and more (AnMed Health, n.d.a.)
• The rehabilitation services offer Neurodevelopmental therapy,
Sensory integration, Aquatic therapy, Myofascial release, Craniosacral
techniques, Pediatric VitalStim, Assistive technology, Augmentative
communication, The Listening Program, Interactive Metronome,
Auditory Verbal Training, Beckman Oral Motor Protocol, and Massery
Respiratory Techniques (AnMed Health, n.d.a.)
• Occupational therapy services are not only just offered as outpatient
treatment but it is also offered to public schools, home health, and
for inpatient at AnMed Health Women’s and Children’s Hospital
(AnMed Health, n.d.a.)

5. Department Mission, Vision, and Building Blocks
AnMed Health (n.d.b.) states on its website:
• “The mission of AnMed Health is to passionately blend the art of caring
with the science of medicine to optimize the health of our patients,
staff and community.”
• “Our vision is to be recognized and celebrated as the gold standard for
healthcare quality and community health improvement.”
• “AnMed Health’s Building Blocks help us accomplish the mission and
vision of our organization.”
1. “Exercising a Passion for Serving Others”
2. “Exceeding Expectations-Being the Provider of Choice”
3. “Pursuing Excellence and Quality”
4. “Fostering a Nurturing Culture”
5. “Living a Culture of ‘Yes’”
6. “Benefitting the Community”
7. “Practicing Financial Responsibility”
8. “Maintaining High Standards”
9. “Embracing ‘Differentiology’”
10. “Living the Credo…’We’re in This Together’”

6. My Responsibilities
• When I am at the clinic, my
responsibilities as an occupational
therapy intern include:
• Sanitizing the toys after the
children have used them during
treatment.
• Fold and stock linen as it is needed
• Participate in staff meetings when
they occur one Tuesday out of each
month
• Completing my assigned project: a
comprehensive case study
• Observing and take notes during
treatments
• Assisting my preceptor during
treatments when needed for
miscellaneous things, such as
finding toys, obtaining materials,
putting dirty toys in the toy-
cleaning room, etc.
Here, I am sitting at the student desk
during my first week as an intern.

7. My Responsibilities
(continued)
Here, I am cutting new foam straps
for a patient's splints. Splint straps become
very worn over time, so it is important to
have straps replaced as often as needed.
Here, I am gathering information for my case
study. I used literature to develop my classical
picture and observations and discussions with
the patient’s OT and parent.

8. My Responsibilities
(continued)
Below, I am folding the linen constantly used
by therapists from OT, PT, and SLP. It is
important to restock linen regularly to
prevent messes and aid in sanitation.
Below, I am sanitizing toys frequently used by
therapists from OT, PT, and SLP. This was one of
the most important tasks in order to prevent
the spread of germs between patients.

9. My Project
• Occupational Therapy Case Study
• I completed a case study for a child with Down Syndrome. I
chose this particular case because I developed an interest
with Patient A’s diagnosis. I had always heard of Down
syndrome, but I never knew that much about it. Through
careful consideration of a multitude of patients, I decided
that this case would be the best for me to learn more
about. With the help of my preceptor and parental
permission, I was able to start the process of my case
study.
• I used a case study outline that one of my preceptors had
given me. It was based mostly on a comparison between a
classical picture of the diagnosis and the clinical picture of
the diagnosis. Through the use of literature and the
Internet, I gathered information on the classical picture of
the diagnosis. I gathered my clinical information by
speaking to Patient A’s occupational therapist and mother.

10. My Goals and Objectives
Skill Goal:
By the end of my fieldwork, I will be able to describe and use the qualities
needed as an occupational therapist to be able to evaluate a patient in the
future.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Observing my preceptor to discern qualities, such as being personable, a
good communicator, team player, professionalism, listening skills, etc., that
are the most important in pediatric patient assessments
2. Interviewing my preceptor to see what she believes has been the most
important for pediatric patient assessment throughout her career as an
occupational therapist
3. Interviewing the parents of the patients’ to identify from their perspective
what qualities the therapist should have in order to best assess and treat
their child
4. Reviewing articles that discuss known qualities that are the most
beneficial for the therapist to have for patient assessment and treatment
5. Practicing the application of these qualities for general use around people
of various ages and use in the future as a therapist

11. My Goals and Objectives
(continued)
Skill Goal:
By the end of my field experience, I will be able to develop a comprehensive
case study for an occupational therapy patient.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Reviewing an example outline provided by my preceptor
2. Discussing components that are necessary to complete the case study
with my preceptor
3. Gaining as much information about the case through personal
observation of the patient
4. Learning medical terms involved in the patient case with the help of my
preceptor
5. Looking at samples of case studies done in the past to help in the setup
of my own

12. My Goals and Objectives
(continued)
Cognitive Goal:
By the end of my field experience, I will be
able to learn about and describe at least 3
tools used in treating sensory associated
problems within pediatric patients.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Observing pediatric assessments and
patient responses to tools for sensory
processing deficits
2. Observing the tools my preceptor uses
with patients with sensory related
problems
3. Interviewing my preceptor to learn which
tools work best with certain sensory
deficiencies
Cognitive Goal:
By the end of my fieldwork experience, I
will be able to identify the best techniques
needed in order to teach a pediatric patient
a new skill.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Interviewing the occupational therapist
about her techniques she found to be the
most effective with pediatric patients
2. Observing the use of tactile, auditory,
and visual learning instructions given to
young patients
3. Observing my preceptor’s tone of voice
used with pediatric patients at various
stages of development
4. Taking notes based on my observations
to detect the most successful patterns of
instruction with young children versus older
children

13. My Goals and Objectives
(continued)
Affective Goal:
By the end of my fieldwork experience, I will be able to greater
express my feelings of why I should further pursue a career in
occupational therapy.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Interviewing the preceptor, assistants, and office staff on their
job responsibilities and qualifications necessary for their jobs
2. Observing the details of how the clinic operates on a daily basis
3. Discussing with my preceptor and others that I work with
about my personal qualities that would match the qualities of
an occupational therapist
4. Reviewing the type of atmosphere that was created in the
environment and how I may have been an enhancement to it
5. Reflecting on my feelings of why I want to continue to pursue
this career and why I would be a good fit

14. Clemson Sports Medicine
and Rehabilitation
About this Site:
Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation (CSMR) is located at 10626 Clemson
Boulevard in Seneca, South Carolina. There had only been one certified hand
therapist there for several years, but now there are two. Physical therapy is also
offered at this clinic. The location is convenient for the patients that come from Blue
Ridge Surgery Center, which is located next to the CSMR outpatient clinic. Also, this
site is only a few miles from Oconee Memorial Hospital.

15. Department of Interest
• I am interested in learning about the department of
occupational therapy, but more specifically, hand
therapy. This is my first experience with hand
therapy, so I am looking forward to learning about
the services offered at CSMR.
• Hand therapy services at CSMR includes treatments
for orthopaedic injuries and injuries from sports or
work. Also, treatments are available for amputation,
degloving, burns, fractures, tendons, nerves,
ligaments and traumatic injuries. Arthritis treatment
is available, which includes both osteoarthritis and
rheumatoid arthritis. Lastly, static or dynamic splints
can be made for patients in need (CSMR, n.d.)

16. Department Mission
Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation states its mission as:
“The mission of the Company is to help its patients enjoy as healthy and independent a
life as possible by providing them with quality therapy services delivered efficiently,
professionally and compassionately.
The Company was established in accordance with the founder’s philosophy that each
patient must be approached in a comprehensive and compassionate way. The Company
believes that the use of high technology equipment for treatment must be paired with
patient education concerning prevention of injury and maintenance of physical health.
The Company provides general outpatient rehabilitation services, including industrial,
orthopaedic, neurological and sports medicine services, for patients.
Every effort is made to schedule patients in a timely and appropriate manner according
to medical necessity. Careful liaison with any referring physician is maintained and the
initial evaluation and discharge report are sent to the doctor. The physician is notified if
there are changes either in treatment or in the patient's condition. In specific cases,
pertinent reports, x-rays, and summaries are requested from the referring physician.”
*Mission Statement from a Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation Document

17. My Responsibilities
My responsibilities as an occupational therapy intern at the clinic
include:
• Retrieving patient charts and billing slips from the front office
and organizing them by patient appointment times
• Writing cancellations or no shows for patients in their charts
• Greeting each patient and getting them set up for their
appointment with my preceptor
• Retrieving ice packs and heat pads for patients when needed
• Cleaning each patient therapy area after a patient leaves by
sanitizing the area and putting away dirty/used linen
• Cleaning the splint pan
• Restocking towels and pillowcases and changing pillowcases as
needed
• Moving equipment during or after after therapy sessions
• Helping my preceptor with the FOTO system, printing notes, or
whatever he needs help with
• Completing my projects/assignments and forms by their set
deadlines

18. My Responsibilities
(continued)
Below, I am sanitizing a plinth
commonly used during manual
therapy. I cleaned this plinth and
other therapy tables between
each patients encounter.
In the middle picture, I am placing theraputty back on
the equipment shelf. In the picture to the right, you can
see cabinet shelves that I completely reorganized during
my first week. I ensured that the shelf was organized
from the time I enter the clinic until I leave.

19. My Responsibilities
(continued)
In this picture, I am restocking the linen supply.
The linen is frequently used throughout the day,
so I maintain the supply in the cabinet.
In the picture below, I am organizing
patient charts and billing slips for
the day. This is one of the first tasks
I do when I enter the clinic.

20. My Projects
• Assembling a Hand Therapy Exercise
• Through the help of talking to patients, my preceptor, the COTA, and the internet, I was
able to find a project that I could easily put together and would be very useful. I wanted
to find a project that was relevant to hand therapy and something that my preceptor did
not have among his equipment shelf already. Through much research, I was able to find
what I was looking for.
• The idea that I came across was found on Pintrest. The point is to have bathtub
appliques turned on their smooth side while the suction cups face upwards. Then, the
patient will use metal tongs/clothespin to get a marble out of a bowl and place one on
each suction cup. A patient can also practice removing each marble from each suction
cup to be placed back into the bowl. This activity can help a patient with visual-motor
integration, dexterity, flexion/extension or supination/pronation of the wrist, and
concentration.
• Compiling a Household Weight Substitution Handout
• Through my discussions with the patients, I was able to come up with a project where I
created a handout that would compile household weight substitutions. Many of my
preceptors patients would practice moving items at home and not know exactly how
much weight they were lifting. I have provided a handout to them that will help them
know how heavy certain household items are, so they are more aware of the weight of
an item. The handout contains mostly items found in a pantry and the weights vary from
a 1/2 pound up to 10 pounds.

21. My Goals and Objectives
(continued)
Skill Goal:
By the end of my fieldwork
experience, I will be able to use a
better technique needed to teach a
patient a new exercise for hand
therapy.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Interviewing my preceptor about
his/her techniques he/she found
to be the most effective with his
hand therapy patients
2. Observing the use of tactile,
auditory, and visual learning
instructions given to patients of
various ages
3. Writing notes based on my
observations to detect the most
successful pattern of instruction
for hand therapy exercises
Skill Goal:
By the end of my field experience, I will be
able to learn how to properly use at least
3 pieces of equipment, such as the
fluidotherapy, electrical stimulation, BTE,
iontophoresis, etc.
Objectives: I will be able to accomplish
this by:
1. Observing my preceptor in the use of
the equipment
2. Interviewing my preceptor about its
uses and its effectiveness in
treatment
3. Using the equipment with patients
(as permitted) to build more
experience and gain more practice
4. Watching videos from the internet on
how to use the equipment and learn
its different purposes

22. My Goals and Objectives
(continued)
Skill Goal:
By the end of my field experience, I
will be able to assemble a tool or
tools that my preceptor can use as an
option for hand therapy treatment.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Discussing the needs for hand
therapy treatment with my
preceptor (such as increasing
dexterity, improving sensory
needs, etc.)
2. Reviewing samples of other
previous interns’ projects to get
an idea of a useful tools that are
possible to make
3. Using the Internet to learn about
helpful hand therapy activities
and how to create/obtain
equipment needed
Cognitive Goal:
By the end of my fieldwork experience, I
will be able to learn and describe at
least 5 common occupational therapy
exercises and writing goals for hand
therapy patients.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Interviewing my preceptor about
writing goals for his patients
2. Observing my preceptor when
teaching a patient hand therapy
exercises and/or watching the
patient complete their routine hand
therapy exercises
3. Reviewing hand exercise sheets
given to patients in order to practice
their hand therapy

23. My Goals and Objectives
(continued)
Affective Goal:
By the end of my fieldwork experience, I will be able to greater
express my feelings of why I should further pursue a career in
occupational therapy and potentially specialize in hand therapy.
Objectives: I will accomplish this by:
1. Interviewing the preceptor, assistants, aides, and office staff on
their job responsibilities and qualifications necessary for their
jobs
2. Observing the details of how the clinic as a whole operates on a
daily basis
3. Discussing with my preceptor and others that I work with about
my personal qualities that would best fit the qualities of a hand
therapist
4. Reviewing the type of atmosphere around the clinic and how I
may have influenced it
5. Reflecting on my feelings of why I want to continue to pursue
occupational therapy and why I would be a good fit

24. Conclusion
By completing two intern sites, it has reinforced
my time management skills, communications skills,
patience, and has given me valuable hands-on
experience that I will be able to take with me in my
future career. Interning between two sites has given
me the unique chance to compare and contrast the
specialties of occupational therapy through first-
hand experience. Everyday was different from the
next, and I learned something new every week that I
was at either clinic. I strongly recommend two
internship sites for any future intern that has the
availability and wants to explore different areas of
the field.

25. Works Cited
AnMed Health. (n.d.a). Pediatric therapy works.
Retrieved from http://www.anmedhealth.org/
services/childrens-care/pediatric-therapy-works.aspx
AnMed Health. (n.d.b). Mission/vision. Retrieved from
http://www.anmedhealth.org/about-us/mission-
vision.aspx
(CSMR) Clemson Sports Medicine and Rehabilitation. (n.d.).
Our services. Retrieved from http://www.csmr.org/
services/