Month One in Review

I am officially one month into my internship. How did that happen?! About 4 weeks ago I asked another intern if they felt that their internship time flew by. Their answer was no. So why does it feel like mine is?!

Today, the day after the 4th of July and a long weekend, I know many were dragging themselves out of bed and off to work. And while I admit that I love my bed, enjoy sleeping, and generally procrastinate getting up in the morning, I have to admit that I am amazed at my enthusiasm to be right where I am. One month in and I am honestly loving it. The patients, my supervisor, the other MTs, everything. I feel like I did on my first day of school at the University of Iowa - as if I was right where I was supposed to be. And that's a great feeling.

And so now, in honor of my past TA and the reflections I shared on my first day, I present you again with a positive/negative/ridiculous Month One Review.

Positive

1. I have been able to shadow so many different professional and have learned so much. Especially from the MTs here... they are all just simply amazing.
2. I have started having the opportunities to sing, play, and interact with patients and have had some fantastic results/experiences. I am confident that this area is exactly where I am supposed to be. Also, the data collection, documentation, and charting process is not as daunting as I was afraid it would be.
3. I know I am being pushed to be a better musician. I am being challenged and have already grown/learned so much. It's really nice and very exciting.

Negative

1. I am still trying to get comfortable with unresponsive patients. I can understand when the patient is sleeping and I'm ok if they are so progressed in their disease that they are no longer alert. BUT I am still very uncomfortable/awkward when the clients are unable to respond and you're not quite sure what is going on cognitively (for example: a patient diagnosed with Parkinson's and unable to speak but keeps eye contact).

Ridiculous

1. I was sitting observing a MT spending time with a patient who was sleeping. The MT utilized improvisational music to comfort the patient (easing the labored breathing and pain management), mask the sounds of the facility, and generally create a peaceful environment. The room was dark and the chair I sat in was sooo cozy. Let me tell you that THAT music therapy intervention was very successful the patients breaths became more even and deeper, their face and jaw relaxed, they showed no signs or symptoms of pain, they slept peacefully, and I had to fight to NOT sleep peacefully as well. :)