Hello readers, it’s Kam here and I’ve got some bittersweet news for you all! This will officially be my last blog as my time with the Tele-Rehab project has come to an end. Finals season has begun, marking the end of my practicum as well. But before I do leave, I’d love to tell you all a little bit about my experience and time with the Tele-Rehab team and project.
The past four months have gone by in a flash. I feel like the semester after the New Year always goes by quickly. It definitely goes by even quicker when you’re enjoying what’s being taught. Before beginning my practicum, I was nervous and wasn’t sure how much of an experience I would really be receiving considering everything was virtual. But I was proven wrong. The Tele-Rehab team provided me with opportunities I hadn’t been exposed to outside of a classroom setting. I was able to complete interviews with both patients and clinicians (remote and on-site) and then write about their experiences. Not something we get to do in a classroom. The only experience I previously had with interviewing was from one of my classes but that was just within the class and among the students.
I was able to hear directly from patients and clinicians how Tele-Rehab 2.0 has impacted them and why they chose to be part of the project. Everyone had their own reasons but at the end they all said that it was the right choice and would recommend Tele-Rehab to everyone. I agree with them - if I knew anyone out in rural Alberta that needed the help, I’d 100% be sending them to get help from Tele-Rehab! I’m not saying this just because I was part of the team but because of the unique format of the project. In a normal tele-health appointment, you only get to see the virtual doctor and they’d prescribe you a treatment and you are basically left on your own to figure the rest out. Whereas, with Tele-Rehab the patients actually get the help of an on-site clinician with additional help from the remote experts and from the amazing technology that is provided onsite.
I have to say that watching assessments was my favourite. They were one thing I looked forward to every week. I can’t describe the feeling I got when I would get to see patients feel better than how they came in. The first assessment I watched was Edie’s vestibular assessment (her story is up in the blogs). Her assessment will forever be my favourite assessment I watched due to the energy change by the end of the assessment - mostly because of how great she felt and also because she offered to bake us cookies!
The Tele-Rehab team for the summer will be adding on more members, meaning that our project coordinator Emily will have a handful of students but also the extra help as she is always overworking herself. Come summertime, Emily will be beginning the writing of the research paper, so stay tuned for that! Amber will be continuing to volunteer so keep an eye out for more amazing blogs by her.
It’s been an overwhelming semester as this is my final semester of my undergrad but being part of the team made it an amazing last semester. I am excited to take the experiences and skills I gained from the project into my next adventures. I am extremely happy that I decided to take on my practicum with the Tele-Rehab team. If I had made the decision to not complete my practicum at all because I was afraid I wouldn’t learn anything virtually, I wouldn’t have had the opportunity to meet you all virtually and make the connections I have now.
I would like to thank the Tele-Rehab 2.0 team and especially Emily for providing me with this unique opportunity and for teaching me things I wasn’t the best at. I can definitely leave saying I have expanded on my knowledge and gained new skills that will stay with me going into future jobs. I can’t wait to see what more is in store for the project and will be looking forward to catching up through future blogs.
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