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Digital Accessibility Internship

| Sarah Rusnak

Logo for Digital Accessibility Services at The Ohio State UniversityThis semester I had the opportunity to partake in a Digital Accessibility Internship. Through this internship, I learned about what digital accessibility means and why digital accessibility is important. I was also given the opportunity to learn how to make Microsoft Word and PowerPoints digitally accessible. Lastly, through this internship, I helped update transcripts for Nutrition Assessment, a class at Ohio State.

In today’s world, technology is heavily incorporated in everyday activities, and it will continue to do so. However, one issue that can occur from constantly using technology is a lack of digital accessibility among all users. To start, digital accessibility is creating online resources that can be used by everyone. Some examples of online resources include documents, PowerPoints, videos, audios, etc. Additionally, digital accessibility provides equal opportunities to access the same services and information to its full extent. Furthermore, it creates an environment where it is easy and relatively fast to navigate online resources.

Although many people do not consider digital accessibility while creating their own resources, it is extremely important to acknowledge. By not considering digital accessibility, people are discriminating against those with disabilities and creating an environment where not everyone can access information. It is prohibiting people from gaining the knowledge that they deserve. Additionally, it can be frustrating for users because it will take extra time and stress to be able to understand what the resource is. Simply put, digital accessibility is the right thing to do. Furthermore, digital accessibility is required by the law. At Ohio State University, professors and other staff members have to include various options for gaining information. For example, many professors create audio lecture videos and provide transcripts to those videos.

A goal of mine while completing this internship was to challenge others to start creating accessible online resources. By educating and providing resources, I hope more people can become aware of how accessible their online resources are. This PowerPoint presentation provides great tips and practice for how to make Microsoft Word and PowerPoints accessible. Additionally, it provides resources that can be used to further educate others on digital accessibility.

-Amanda Burgei

On the Other Hand Therapy

| Sarah Rusnak

I had the opportunity to work with On the Other Hand Therapy as a pediatric occupational therapy intern in a preschool motor group. I was also on the leadership corps during this project as well. This was such a unique experience to be a part of because it was completely hands-on, an opportunity rarely seen in OT observations. Laura Clubok, the mentor for this project, provided us all with independent learning between training sessions where I was able to learn information about pediatric OT I would not have until entering a graduate program. Integrating this information into the motor group activities helped me get a grasp on what developmental skill was being targeted. This information was also very helpful in understanding the purpose of activities in other shadowing rotations outside of pediatrics.

Prior to the motor group beginning, I worked with Laura and the leadership corps to plan training sessions for the other interns. We held three training sessions where we went over basic components of pediatric OT and how to successfully work with children. We also discussed de-escalation techniques, sensory support techniques, and cultural competency for the preschool which was predominantly Orthodox Jewish. The third training session we set-up the activities that would be used during motor group and presented cool-down activity ideas.

The motor group ran for 10 weeks, with new activities added to each station every other week. The motor group was set up with 3 children and 3 interns in each group. There were two sessions, beginning with 3-4 year-olds and ending with 4-5 year-olds. The stations included fine motor (pincer and palmar grasp activities), vestibular stimulator (upside-down bowling, balance boards, spin discs) and gross motor (tunnel, skipping,scooter boards). The stations were modified for each group to match their development level.

A large blanket with toys on it, laying on a wood floor
Fine motor station

Working on the leadership corps allowed me to be behind the scenes for the planning of the motor group. Once the motor group began, I was responsible for co-leading three sessions and entering data collected five times. When preparing for co-leading, I would have a meeting with Laura at the end of the week to discuss what we thought went well and what needed to be changed. This often consisted of switching groups of children and changing some stations.

Then we would go through the lesson plans for the next week and change instructions if needed and reformat to make the instructions as simple and accessible for our interns to read. I would then also create an equipment list for the week and help Laura create the data questions and format the data sheet. I would help Laura explain the stations to the other interns before the children arrived and do demonstrations of the activities. On data capture weeks, I would collect the data sheets the other interns used during the motor group and enter the information into a spreadsheet for each child. The questions included specific activities we worked on that week, for example “Can keep head up during popcorn: Yes/No), and if the child was right or left handed, as well as a section for what they struggled with or did well that week. Each member of the leadership corps also created a flyer for parents on one thing they learned, mine was types of vestibular stimulation and their importance in development.

Overall, this was an amazing experience to connect with children and learn about pediatric OT. I had an exceptional mentor and learned so much! I would highly recommend this experience for those interested in OT.

A large gymnasium with mats, balance boards, tunnels, and other equipment for therapy and play.
Motor group set-up

-Becky Loughran

Pediatric Therapy Partners Internship

| Sarah Rusnak

This semester I had the opportunity to work as an intern at Pediatric Therapy Partners in Lewis Center, Ohio. This is an outpatient clinic that offers comprehensive sensory-based Speech and Hearing Therapy, Occupational Therapy, and Neurofeedback. They also specialize in co-treatment for kids with complex co-existing conditions, provide request-based school consultative services, and provide a variety of groups and classes for kids during the summer. Play is a huge motto that Pediatric Therapy Partners stands by. Their entire clinic consists of different gyms with numerous swings, ball pits, monkey bars, slides, and more. The therapists want every kid to be excited about therapy every week and use play to motivate the kids to engage in developmental and regulation exercises.

Activity room at Pediatric Therapy Partners

This clinic is small, the staff is close-knit, and I immediately felt welcomed and one of the team my entire time there. I was mainly with one Occupational Therapist, Allison Aldrich, but at times when there were cancellations or she was not there, I got to work with the other Occupational and Speech and Hearing Therapists and see how they use unique skills to treat their patients. The therapists would always provide a quick overview of their child before each session, explaining what goals they would be focusing on, specific games they would be playing, and how these helped work on their goals. They also always allowed me to ask follow-up questions if I needed. When there was free time, I got an overview of how to document for each client, helped prepare different activities for the therapists, and helped clean toys and gym areas. The relationships I got to make with not only the staff but the kids I got to see every week was one of the best parts of this internship. At first many of the kids were a bit shy or hesitant of me joining their sessions but within just a few weeks they were inviting me to join in on different games like hide and seek, tag, board games, and more. Getting this interactive experience with each kid allowed me to learn an extensive amount about how Occupational Therapy works and how you customize a plan for each child based on their goals that they come in to work on.

I have always known what Occupational Therapy was and had a passion to work in pediatrics, but after this internship I know this is my calling. Everyone tells you to get a job that you look forward to going to every day and I can say that I was always thrilled to go to my internship and see all the kids and therapists. I have had various eye-opening experiences throughout this internship and learned so much about how outpatient clinics operate. Interning with Pediatric Therapy Partners truly exceeded all my expectations and solidified my desire to pursue graduate school for Occupational Therapy and continue to learn about all the different ways I can help people through this career.

-Maria Rossi

Nationwide Children’s Play Strong Internship

| Sarah Rusnak

Logo of Nationwide Children's Hospital with the subtitle "when your child needs a hospital, everything matters"This semester I had the opportunity to work as an intern at Nationwide Children’s Hospital in the Sports Medicine Department through the Play Strong Program. The Play Strong Program is a 12-week functional movement rehabilitation program that is targeted towards children living with, or recovering from chronic diseases such as diabetes, cancer, or the children may just struggle with their weight. The program promotes physical activity through play for the patients to learn how to live and maintain an active healthy lifestyle. The program has two classes a week with one of the classes being a physical activity lesson with stretches, exercises, games, and an activity at the end of the class that teaches ways to promote a healthy lifestyle at home; the other class in the week, the patients explore and play various sports and games like hokey, volleyball, and wiffle ball. Play Strong had two classes a night, where the first class, or the junior class had 6- to 10-year-old patients, and the second class, or the senior class had patients who were 11 or older. At the beginning and the end of the twelve weeks, the patients are evaluated, and re-evaluate to determine how their functional movement has changed.

As an intern, my responsibilities consisted of both administrative works, as well as leading both classes each week. The administrative responsibilities included tracking patient attendance through epic patients’ portal and excel, calling the patients parents to remind them of scheduled appointments, organizing paperwork and equipment, and lastly help conduct evaluations and re-evaluations. Through the administrative work, I learned a great amount about the time that goes in to running an out-patient program in different settings in a hospital, and I also learned a lot about functional movement screenings. The functional movement screening is a test consisting of 9 different exercises that tests a patient’s strength, flexibility, and endurance, and each patient is rated on a scale from 1-3 for each movement. The second, and more exciting responsibility of the internship was leading and conducting both the physical activity lesson, and game lesson each week. In order to lead and conducted the physical activity lessons each week, I would have to learn the exercises, stretches, and short games to teach to both the Junior and Senior class, and for the sports related class, I would have to do the same.

Throughout the 16 weeks I spent at the Play Strong Program, I made great connections with both the staff, and the patients involved in the program. I learned how to interact one on one with patients in a pediatric setting and group setting, conflict management with patients, and how to conduct professional administrative work. Each class brought new and exciting connections and stories with patients, and it gave me a great sense of accomplishment to see patients have fun with the lessons, learn how to incorporate physical activity in their day to day lives, and develop a passion for the sports they learned each week. Overall, my experience in the Play Strong Program was amazing, and it gave me wonderful insight on out-patient pediatric care and hospital administrative work. The Play Strong Program over the course of the semester was a great help in solidifying my want to be a provider in the health care community.

-Mackenzie Drews

Dr. Francesco Somma Plastic and Aesthetic Surgery

| Sarah Rusnak

This spring semester, I have had the unique and incredible opportunity to participate in an international internship during my four-month study abroad experience in Sorrento, Italy. My placement was with a specialist in Reconstructive, Plastic, and Aesthetic surgery who specialized in abdominoplasties (also known as tummy tucks), thighplasties (thigh lifts), mammoplasties (breast reductions and augmentations), as well as outpatient procedures like lip injections, botox, and hyaluronic acid facial fillers. My role as an intern allowed me to scrub into 2-3 surgeries a week, helping my preceptor’s surgical team with tasks such as cauterizations, trimming stitches, and sanitization. In addition, I shadowed his outpatient appointments and consultations, occasionally helping with laser facial treatments and dermal exfoliants. Upon beginning this role in a brand new country, a foreign language in which I had very limited proficiency, and in a specialty which I had little prior knowledge, I felt woefully unprepared. However, I did know this would be an incredible experience for me to actively learn about surgery, the aesthetic medicine specialty, Italian healthcare, and an amazing and immersive way to get to know the country where I would be living for the next four months.

Port in Sorrento, Italy
Image by falco from Pixabay

This internship was extremely difficult and intimidating at times, largely due to the language barrier. Although my preceptor spoke English, I was always the only non-Italian speaker in a room of eight to ten Italian surgeons, anaesthesiologists, nurses, and technicians. From attempting to understand both their medical and casual conversations with the Italian language capabilities of a first grader, to decoding out if “forbice” really meant scissors or forceps (and once finally translated, where to even find them in the operating room), to trying to help patients be comfortable with my presence when I did not have the luxury of small talk- this was a challenge.

It’s hard to put into words the unique challenges this semester posed, and even harder to summarize all of the extremely valuable lessons I have learned about myself, Italian culture, the world, and medicine’s role within it. Walking into my first day, I felt clueless; I could not rely on normal informational cues such as signs, instructions, manuals, or even the people around me- English was nowhere to be found. I was out of my comfort zone, I did not feel like I belonged, and I consistently felt like I was always two steps behind.

Needless to say, I was intimidated.

However, as a result of overcoming these challenges, I have grown exponentially in more ways than one. I found that although I never was quite comfortable, by the end of this internship I was still able to work and learn in this unfamiliar environment. Rather than using auditory language cues for instruction, I learned to focus on paying attention visually. I learned the correct operating room behavior to ensure sterility, how to cauterize, trim and remove stitches, and predict the surgeon’s next move so I could act effectively. I learned ways to communicate and foster connections with people in ways other than language (a smile and an offer to help clean up the O.R. goes a long way). I learned about Italian culture, perspectives, lifestyle, and priorities and was able to compare and contrast to my own. I learned about different approaches to healthcare within a nationalized system, and observed the advantages and disadvantages that I had never previously considered. I learned that I am capable of much more than I ever thought, and that perseverance through difficult and awkward situations will eventually yield a solution. As a result of these past four months with this internship, I have grown immensely in my confidence, knowledge, and enthusiasm for my future as a Physician Assistant in a surgical specialty. Despite the challenges, I would absolutely recommend to everyone who is able to spend time overseas. Whether it’s an internship, a medical mission trip, a BUCK-I-Serve, or just leisurely travel, it is an incredible way to get to know yourself, grow in independence and confidence, and increase your appreciation of other cultures.

-Maria Hays

Pediatric Therapy Partners

| Sarah Rusnak

Logo for Pediatric Therapy PartnersThis summer I was able to complete my internship at Pediatric Therapy Partners located just outside of Columbus. This was an out-patient clinic that provided Occupational Therapy and Speech Therapy.

The clinic was responsible in seeing numerous children each day to help aid in improving the daily habits of the children through evaluations and treatment. As for myself, I spent a great deal of time observing multiple different therapists. This allowed me to learn different techniques and skills that are used by different therapists. As well, in some sessions standardized measurement tests were used with the children, which was eye-opening to see. I learned as well how important documentation of sessions were and how the different therapists chose to write their documents. The therapists as well were great at explaining some of the important things to pay attention to during sessions that are key in measuring the progress of clients. I feel that even from my short time spent there, I have learned so much that will be beneficial heading into a hopeful future career as an Occupational Therapist.

The therapists were all extremely considerate and made me feel comfortable at all times while I was there. They were always encouraging questions and providing adequate answers to questions that I asked. As well, they always did a great job at explaining the goals of different children before I viewed a session, which allowed me to make sense of why certain activities were being pursued. Sometimes though, they would sort of reverse roles and allow myself to come up with conclusions as to why they did something and have me then explain to them. This was always confidence boosting and reassuring that I was really gaining value and learning from my experience there.

This has been one of the greatest learning experiences that I could have imagined, and my time spent there was extremely rewarding. Although I know it was just a short amount of time spent there, but I feel as if I have an entire new wealth of knowledge. I have been inspired and am eager to continue learning about Occupational Therapy and what the career all has to offer beyond pediatrics.

-Bailey Winner

Volunteering for YoungLives Columbus

| Sarah Rusnak

Logo for Columbus City YoungLivesThis past summer, I received the opportunity to serve as a student intern for YoungLives Columbus. My role was very fluid, allowing me to experience every position in this organization. From handling the newsletter, to running childcare, to finding reliable resources to relay to moms, this internship definitely exceeded my expectations. I truly saw the behind the scenes work of supporting mothers in their day-to-day lives and helping them grow in self-advocacy.

I really enjoyed working on the resource toolkit with the committee members. The goal of this toolkit was to create a living document with reliable resources for moms. It contains many resources for shelter, food, pregnancy, diapers, transportation, furniture, and medical options. I didn’t understand how much this was needed at first, but I have come to learn that some places that advertise that they are here to support moms really fail to accomplish that. Whether it be a completely false advertisement or many times another agenda is involved, it is really hard to get help when needed. Creating this toolkit involved YoungLives mentors calling these places and explaining what we do and asking the question of how can you help us. We then tried to use the resource for ourselves first before referring to moms.

The biggest thing that I have learned was how to put the feelings of these mothers over my own. Being involved in an organization like this truly requires a selfless character and this character does not come naturally. This was not something that I could be taught solely, but something I also needed to learn through experience. When I first experienced a blowup with a mom, I had no idea what to do. The specific mom that I was connecting with has deep trauma and suffers from severe depression and addiction. One day, I was at her apartment and she became extremely angry with me because I refused to take her to get cigarettes. She became hysterical in such a short time and I was honestly shocked because it was my first time seeing her in that state. I knew that I had to stand my ground, but I also did not want to abandon her at her worst because that is what she was used to. So, I stayed with her and listened because that was really all I could do. She was not in the state to even have a logical conversation surrounding it, so I stayed at her apartment for about 30 minutes until she calmed down. My purpose for doing that was to show her that she does not deserve to be walked out on just because she had a bad moment. How she feels and why she feels it still mattered to me. I understood that her anger was about way more than the cigarettes. One part of me was really confused about why this was happening with me and to me, but another part was really concerned for her well-being and that was the feeling that ended up taking over. I was not worried about me because I was not the one who was hurting.

It is my dream to become an OBGYN and this internship has really helped me understand what mothers go through on the daily, specifically teen moms. Teen mothers are not a monolith and their lives look so different from one another. Even though they are young mothers, they still deserve to be supported and cared for. This internship has grown my passion for working with mothers in the future.

-Valerie Simon

Experiences at an Outpatient Physical Therapy Clinic

| Sarah Rusnak

This summer, I had the pleasure of completing an internship at Active Physical Therapy – Hilliard from early May through the end of July as a Physical Therapist Aide.  As a PT Aide at the clinic, I was expected to fulfill many tasks on a daily basis.  These tasks included duties like basic maintenance, cleaning, and helping to check patients in.  However, my most significant duties by far included observing and assisting patients in the administration of their physical therapy regimens.

In a typical day, we would see approximately 5-10 patients per therapist.   We worked with patients from initial entry all the way to “graduation”.  For example, Lisa (not her real name) was a patient that had been coming to the clinic for two weeks before I started my internship.  Lisa was an elderly woman that struggled with activities of daily living and suffered from deficits in strength and balance.  In a typical session, we would work in exercises like marching in place, step-and-pause, and side-to-side shuffles as well as standard exercises like rows, overhead presses, and sit-to-stands.

However, we were far from limited to elderly patients.  We had a young soccer player that, upon examination, was diagnosed with femoroacetabular syndrome (hip impingement).  After that diagnosis, we would work on both range of motion and strengthen the various structures of the hip and leg.  These two actions combined would enable the patient to tolerate load easier and increase range of motion over time while also building strength around the problem area.  We especially focused on strengthen the abductors and the glute Medius.  He was eventually able to return to soccer full time.

Sometimes, we had patients that had gone through severe trauma as well.  Anne (not her real name) was in a traumatic accident that resulted in a shattered femur and various nerve issues.  In a typical session, we would work on various strengthening exercises for her quadriceps muscles as well as building tolerance to loading the ankle area.  Additionally, we would work on nerve glides in order to relieve and work on injured nerves.  Over time, she was able to continually regain more and more function of her leg and ankle.  Recovery, however, is an uneven path.  It may be a long time before she regains full function.

Andrew Evans at Active Physical Therapy ClinicEarly in the internship, my preceptor and I sat down and decided on learning objectives that I would use to guide my experience at the clinic.  My first learning objective was to improve my knowledge of human anatomy and physiology and to increase my knowledge of practical treatments for various ailments.  My time at Active Physical Therapy more than accomplished this for me.  I learned how you might treat many different injuries, from cervical spine issues, to hip issues, all the way to foot and ankle problems.  My second learning objective was to improve my comfort in a clinical setting interacting with patients.  I would argue I was even more successful in this objective than my first.  I developed close relationships with patients that lasted for the duration of the internship.  I became invested in their success and loved seeing progress from week-to-week.  Overall, my time at Active Physical Therapy was incredibly beneficial.  It strengthened my conviction that physical therapy was the right field for me.

-Andrew Evans

Volunteering at Grant Medical Center

| Sarah Rusnak

Over the course of the semester, I completed my internship experience at Grant Medical Center, a sector of the OhioHealth system, in downtown Columbus. Whether it be holding critical newborns in the NICU, or visiting patients on hospital floors, there are a plethora of volunteer opportunities to meet different populations of people and also to see how the healthcare teams work in each department. For my experience, I chose to work in the Emergency Department, which, at Grant, is a Level 1 trauma center. As a Level 1 trauma center, the ED takes on major emergent cases from the surrounding areas. It also means that when other hospitals are on diversion, meaning they aren’t accepting any more patients because their ED is full, patients come to Grant. In either situation, I learned how important it is to stay alert yet calm.

One day, in particular, was extremely chaotic in the ED. Four Level 1 traumas had been brought in – two were major motor vehicle crashes and two were gunshot wound victims. Also, since the trauma patients required the majority of the healthcare providers on staff, the waiting room was full of people waiting to be seen by a physician. The ambassador and I sat at the front desk trying to reassure the people who had been waiting all day to see someone, while also trying to communicate with the frantic family members of the trauma patients. On top of all of that, one of the families of a trauma patient did not speak English, except for one of their younger boys. I could sense the boy’s discomfort as he had the added pressure of communicating between the hospital staff and his family. From that night, I learned the importance of demonstrating empathy through my actions. I couldn’t do or say much due to only being a volunteer, so I made sure that I stayed friendly and calm, even when others weren’t, and I maintained eye contact and stayed attentive to people when they talked to me. Also, I learned how important it is to communicate effectively with other team members. There are so many details when it comes to treatment for a patient and making sure everyone is on the same page keeps healthcare professionals from being misinformed, improves the person’s overall care, and allows family members to stay up to speed on their loved one’s care.

Another important aspect of Grant is that many times the people who need treatment come from an underserved population. By communicating with visitors, I was able to witness many of the health disparities that we learn so often about in class. I learned how important it is to look at people through a holistic perspective, and to remember that despite their circumstances, we are all human and just want to be treated respectfully and with compassion.

My experience taught me many things. Whether it was how to prepare a room for new patients or how to communicate in different situations, I believe that my time at Grant has given me a greater insight into the world of healthcare. These experiences are some that I will never forget, and I am grateful for the personal growth they have afforded me.

-Margaret Wiedt

Physicians CareConnection

| Sarah Rusnak

Physicians CareConnection LogoMy internship experience this summer was with an organization called Physicians CareConnection, which is an affiliate of the Columbus Medical Association. PCC is a volunteer- based organization that helps coordinate care for vulnerable adults in Ohio. PCC hosts a free clinic on Monday nights for patients to see volunteer physicians in primary care as well as a rotating assortment of specialties that vary from week to week. However, the clinic is more than just free care for a medically under-served population, and much of their efforts are focused on finding a “medical home” for their patient once they are seen at the clinic. My time spent outside of the clinic in the administrative office was where I learned most about PCC’s care coordination model. Aside from specialty care, patients being seen at the Monday night clinic for primary care reasons are seen and treated and then referred to a federally qualified healthcare center that is most convenient for them. These federally qualified healthcare centers meet rigorous standards for providing adequate primary care for high risk patients in hard to reach populations, and receive federal funding in order to treat patients on a sliding-fee scale.

decorative image of a family

My favorite part of volunteering at the clinic was the community-based environment that the volunteers and staff fostered in the organization. I was also lucky enough to have many opportunities to network with volunteer healthcare professionals, shadow practitioners, and accumulate patient care experience. Being able to culminate both my experience in the clinic and in the administrative office also gave me a strong holistic understanding of the logistics of the entire operation, and learning about each different role in the clinic has equipped me to train other new volunteers in the future. To conclude, I felt that this internship was the perfect experience to end my undergraduate Health Science career and would recommend to all students pursuing a career in healthcare to consider volunteering with this organization as well.

-Emily Eames