Tiffany Lai

The range of diagnoses you see on these floors is enormous. Here are examples of some common ones: Abdominal surgeries Method could be laparoscopic or open abdomen. Abdominal precautions for open abdomen surgeries. If you visualize the incision, you will see a vertical or horizontal cut on the belly. No bending, lifting, twisting, or lifting >5 lbs. Teach adaptive technique for lower body dressing, toileting, and bed mobility (logroll). Lung diseases (COPD, bronchiestasis) Check the doctors orders for SPO2 parameters.

Oncology

By Tiffany Lai in floors of the hospital

September 1, 2023

Oncology Chart Platelet count Neutropenic precautions - ANC (neutrophil count) Weightbearing status of any affected bones Evaluation/Treatment Cognition Energy conservation See patient inbetween or before chemo treatments

Orthopedics

By Tiffany Lai in floors of the hospital

September 1, 2023

If you’re a new therapist, orthopedics is a great place to start. For the most part, bones are straightforward and predictable. Charting For this service, it is important to pay special attention to: Precautions Weightbearing status Hemoglobin and hematocrit levels Pain Treatment Give special attention to premedication for pain. Pain medications should be administered 30 min to 1 hour before therapy. Check orthostatic blood pressure readings, SPO2, and heart rate.

Resume Tips

By Tiffany Lai in transitioning settings

August 23, 2023

For those trying to break into acute care: Try to emphasize the skills you have that apply to acute care: the acuity of patients you’ve seen, lines you’ve managed, patient population, working with a medical team, any internships or volunteer experience you’ve had in acute care, and any continuing education courses you’ve taken. In many OT schools, they recommend you ask about mentoring opportunities to show your commitment to growth.

County hospital lives up to the hype

By Tiffany Lai in a day in the life

August 16, 2023

After applying for per diem hospital jobs for a solid year, I FINALLY got hired. This particular hospital was a county hospital in a neighborhood notorious for crime and violence. I was bracing myself victims of violent crimes and for combative patients. The VERY FIRST patient I had on the very first day was a man who was shot multiple times in a liquor store. I went with a senior OT who was onboarding me.

Therapist experience as a patient

By Tiffany Lai in a day in the life

August 16, 2023

In spring of 2023 I gave birth to my first child. It was a beautiful experience but also harrowing as I had a very dangerous form of preclampsia and needed an emergent induction. I was at risk of organ damage, seizures and hemorrhage. Working at the hospital, you would think I would be comfortable being admitted as I knew the general ebb and flow, knew some medical terminology and medicines, walked a similar hallway 5 days a week.

Calling for help in the hospital

By Tiffany Lai in hospital culture

August 14, 2023

The hospital employs different ways of calling for help to deploy qualified personnel in a timely manner. If you encounter an issue during your session, here are different ways of calling for help: Patient Call Light (Non-urgent help) Can be used to call nursing assistants to assist with pericare or linen changes, to call nursing to request pain medicine or to disconnect IVs to make line management easier. Help may not come right away.

The Different Discharge Settings

By Tiffany Lai in therapy in acute care

August 13, 2023

Here are some common discharge options across hospitals from most intensive therapy to least. Acute rehab A rehab setting delivering short term aggressive therapy with the goal of the patient returning home afterward. The patient needs to be able to tolerate 3 hours of therapy a day, 5 days a week for about 2 weeks. The patient needs to be motivated, have enough stamina to participate, and have a potential to improve rapidly.

Types of Hospitals

By Tiffany Lai in hospital culture

August 13, 2023

*All opinions here are my own. This section is merely what I have experienced working in each setting. Community hospital These hospitals are smaller with many patients being residents of the area. They have less resources than large hospitals so they transfer out higher acuity patients that cannot be managed with the expertise and equipment they have available. In my experience, working here is like living in a small town instead of a city.

Evaluation and Treatment

By Tiffany Lai in therapy in acute care

August 12, 2023

As you gain more experience in the hospital, you will find your own style and methods of performing evaluations and treatments. Here is a sample that can be revised and tweaked as you gain experience: Introduce yourself at the start of the session and give a brief explanation of your role in the hospital. Perform the interview to find out the prior level of function and home environmental setup. Try to talk directly to the patient, not the caregiver.

Medicine and Med/Surg