Bonnie Keller

This January I was given the opportunity to participate in a Rural Health Fellowship through the URMED program. I was able to get experience and observe occupational therapists at Loring Hospital and Park View Rehabilitation Center in Sac City, IA; BVRMC in Storm Lake, IA; and Ablekids Pediatric Therapy in Sioux City, IA. During my three weeks I gained valuable knowledge about OT and took part in some hands on learning through putting myself in the patient’s shoes. It was great to see how my education at BVU and the skills that I am learning through my involvement on campus connect with my career field. One of the most interesting things about my internship was that even though I was in 3 different locations working in different avenues of the career, the end goal with each patient was the same – help people achieve and go back to the things they like or want to do (occupations). I was able to work with patients from 1 day old to 99 years young – and each had their own diagnoses and personal goals, but the underlying goal was to help them achieve what they wanted to do. Whether that be a child with an autism spectrum disorder playing with other children, an elderly person wanting to re-establish independence through dressing themselves, or a middle-aged person who wants to go back to their career. With therapy the possibilities are endless.