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My First Experiences

My Internship has started off with a bang. One of the things I was very interested in when I applied to this program was the opportunity to observe and shadow an Occupational Therapist. In my very first week here, I spent some great mornings at the Tulia Health and Rehab Center where I met some geriatric patients. I spent my first week helping them through exercises and learning their various diagnoses alongside Mary Bremmer, the residing Occupational Therapist. After that first week, I resumed shadowing a new Occupational Therapist named Mandy Schilling at Swisher Memorial Hospital, who is well qualified and very informative. I will be spending the rest of the summer shadowing her on Mondays and Wednesdays.

The lovely Mandy Schilling, OT

Another Project of mine is to document moth populations around corn fields in Swisher County. This is done by filling a moth trap with bait that lets out a scent targeting a specific type of moth. I then count the moths that have been trapped on a weekly basis paying close attention to which kind of moth was caught. The data is recorded every Tuesday for ten weeks  and will be sent to Texas A&M University at the end of the summer. I also had the opportunity to help with a day camp for 4H kids called D24H2O, where we took kids involved in the 4H program in district two. We spent the day at the lake playing games, riding canoes and kayaks, and having a fun time in the sun and water.

A herd of Buffalo at the Caprock Canyon State Park

My other project involves refurbishing an old mural in the town of Kress. The mural was painted some time ago, and weather and neglect has caused it to become dirty and chipped. Our goal is to clean up the building and either refurbish or make a new mural that reflects the town’s values. This will hopefully be completed, with the town council’s help, by the end of August when we plan to have a town celebration. My summer is certainly sure to be busy and eventful, and will be sure to let you guys know how it goes!