RUNNING HEAD: FLEXIBLE LEARNING ACTIVITY 1: SHADOWING A TEAM

MEMBER

Flexible Learning Activity 1: Shadowing a Team Member

1000487430

University of Toronto – St. George Campus

Fieldwork 1

Friday June 7, 2019

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Flexible Learning Activity 1: Shadowing a Team Member
During my fieldwork placement, I had the opportunity to shadow two different healthcare
professionals who worked alongside my two preceptors in their respective healthcare teams.
These experiences gave me a better understanding of the scopes of practice of these two
professionals as well as how they contribute to effective client care.
One of my preceptors worked in the Assess and Restore program along with another
occupational therapist (OT), a social worker (SW), a nurse (RN), a pharmacist, a geripsychiatrist,
and four geriatricians. I shadowed the RN and observed her perform initial assessments with
clients prior to meeting the geriatrician. The RN’s initial assessment was similar that which my
preceptor performs on home visits. During these assessments, they inquire about the clients’
main concerns, past medical history, and perform cognitive assessments. The main difference I
noted between her assessment and that of the OT’s was that while the RN asked some questions
about the clients’ function, she focused more on addressing the physical concerns of the client,
measuring their vitals, and reviewing the client’s medications. As well, since my OT preceptor
performs these assessments in clients’ homes, she is able to observe the extent to which the client
is functionally struggling in their own environments. In the Assess and Restore program, the
OT’s expertise is to assess functional change rather than assessing the client’s current medical
status, which seemed to be the RN’s focus.
My preceptor and I discussed interprofessional roles and collaboration between team
members in the Assess and Restore program. She mentioned that the roles of the OT, SW and
RN tend to overlap since the program’s service delivery model is primarily around assessment
and linking clients to appropriate community or rehab services. I observed this overlap between
professions throughout my placement. Although, there were similarities in what various
professionals of the healthcare team assess, different professions place more emphasis on certain
aspects of the client’s situation depending on their scope of practice. These various approaches
and perspectives of different healthcare professions contribute to a more comprehensive picture
of a client’s situation. Consequently, a greater understanding of the clients’ biopsychosocial
situation enables the team to better realize their clients’ barriers and determine what services to
put in place to help mitigate them.
My other preceptor worked on the Palliative Care unit. I decided to shadow the SW on
the team because I was interested to learn about her role in helping the clients and their families
cope with death in palliative care. Though I had expected that the content of what I would
observe would be heavy, I had not been expecting how emotional that morning would feel for
me. I observed the SW inquire about how clients were doing, participate in a family meeting to
ensure that family members comprehended the client’s prognosis, console a wife after her
husband had died only minutes ago, and navigate conflicts between family members about who
had the client’s best interest in mind. The last two activities impacted me emotionally because
they made me think of my uncle who had passed away earlier this year and how I would feel if I
one of my family members were being taken advantage of. I needed to take a few minutes to
reflect and debrief with the SW, which I found very helpful.
Upon reflecting on my time shadowing SW, I came to better understand the role of the
SW in palliative care. The SW provides a mouthpiece for their clients and families to ensure that
their voices are heard. They help all parties involved emotionally cope with their situation while
other healthcare professionals continue to work within their scope of practice. For example,
while the OT focuses more on function and how it informs psychological and social well-being
and vice versa, the SW attends to the clients’ or family member’s emotional or psychosocial
needs. Thus, all professions within healthcare teams contribute to effective client and family
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Flexible Learning Activity 1: Shadowing a Team Member
care. Through working collaboratively and within one’s scope of practice, healthcare teams like
that of Palliative Care, can ensure that all of the clients and family members’ needs are met.
In conclusion, I have learned about the roles and scopes of practice for the RN and SW in
the Assess and Restore program and Palliative Care program, respectively. I have realized the
value that each profession brings in formulating a comprehensive understanding of a client’s
health issues which promotes more effective and holistic care.