Week Two: Constant Education and Other Observations

My second week as a Music Therapy Intern has now come to a close. Where has the time gone? Didn't I JUST start? Last Friday I had my "Intake Evaluation" where I played guitar, keyboard, and sang for both of my supervisors and had my competencies determined for my first month. My goals are to learn a song on guitar that incorporates F and Bb, learn a new picking pattern, memorize three new songs, expand my repertoire by learning three big band pieces, three Sinatra era pieces, three broadway tunes, and two 50s songs, write three different definitions of music therapy for three different people (a patient's spouse, a patient, and a doctor), introduce myself to the IDG (interdisciplinary group), and introduce myself to the supportive care management team. This week I have observed two additional music therapists and the rest of the days have been spent in day-long orientations learning more about patient care and the history of the company and the concept of hospice itself. During part of the orientation in which the music therapy department was being explained to all of the new staff, the teacher of the orientation class asked the group who had ever seen a music therapist in action throughout their previous careers. One person raised their hand and explained that when they worked in the hospital, a "music therapist" with a violin used to come in to play to the patients and that it was very calming for the patient, yet very distracting to the nurses as they were trying to do their jobs. I tried not to make a face that would show my disappointment and was nervous as to how the orientation leader would handle this comment. She did an amazing job redirecting without offending the nurse and used it as an opportunity to educate the entire group about the field of music therapy as an established health profession. Hospice of Palm Beach County does an EXCELLENT job educating their staff about all of the various disciplines. As an intern, I will spend the entire day on Monday shadowing an Integrational Therapist who is a licensed massage therapist, and a half-day next week shadowing a social worker, a chaplain, and a nurse. The new social worker even spent some of today with one of the music therapists to get a feel for what we do. I think that this is a really important opportunity to give to employees especially when they are working as part of a team so that they are able to better understand what it is each person can bring to the table.