Ogden Regional Medical Center

Around July 24 (I'm not sure if it was actually on this day or another) I applied for a job at Ogden Regional Medical Center as a Full-Time Recreation Therapist. During that week I had also applied to several other Recreational Therapy Jobs.

There were several pre-screening online paperwork to fill out. That took my a little while to finish. After that it was just the waiting game to see who would contact me for an interview. One place sent me an email a day or two later stating I did not meet all of their qualifications. I heard back from two other places, Intermountain Healthcare for a PRN position in Murray and a full time position at Ogden Regional Medical Center. I agreed to an interview for both jobs.

July 31 I had my interview with Intermountain Healthcare. I felt the interview went well. The population would be with teens. That night I drove up to Dad and John's to spend the night so I wouldn't have to worry about driving in traffic to get to Ogden Regional on time.

Aug. 1 was my interview with Ogden Regional. Talk about a long interview. I think I was there for    1 1/2 - 2 hours. I had my first interview with Jen and Justin, supervisors of the ACT (Alcohol, Chemical Treatment) and the BHU (Behavioral Health Unit). After my interview with them I had a second interview with some of the other staff: Dave, a nurse, Tracy, a rec therapist, Jessica, a social worker, Andi, works in admissions, and I feel like there was someone else I can't remember. (Really I only remember their names because I am late in posting this and I've been there for about 2 months now.) I felt the interview had gone well, not that I had gotten the job well, but it was an interview I could be proud of.

Aug. 2 I was at work at the laundry mat when I got a call offering me the job. I was very surprised! I wish I could record how I answered the offer. The recruiter offered me the job and I answered with, "Really?!" with my voice going up on the end of the word. I asked if I could have time to think and talk with my parents about the offer. I had until Monday to decide.

I called and talked with Mandy and Mom. That weekend I stayed with Aunt Mary and Uncle Boyd because Meg and I went to the Emery County Concert and I had a feeling  I was going to be too tired to drive home. I discussed it with them as well. When Aug. 5 rolled around I accepted the  job offer, which was full time with full benefits. On Aug. 26 was my first day of the job, which was just the hospital training. The next day I started my real training.

Now fast forward a few months and my job is going well. I work primarily on the BHU side, running 3 groups a day: movement, rec therapy, and wellness. I'm still working on coming up with interventions that work the best with my clients, especially since many of the ones I learned I cannot use with this clientele due to ligature risks.

You might be asking why was I so surprised to get the job, and I honestly didn't think I would get it. Then you might ask, "Why did you apply for it?" My answer to that is there was not harm in me  applying for the job. The worst thing they could tell me was I was not selected for the job. I really thought I would need to start out with a PRN job and work my way to a part-time and then to a full-time, especially since I am so new to the field. I don't have any "real" job experience, just my internship and volunteer hours. Due to that belief, I was not expecting the job offer. I am grateful for this opportunity to grow and develop my talents as a recreation therapist. Heavenly Father must have wanted me to come to Ogden since this was also the only job to pan out with a job offer.

Also for a fun shout-out to myself we have what are called Starfish awards. Our peers nominate us for going the extra mile (or at least that is how I am understanding it). I was nominated and recognized for my work of picking up shifts while we have been down a rec therapist and for my help during BERT Calls, which are when we have to call security to the unit because a client is becoming a harm to themselves and others. I usually take the other patients to another room and play a game with them or if we cannot go into another room I just check in with the clients to see how they are doing. They recognized me at a staff meeting (although I wasn't there for it because I didn't know about the meeting) and they gave me a $25 Amazon Gift Card. I also received a compliment from one of my clients saying that I am nice and easy to talk to. Maybe I'm doing better than I think I am.