SINK OR SWIM

The theme for this semester at our practical venue has been “SINK OR SWIM”. NPC is not for the faint hearted  We, as a group, decided to SWIM-literally. As part of team building, motivation and team morale, our supervisor encouraged us to go swimming at the beach on the last day of term. We were all keen and excited, only to have the weather forecast be rain and....... more rain! But this didn’t stop us. We had no choice really  So we all went swimming, all 5 in my group and our supervisor. It is quite ironic that we are in our psych block of OT and we go swimming at the beach in the rain.... onlookers must have thought WE were psychotic! But what an incredible day it was. We swam in the freezing cold and in the rain. Something happened in our group that day- we became closer. “Through adversity grows the strongest characters.” We tackled adversity that day of rain and cold, and we swam. It was symbolic in my eyes of our whole prac at NPC. It has been tough, and we have faced many adversities as individuals and as a group but we still decided to SWIM. Our first day at the drug and alcohol rehabilitation centre was a shock to the system. We had tea and lunch, but these were working breaks. And we completed almost all our assessments in just one day. We were told to run a group on the spot. It was challenging but we are all the better for it. That day we came up with our saying- SINK OR SWIM. It was been a resounding motto throughout prac and I am so proud to say, we have been swimming... and whenever anyone in the group was beginning to sink, we would lift each other up again when either of us forgot how to swim. It helps so much to be motivated, believed in and encouraged by our supervisor. This degree is not easy, but a wise friend once told me.... “If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.” You truly have to have the heart to be an OT. It is emotional, it is difficult and so incredibly challenging but it was days like our swim at the beach in the rain, the smile on a service user’s face and hearing of success stories that make it so worthwhile. My heart hurts for those who are struggling to find the light in this degree, I feel very fortunate to have seen OT is such a beautiful light. And I hope for the same for everyone else doing this course