Written by Chloe Debono
I completed my final 8-week Occupational Therapy placement as of late June. This placement was quite different from my usual placements – it was classified as a project placement, which involved creating a resource for an establishment rather than providing clinical services. For this placement, I was allocated to a central school located in Lake Cargelligo, a small remote town in central NSW, almost 10 hours away from the Port Macquarie Campus where I am studying.
Living and completing this placement so far away from my family, friends, and everyday routines was definitely a challenge.
I was fortunate to be placed with another OT student. This experience allowed us to bond quite easily, and it was nice to have someone else to experience this with. We were able to hold each other accountable and offer support in times of hardship, as well as create long-lasting memories.
One thing that made a huge difference was the support provided by Three Rivers. They offered university housing for just $50 per week, making it much more affordable to live away from home during placement. Having safe, comfortable, affordable accommodation took away a lot of the financial stress and allowed us to focus on getting the most out of our placement.
Some tips for a remote placement include:
- Take up a new hobby: There was honestly not much to do in this town, so we found ourselves learning how to crochet and baking lots of new things!
- Daily exercise: On days without even just a walk, I would feel overwhelmed, deflated, and fatigued. I found getting outside and going for a walk made a huge difference.
- Stock up on groceries prior: Lake Cargelligo only had an IGA which was much more expensive than Coles, Woolworths or Aldi. We found ourselves travelling to Griffith in our second week and stocking up on large amounts of food. We were able to bulk buy items and freeze a lot of meat and produce. This really made a difference to our spending.
- Communicate regularly with friends, family, and partners throughout your placement experience: They are there to support you – placement can be such a difficult time, especially when being so isolated, so it helps to have some familiarity.
- Immerse yourself in the experience and find positivity in the smallest of things.
Overall, this placement was tough, but we were able to create a beautiful mural in the school hall encompassing wellbeing, resilience, and regulation, with a focus on expanding awareness, social connection, and creativity.
We saw great results from our mural, and an increased awareness of resilience, regulation and wellbeing among students. We had only positive feedback! We were able to build relationships with the students, teachers, and community, which positively impacted our experience.
Charlie blog is a SSAF initiative.
