The significance of meeting the unique needs of people with physical impairments has been growing over the past decade, embracing an increasingly wide range of patients, which I consider a crucial change in the healthcare system. The introduction of new approaches toward satisfying the needs of patients with special needs is critical to their further integration into society. However, I also believe that, apart from the assessment of particular patients’ needs by experts without one, the insight of a professional who has personal experience of struggling with a physical impairment is required.
Herein lies the reason for me to apply for the grant and the transition to the designated area of studies. As someone who has been struggling with the obstacles that my blindness poses to the general progress and my functioning in the social setting, I will be able to introduce the techniques and approaches that will allow managing the needs of a vast number of patients.
By offering target audiences rehabilitation counseling, I will be able to guide them by creating a positive role model and, thus, exerting the influence of a transformational leader. The significance of inspiration and emotional support that people with physical impairments will receive during counseling sessions will have a tremendous effect on their chances to succeed in managing their disabilities.
Moreover, by sharing experiences, I will create a rapport with patients, improving the emotional support provided to them and creating a comfortable environment in which they can discuss the issues that trouble them (Stone & Dahir, 2015). As a result, the efficacy of counseling will increase, with patient education becoming the focus of the counseling process and patients being introduced to a wide range of options for handling their problems.
The transition of School-Aged People with Disabilities: My Experiences
Students with exceptionalities deserve particularly close attention when they shift from academic life to social one, becoming members of the community. Therefore, it is critical to assist them with the challenges that they may encounter by offering them counseling services. My experience with the target demographic has shown that adolescents with disabilities require special assistance that hinges on emotional support, as well as the accommodation of their physical needs.
One of the critical cases that served as a formative experience in my professional development involved providing help for a transitioning person who had 60% of his total body surface area (TBSA) burnt. Apart from dealing with severe pain, the patient in question needed education about the limitations that his condition implied, as well as the strategies that would help him to overcome the critical physical challenges. As a result, the transition from the hospital ward to his home setting was performed seamlessly, with him experiencing only mild discomfort when he trained to adjust to the new environment.
In addition, my experience of working as an Anesthesiologist in Peru has shaped my understanding of patients’ needs and the challenges that they face. My education did not stop after I lost my eyesight; quite the contrary, I actively studied the problem of counseling for disabled people in order to learn more from scholarly articles, studies, and books addressing the subject matter. As a future counselor, I need to educate myself about the latest strategies and theories in managing the needs of patients with disabilities (Stone & Dahir, 2015).
Enrolling in the Braille Institute in Lima was another critical step taken to ensure that my skills for assisting disabled people in transitioning met the set quality standards. While I am pretty proud of my accomplishments, I realize that further learning will be needed to respond to patients’ needs appropriately.
Working with School-Aged Children
Giving patients comprehensive and effective services, as well as offering them emotional support, requires substantial knowledge and well-developed skills. Therefore, I fully recognize the necessity to work with all age groups in order to build a complete understanding of the methods that can be used to help adolescents of different ages to transition from the healthcare environment to the context of their home.
Due to the necessity to embrace all aspects of assisting patients with disabilities, I will need to explore the challenges that the specified age group faces when transitioning from the hospital environment to the setting of their homes. Therefore, I will need to acquire the skills of both a rehabilitation counselor and special education teacher.
The necessity of working with school-age patients may be overlooked by numerous counselors, yet it is one of the crucial aspects of offering effective services and the proper help. Exploring the challenges associated with both fields and the strategies that can be used to handle the concerns of both age groups, a counselor will be able to build a unique competency in giving patients emotional and social support (Stone & Dahir, 2015).
Therefore, I intend to work in school both as a rehabilitation counselor and a special education teacher to provide learners with guidance and assistance needed to support students with disabilities. It is crucial to encourage patient education to ensure that learners will be able to identify and manage their health-related needs independently, expressly, by recognizing a problem and using the available resources to resolve it. Thus, successful rehabilitation of learners with disabilities will become possible.
Reference
Stone, C., & Dahir, C. A. (2015). The transformed school counselor (3rd ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage Learning.