Hey hey amazing music therapist! First, a moment of silence for our Robin Williams dedication:
This Week’s Shout-Out
We are shouting out Alie, a music therapist from Ohio. She has been feeling overwhelmed with the number of referrals she receives and doesn’t know what to do.
Unmanageable caseload… sound familiar?
We offer 4 actionable steps that YOU can take when the number of clients coming IN doesn’t match your music-therapy-happy-place.
Download the script so that you can get the conversation started with your manager!
Have you been in the same place as Alie? Help her out with your best suggestions and experiences. See you in the comments below!
Be well, feel good, and make music!
Kat Fulton, Curator
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Hey fellow MT-BCs! This is such an applicable topic and I am so grateful to Alie for bringing it up! I work in a pediatric hospital where there is only one MT-BC currently (myself). I have anywhere from 4-8 times as many patients as I can physically see per day, so what I do is keep track of the ones I am unable to see and why. I also keep a record of the referral reason and what unit they were admitted to. This allows me to look back every few months to see if there are any trends in diagnosis, length of stay, referral reason, or weekend coverage needs. I keep my director informed of these statistics in our monthly supervision. She loves it because it allows her to advocate for another position using powerful, helpful information that HER supervisors need to hear. It also lets me see where the most referrals are coming from, what the most beneficial shift to work is, and if there is something we can do to adjust to better meet patient needs. Looking forward to hearing some other suggestions! Thanks, Kat!
Kelly, thank you so much for sharing how you keep track of your patients in (and out!) of your caseload. This data is such powerful information, as numbers don’t lie! Let us know when that data helps you get a fellow MT-BC as a co-worker! 🙂
Hi Kat, I’ve spent 10 years having 8, 9, or 10 25-30 minute classes per day in a 6 hour day. I feel Sooooo unprofessional about this, but I’ve started to show videos bc it fits our state preschool curriculum. My videos are very, very, well chosen. Lots of exposure to new instruments and sounds that our kids wouldn’t get to hear and also reinforcement of classroom lessons. But, they are videos nonetheless. I have an energy-stamina issue so this is how I make sanity out of an crazy situation. I feel like it’s soooo un-MT! Does anyone else make these kinds of adaptations? Of course, the kids respond wonderfully to the videos and sometimes they lead to new and unexpected activities. This year, I’ll have a new boss. On a music therapy level, I’m a little embarrassed. Thanks for listening all!
Margie,
You are doing AMAZING things during your school days! Fitting 8-10 early childhood classes in a 6 hour day — You have superpowers!!!
Margie, you are doing such great things. You do not choose these videos haphazardly. You take time, think about your goals (and the state preschool goals), and choose your videos that meet your students’ needs. You discuss and reflect on what you see in the videos. Your students respond! They make connections! They participate in your additional music activities!
You are doing an amazing things! 🙂