Relaxation Exercise

Occupational Therapy for Work-Hardened MTs
By Mary Morken
Take a few minutes to relax before reading or having someone read you this practice exercise in positive mental conditioning.

Imagine yourself:

>Feeling fresh and alert to begin working.
>Respecting the work of preparing records of sick people as worthy and valuable.
>Feeling the freedom of working in private, while being a part of a large team of coworkers linked together over space and time, surrounding the patient with healing care.
>Carefully arranging each item needed to begin, software loaded, phone or tape set correctly, books handy.
>Feeling well equipped to do excellent work.
>Feeling confident and ready to follow the doctor's voice like walking on a mountain trail, understanding every tone and turn, every sound, syllable and emphasis sounding familiar and meaningful.
>Identifying the doctor's voice quickly, locating his name and number.
>Pausing to note the spelling of the patient's name, watching for clear indication of male or female.
>Feeling prepared to deal with any obstacles that arise with equipment or vocabulary.
>Easily handling interruptions, like rocks on the path that can be set aside.
>Making a log of just the necessary notes needed to keep oriented.
>Jotting down any thoughts that will be needed later.
>Listening to understand the diagnosis of the patient, noting whether left or right parts are mentioned.
>Typing or talking steadily and accurately, fingers and voice steady and dependable, in perfect tune with what you are hearing, turning the sounds into script.
>Setting the stage of the document carefully, gaining momentum and running like a deer, with each phrase surefooted and accurate.
>Keeping alert to quickly catch every error the doctor makes along the way, confidently sensing the need for editing here and there, like painting a picture with brush strokes of different colors, just the right touch, sparingly, keeping true to the doctor's style.
>Meeting each new word with curiosity, locating it on a word list in computer or book, noting the meaning and knowing it will be easier to remember next time.
>Scanning the document, checking for accuracy and completeness, easily spotting words or formats that need to be changed, then swiftly labeling it to store it in just the right place for printing or delivery.
>Resting a moment while preparing for the next doctor, taking a deep breath, relaxing, ready to begin again.

by Mary Morken