Every day that I pack and prepare for my internship, I feel more excited for this once-in-a-lifetime opportunity! For the next several weeks, I will have the most amazing experience of interning at Island Dolphin Care (IDC), in Key Largo, Florida, a not-for-profit organization. They specialize in dolphin assisted therapy for children and adults with disabilities as well as for veterans of the United States military. I am so grateful to be able to complete this therapy internship with the aid of the Royal Experience Program.
I am thrilled to apply the skills and knowledge I have acquired in my occupational therapy classes, as well as obtain new skills as I work side by side with the therapists at IDC. As anyone would be, I am also looking forward to understanding unique aspect of this therapy, the inclusion of dolphins. Dolphins are some of the smartest animals on the planet, and I am lucky to be able to see how they interact with and help the clients of IDC.
I hope to use this incredible internship to not only pursue my future career in occupational therapy, but to grow as a person. At The University of Scranton, a Jesuit institution, I have been introduced to the value of “cura personalis,” or the care for the entire person. I believe that this internship will allow me to share this value with the staff and clients with whom I will interact and apply it to my future practice as an occupational therapist. I am truly excited to begin my Royal Experience internship and represent The University of Scranton in Key Largo this summer!
Claire Jarvis
Occupational Therapy
Wow this looks like an amazing opportunity! Good luck!
Hey Claire,
Great post! Your internship really seems like it will be amazing and I’m so jealous you will be in the sun all summer! It is crazy to me how many things can be done in the OT field. There are so many daily tasks that we take for granted that can be difficult for others, and going through OT can really change a person’s life. My cousins were born at 31 weeks and had to go to OT so they could catch up to their peers. Their developmental improvements have been remarkable, so I can see just how important OT is.
Coincidentally, my sister’s friend Meg graduated from OT school at Scranton in 2017 and also was able to work at Island Dolphin Care! She seemed to have a great time, so I am so excited for you to experience this!
Hey Claire!
Sooo glad to hear you got to take advantage of this amazing internship!! Island Dolphin Care is an amazing facility! I actually was the first intern that I know of from Scranton that went in 2013 and then returned in 2015 (I graduated 2014 undergrad and the grad program in 2015). I learned soo much from Deena, Joe, Pete and the therapists (Eli… Gretchen and Kim who are both no longer there). I continue to utilize what I learned there in the field of occupational therapy. I wish you the best of luck and enjoy every minute there because it goes quickly!! All the best, Christie Garrecht. (Feel free to add me on Facebook or email me 🙂 )
Hi – I graduated from the U of S a long time ago – in 1981. I received my BS in Psychology and then went to SUNY -Binghamton to get my Ph.D. in Clinical Psychology. I am now retiring in February, 2023 at age 63. I have worked with children and adults in both outpatient and inpatient settings. Do you think I would be able to do an internship or volunteer at the Key Largo site? It sounds like a great place to be….Thanks! – Brenda Greene, Ph.D.