Rachel Shields, MT-BC

I work with patients and their families to create a safe and comfortable environment for their End of Life (EoL) Experience. Each patient has a goal identified for them and various interventions set in place to reach said goals. These can vary from additional sensory stimulation, self-expression (verbal/ non-verbal), mood improvement, pain management, etc.

Additionally I work side by side with the team assigned to each patient to assist in creating that comfortable EoL experience via Team IDG, email, phone, etc.

I have assisted with various events/groups within the company such as weekly Bible groups, monthly singalongs, Children's Grief camp, and memorial services (company and pt specific).

House of Welcome (HOW) is an adult day program for those diagnosed with dementia. At HOW I led various activities which include: music therapy, baking, table games, musical trivia and word games. On various days of the week I helped with table setting for lunch and clean-up in the kitchen. With the participants, my main position was to lead daily a music therapy group. We also encouraged independence, personal decision making, increase socialization/ communication skills and improve their overall wellbeing.

Throughout this internship I was under the supervision of Joy Berendt. The internship took place in Palm Beach County; throughout the time with Vitas I went to various places such as Rehabilitation Facilities, Vitas Inpatient Unit, Nursing Facilities, personal homes, etc. I also participated in bereavement groups on Tuesday evenings with elementary thru high school age kids. This was a program called the Children’s Bereavement center which partnered with Vitas Hospice. While at my internship I learned skills to became a professional music therapist such as techniques to build rapport with a client, importance of good communication with the hospice team and families, organization, the continuation of building repertoire, ways to educate/advocate for music therapy and much more.

My role when I was FOH was helping guests by answering questions, trading pins with guests of all ages, checking them out at the register, and making sure they have a magical experience at Walt Disney World by making them feel comfortable and welcome at the resort. My role at PRR was to help guests with their packages. When a guest is in the park they have the option to have merchandise they purchase be sent back to their resort. My part in this was if the package was sent to the wrong resort, I would take the package to the correct one; if a package arrived to the resort and the item was broken or missing, I would get the fixed item, or get the replacement; or if there was a miscommunication when the guest was checking out vs when they were told the package would arrive, I would get the re-creation from the store or find the original to make sure the guest received their package before they left their WDW.

Assisting Residents with Daily Living Needs; dressing, eating, showering, toileting, transferring etc.

Help with set-up for different events, as needed.

Examples: Dances, weddings, neighborhood parties, etc.

Assisting Residents with Daily Living Needs; dressing, eating, showering, toileting, transferring etc.