Internship Project

Internship Project at the Veterans Hospital in La Jolla
Recreational Therapy: HAIRCUT PROGRAM - FLOOR 4, SOUTH

The plan was that we, meaning my mentor and I, would help with haircuts for veterans on The Ward that couldn't or weren't well enough to go to the first floor. I am helping Bill, the Recreational Therapist with planning a barber, haircutting program.
We would set up a place for haircuts in the Community Living Center that was formally the ECU or Extended Care Unit. The ward is changing over to a patient friendly Community Living Center that gives patients more space, and more things, as opposed to just their rooms that they can share with up to 4 - six people depending on how big the room is. They also have a game room amongst other things on the ward, however, the renovation of the ECU would be very benificial and helpful for them. The renovations for each patient, would mean that each one will get their own room as opposed to sharing a room with four other people. In addition to an expansion of rooms, the ward will provide patient friendly meals and have a beauty parlor and barber shop. A haircutting program basically. Barbers come up to the ward on the second and Tuesday of each month. Bill and I set up the barber shop with tables and chairs in a shower room that we converted into a portable barber shop.
The funds for this project would be provided by the Womens Auxilary of the American Legion.

This was very hard to set up, the planning that we had to do for it was lengthy.

1.) we had to hatch a plan
2.) we had to get the funding for it
3.) we had to get the policy written up
4.) we had to find a barber that had a flexible time scedule, that was willing to give haircuts to sick veterans in wheelchairs
5.) we had to get the room
6.) Let the staff know what the rules were - 2 patients from each of the wards B, C, and D Pods.
Unless there was no one on the ward then you could have 4 from the ward or two from the other.
7.) Find the scedule of who goes when, for example, if a patient is notorius for taking a long time to get ready, we would put him last in line for his haircut, instead of having him go first and making people wait in line.
8.) Set the scedule weekly or bi weekly or when in the month this will happen