That’s what my clinical instructor said to me as he came in the occupational therapy office.  He said that because I was “slammed” today.  Initially in the morning it seemed like Team B (the one I’m working with) had four new patients.  After some calculation, I was perplexed because each team (there are two) can only have 10 patients, totalling 20 patients, and the four new ones would equal 11 patients for me.  Fortunately, two were switched over to Team C.  Not only did I have a re-evaluation today as well, but this is the third straight day that we have administered the Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS). 

Briefly, the KELS helps ”determine ability to function in 17 basic living skills in five areas: self-care, safety and health, money management, transportation and telephone, and work and leisure. Can be used in many settings and with many populations, including with elderly in nursing facilities, inpatient units, and outpatient settings; in acute care units in hospitals; for people with brain injuries; and with adolescents in training programs.”  It says it takes 30 minutes, but that’s if the individual is high-functioning.  Most of the time it takes an hour, as it did this afternoon because my patient demonstrated some psychomotor retardation (was slow in performing his movements because his processing of information was a bit decelerated though accurate).