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Days 31-60: Build the Caseload

Module 18: Your First 90 Days as a Rehabilitation Specialist · Lesson 2 of 3

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Story opener

Thursday, 4:40 p.m. A participant is sitting across from you, your supervisor wants three notes before you leave, and the answer you need is not in any binder on the shelf. This lesson is the part of the job nobody handed you in orientation.

Learning objectives

  • Be able to one live observation, acted on
  • Be able to 30 consecutive days of same-day notes

Lesson

Depth of relationship, then breadth of intervention.

Complete assessments and write plans in the participant's voice. Run your first solo group with a written curriculum. Ask for one live observation and act on the feedback.

Aim for same-day documentation on every visit for 30 consecutive days; the habit sticks or it never forms.

Maryland guidance & authority labels

Every statement below is labeled so you know what is binding regulation, what is only proposed, what is professional guidance, and what is our house standard.

  • Internal best practice

    Days 1–30 learn the systems, 31–60 own the caseload, 61–90 measure yourself. Put dates on it.

  • PRA guidance

    Start your CPRP competency hour log on day one; reconstructing it later is far harder than keeping it.

Common mistakes

  • Describing what you did without describing what the participant did.

    Do this instead — Record the intervention and the participant's observable response to it.

  • Treating regulation as a filing chore separate from practice.

    Do this instead — Let the required elements shape the session itself, so documentation writes itself.

Practical examples

Practical example

Instead of 'met with participant to discuss goals,' write: 'Reviewed the transportation objective; participant identified the #22 route unassisted and named one back-up plan. Verbal prompt needed once. Next session: practice the transfer at Mondawmin.'

Key takeaways

  • One live observation, acted on
  • 30 consecutive days of same-day notes

Reflection prompts

  1. 1Which part of this lesson describes something you are already doing differently in practice?
  2. 2What would an auditor see in your last five notes that contradicts this standard?

Bring your answers to supervision — the case-study workspace in this module saves written notes to your account.

Knowledge check

4 questions drawn from a bank of 7 · 75% to pass · instant feedback on every answer

1. A colleague does this: Describing what you did without describing what the participant did. What should they do instead?

2. A realistic 60-day documentation goal is:

3. A colleague does this: Treating regulation as a filing chore separate from practice. What should they do instead?

4. How should you treat this statement? "Days 1–30 learn the systems, 31–60 own the caseload, 61–90 measure yourself. Put dates on it."

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