Therapeutic Recreation Visit by Matt Kamps

Over Thanksgiving Break I had the privilege of visiting the Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital Health and Fitness Center located in Barrington, IL. The purpose of my visit to this multi-faceted facility was to report on the health and rehabilitation services the facility is known for, and a guided tour with faculty member Joe Silva to examine how leisure is distributed to members of the health club, with particular emphasis on their rehabilitation programs. The facility was constructed and opened its doors in 2003, offering health club memberships with monthly fees to those ages 16 and up. The facility sees over 50% of its membership belonging to those ages 40 and up, and offers a variety of classes, exercise programs, and therapy services to members.

Who-Advocate good shepherd is staffed by a diverse group of individuals, and all trainers and rehabilitation experts have at least a college degree in specialties ranging from biology to communications, to kinesiology. My tour guide Joe had his degree from Ball State as well as an advanced degree in physical therapy. The facility has over 70,000 square feet of space, and is located in South Barrington, IL on Barrington Road. Why-It came into existence because of an increased demand for Good Shepherd Hospital to extend its therapeutic and health services into the southern portion of Barrington to conduct health related activities independetely and in conjunction with Good Shepherd Hospital in North Barrington. Construction began spring 2002 and the doors opened in July 2003. What they provide depends on the needs of the patron. Some sign up for health memberships to use the state of the art workout equipment, indoor track, basketball, and aquatic facilities. These services require a fee for membership, ranging from a monthly fee of eighty dollars for a year long membership, to one day passes that can be purchased for fifteen dollars. From a physical therapy standpoint, the facility picks up where the hospital leaves off, providing one-on-one workout programs for various maladies, ranging from recently repaired ACL's, to work with seniors who are overcoming things such as broken wrists or hips.

Joe was kind enough to elaborate on the employment information available on the website for Advocate Good Shepherd. The facility is staffed by various individuals with qualifications ranging from high school diplomas to advanced degrees. To apply to work the front desk where one conducts member check in, handles phone calls, and is the first line in assisting people, at minimum one needs a high school diploma and available transportation. Work in public relations and hospital-patient recruitment and member recruitment also minimally requires a high school diploma and transportation. There is also an internship available in this department available to high school or college students. Becoming a physical therapist or trainer requires more qualifications, particularly a bachelors from a four year institution as well as prior work experience in a health and fitness environment. References and recommendations, at minimum three, are required of all candidates. With the current state of the economy, the facility is currently not hiring new staff, and any internships have gone from a partial salary to unpaid. I asked Joe what the best way to 'get a foot in the door' was, and he told me that previous experience in a health providing service is the biggest boost one can give to their job application.

As aforementioned, with the current state of the economy in Illinois and a spiking unemployment rate, the agency is not hiring for the moment. In terms of the services it provides, membership has decreased substantially in the last year, according to Joe. Advocate Health care is a luxury to most, but an expendable cost in a tumultuous economy. The facility has responded by offering reduced membership rates for existing members, and the option to "bridge" an existing account for no cost for 6 months to a year, with expenses to be paid at a later time. Joe said the hope is to retain as many existing members as possible using this method. To attract new members, the public relations facet of the facility is sending newsletters and free guest passes to the greater Barrington area, offering a "free sample" of the club with the hopes that some new members can be recruited in these tough times. Joe also mentioned that one of the bigger issues facing Advocate Health Care is trying to diversify its age groups and attract younger members to fully utilize its impressive amenities.
The following statement best sums how Advocate Health care defines leisure: Good Shepherd Hospital Health & Fitness Center is designed for anyone who would like to experience a new approach to health and fitness. Our staff includes exercise specialists, physiologists and licensed therapists, dedicated to the integration of prevention, wellness, and health education with physical fitness and rehabilitation services. The main benefit this organization brings to the population it serves is a venue for all those above the age of sixteen to enjoy state of the art workout facilities, but also to have access to staff that can encourage health and growth in a recreational or rehabilitation settings.

Personally, the visit was very eye opening. I got to see firsthand how diverse the group of staff members at the venue were, in addition to the varying levels of qualification each member had. I was able to enjoy a workout the day I visited the site, utilizing both the indoor track and basketball courts. I think there would be many benefits in having a job in this area of therapeutic recreation, especially given the affluent town it is located in with clients that can afford its services. The employees I did have a chance to speak with, particularly those involved in rehab seemed to really enjoy their livelihood. There is always a demand for exercise, and there are always people who suffer injuries and need people to put in the time and effort to improve their strength and conditioning, so I think a job with Advocate would be a stable and secure source of income. The facilities are also excellent, and I think it would be very enjoyable to work there. I myself tore my ACL this summer and was able to rehabilitate at this facility. The individual attention I was able to receive by trained professionals was awesome. This agency doesn't neatly fit into just one leisure service category, as it is partially a commercial recreation service, but its mission is to provide therapeutic service in junction with a hospital, so I think it deserves to be under that heading. I think one downside in working with Advocate Health Care would present is that in a stagnant economy, there isn't as large of a demand for services you have to pay for. Business is slow there right now because existing members have dropped. Also, in terms of the therapeutic services offered, the age group one would primarily work with is generally older, and this lack of a diverse clientel might not be as engaging as some other professions.
My visit was enjoyable, informative, and provided me valuable insights into the therapeutic services provided by Advocate Healthcare. It is certainly a career I am interested in going forward as a health and science major.

Link to the Advocate Website: http://www.advocatehealth.com/gshp/body.cfm?id=118

The Museum of Science and Industry - A Non-Profit Organization

Over my Thanksgiving break, I chose to visit the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago to learn more about how non-profit organizations offer leisure services. As one of the largest museums in the world, many artifacts are stored here, such as the only German U-Boat within the United Sates. It is composed of three floors separated into wings which cover multiple aspects of science and industry, such as "Earth Revealed," which is a look into what the earth is composed of, and "ToyMaker 3000," where for a small fee people can design a spinning top and then watch it move through an entire assembly line that puts the toy together and packages it. (photo taken from gochicagocard.com)

The museum opened in 1933 after Julius Rosenwald, an American philanthropist, was inspired by a visit to an industrial museum in Munich, Germany, and decided to bring one to his hometown of Chicago. Since then, the museum has regularly updated its exhibits and become one of the largest and most innovative museums in the world. It is home to over 400,000 square feet of exhibits, including Chicago's only five-story Omnimax theatre, which shows educational programs such as "The Human Body" and "Mysteries of the Great Lakes." Today, they strive to live by Rosenwald's ideals of providing a hands-on environment for people of all ages to come and learn about the sciences and industries of the world. As a non-profit organization, they charge admission to enter the museum and all revenue earned goes towards paying their employees and maintaining or improving their exhibits.

The museum offers seemingly endless opportunities for

employment. The basic requirement they have for employment is that the applicant be at least 16 years old, but many of their jobs require either degrees or work experience. For example, in the exhibit "The Coal Mine," a group of people are taken on a tour through a coal mine led by a tour guide. When I went through this exhibit, I asked the guide about how he got his job, and he told me that he has a degree in geology and had worked for a coal mine for ten years before he joined the museum staff, and he believes that the reason he was hired is because of his education and experience. The museum also offers employment for human resources, engineers, geneticists, historians, maintenance, food services, and multiple other areas. The museum also has several exhibits that change periodically, so specialists can be brought in at random intervals. Right now, there is a special "Christmas Around the World and Holidays of Light" exhibit that employs anthropologists who specialize in how people in different countries celebrate Christmas. Essentially, if a person would like to work for the museum, he or she should speak with the employment office about available positions, and depending on the type of employment he or she should have a background in the topic before applying.

At this point in time, one of the major trends for this museum is the popularity of "going-green." To address this, the museum has created a "Smart Home" exhibit in which people can tour a completely green home, which is updated regularly with the newest technologies for staying green. Through the house, people can see green options which they can implement in their own homes. Another general trend is the competition to stay current with the latest technologies and provide people access to the most modern advancements in the fields of science and industry. In accordance with the ideals of providing everyone access to these technologies, another issue is how to reach low-income people. To counter this issue, the museum has consistently provided "Free Admission Days" to allow even less well-off people to visit the museum. (photo taken from msichicago.org)

The museum's stated vision is "to inspire the inventive genius in everyone." To meet this goal, they do their best "to inspire and motivate our children to reach their full potential in science, technology, medicine, and engineering" (quoted from www.msichicago.org). Overall, their philosophy of leisure is to provide an environment in which people of all ages can spend their leisure time in both a fun and educational way, such as seeing a baby chick hatch for the first time. They believe that by providing such experiences, especially to children, people will become inspired to pursue a career in one of these industries.

Overall, the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry provides a very unique, fun way for all generations to spend some of their leisure time. A career in this industry could definitely be fun, but a person needs to have strong interpersonal skills in order to work well with the many customers who come to the museum each day. A career in this field would also require a person to stay current with the latest advancements in the field he or she chooses to work in. A benefit for this field, however, would be easy access to the many technologies currently evolving within the world and an environment in which one could converse with experts in other fields on a daily basis. This agency also serves a very useful role in the leisure delivery system. It provides much-needed access to the sciences and technologies of modern society to everyday people which they would not otherwise be able to see. By providing these services, they can inspire young people to pursue careers in fields which they might not otherwise have seen as possibilities. This serves to educate the masses and better society, which is one of the founding purposes of the leisure industry.

More information from the Museum of Science and Industry can be found at their website: http://www.msichicago.org/.