Populations    |   Treatment Services Provided   |   Treatment Philosophy    |   Accreditation   | 
Clinical Training Programs    |    Library Services    |    Music Therapy Philosophy    |   Internship Experience    |   Skills Expectations    |   Number of Interns    |    Stipend

Application Deadline    | Application Form
 

Location

Tallahassee was recently voted by the National Civic League to be one of the nation’s 10  All-American cities for 1999. The city is continually growing as families look for a slower paced rural community with access to such city amenities as a local bus system, and long distance ground and air travel (Greyhound Bus lines, Amtrak train service, and a regional airport). 

Not far from the beaches, this university town, home of the FSU Seminoles and the FAMU Rattlers, provides a variety of cultural, educational, and social activities.  Health and fitness, and sports and recreation are well promoted throughout the town via the very active parks and recreation department. 

Downtown Tallahassee combines both historical and modern state buildings, around which centers a variety of annual events.  The unique combination of Southern hospitality, state government, academic institutions, and rural atmosphere make Tallahassee a city of growing interest in Florida. 
 
 
 

Type and Number of Population Served

Tallahassee Memorial HealthCare, Inc. (TMH) is a 770 bed regional medical center serving Northwest Florida, South Georgia, and Southeast Alabama, within a 200 mile radius of Tallahassee.  Services include a full-service hospital, a psychiatric center, a Rehabilitation Center, a diabetes center, the Women’s Pavilion, the Heart and Vascular Institute, the Surgery Center, the Neuroscience Center, home health care, pediatric rehabilitation, a memory disorders clinic, and a family practice residency program, as well as numerous other specialized  clinics both on-site and throughout the surrounding communities. 

 Tallahassee Memorial Behavioral Health Center (TMBHC) is a free standing 60 bed psychiatric facility of TMH. It is comprised of four inpatient units and two day treatment programs, with a total average daily census of 34-42 persons.  The facility’s program is designed to provide short term inpatient psychiatric treatment for children, adolescents, adults, and senior adults with mental disorders, as well as day treatment for adults and senior adults with mental disorders.  These mental disorders may include, but are not limited to, Depression, Behavior Disorders, Dementia with psychotic features, and Schizophrenia, and may involve such symptoms as threats of suicide, withdrawal, hallucinations, extremely abnormal moods or mood swings, or difficulty concentrating on or completing simple tasks. 
(**The music therapy department at TMBHC should be contacted directly for internship information, as it is a separate AMTA approved clinical training site. 
Contact:  FLOR PEREZ, MT-BC
Tallahassee Memorial Behavioral Health Center 
1616 Physicians Drive
Tallahassee, Florida 32308
(850) 431-2511 (850) 431-5147

The TMH hospital is a 597 bed inpatient and acute care facility, housing the Heart and Vascular Institute and the Women’s Pavilion in addition to the emergency room, medical/surgical intensive care, pediatric/pediatric intensive care, family care including gynecology/urology/antenatal care, labor and delivery, newborn intensive care/newborn intermediate care/newborn nursery, cardiac intensive care/cardiovascular progressive care/cardiovascular surgical care, inpatient and outpatient surgery, orthopedic, neurology/neurology intensive care, intermediate care, and oncology units.  The TMH RehabilitationCenter is a 53 bed free standing facility offering physical, occupational, speech, recreational, and music therapies. 

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Treatment Services Provided

Inpatients and outpatients at TMH receive interdisciplinary treatment and care from a combination of the following: 
 

•  Physicians (psychiatric and physical/medical evaluation and care) 
•  Nursing Staff 
•  Psychology (testing and support services) 
•  Nutrition 
•  Social Work 
•  Physical Therapy 
•  Occupational Therapy 
•  Speech/Language Pathology 
•  Music Therapy 
•  Recreation Therapy 
•  School-Age Education 
•  Adult Education 
•  Family Education and Support groups 
•  After Care Planning 
•  Food Services/Cafeteria 
•  Volunteer Services

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Treatment Philosophy

 The mission of TMH is to provide cost effective age and disability appropriate care in a humane, patient and family centered environment.  The programs are designed to afford patients an array of multi-modal treatments including medicine, psychiatry and psychology, social work, physical/occupational and speech therapies, and music and therapeutic recreation . Patients and families are the focus of our efforts, the reason for our existence. 

New TMH mission statement:  "With caring hands and hearts, we honorably serve our community and maintain positive, collaborative relationships, by providing compassionate, leading edge, patient-centered health care for all.  We pursue perfection in a trusting and learning environment, thus enhancing the quality of life of those we serve." 
 

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Accreditation/Licensure of the Facility

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Other Clinical Training Programs Provided

•  Family Practice Residency Program 
•  Student Nurses from FAMU, FSU, TallahasseeCommunity College (TCC), and Lively Technical Center 
•  Medical Students 
•  Social Work Interns 
•  Psychology Interns 
•  Speech/Language Pathology Interns 
• Physical Therapy Interns 
•  Therapeutic Recreation  Interns 
• Occupational Therapy Interns 
•  Pharmacy Students 
•  Histology Students

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Library Services

•  TMH Medical Research Library 
•  Florida State University Libraries (located within 15 minutes) 
•  Florida A & M University Libraries (located within 15 minutes) 
•  Leon County Public Libraries (located within 15 minutes) 
•  TCC Library (located within twenty minutes) 
•  TMBHC Psychology Department Resources 
•  TMBHC and TMH Unit Library Resources 
•  TMBHC, TMH, and FSU Music Therapy Department Library Resources 

Note: Our music therapy departments purchase source books, literature, and journals pertinent to music therapy, psychology, and medicine on a regular basis. 
 
 

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Philosophy of the Music Therapy Program

Music therapists participate in weekly patient care conferences on several units to receive referrals, evaluate treatment, and discuss with other disciplines (physical therapy, occupational therapy, respiratory therapy, speech and language pathology, social work, nursing, and medical staff) the best possible care for each patient. 

In the Newborn Intensive Care Unit, infants are referred for music therapy based on clinical stability and readiness for developmental stimulation.  They receive multimodal stimulation, which is a combination of audio, visual, vestibular, and tactile stimulation based on the progression of neurological development, which can result in increased weight gain, decreased length of hospitalization, increased efficiency of development, and fewer infant stress behaviors.  These techniques are taught to parents when appropriate, resulting in improved parent-neonate interactions with fewer infant stress behaviors and more appropriate parent behaviors.  In addition, infants needing assistance in learning to feed by mouth are exposed to Pacifier Activated Lullabies (patent owned by the Florida State University) where music is played contingent on the infant’s sucking.  In addition to addressing needs of specific patients in individual sessions based on referral, much of the focus in Pediatrics/Pediatric Intensive Care Unit is on normalization of environment and increasing the patient’s perception of hospitalization, achieved through individual and group sessions. 

Heart transplant inpatients of the Heart and Vascular Institute receive individual sessions with the purpose of reducing pain and anxiety, increasing coping skills, and providing cognitive stimulation and mood elevation necessary during prolonged hospitalization.  Outpatients of the institute receive training in relaxation techniques for use during monthly procedures following transplant and, when necessary, coping skills are addressed with the purpose of increasing compliance with diet, medications, and exercise regimen. 

For inpatients throughout the main hospital, encompassing the Medical/Surgical Intensive Care, Intermediate Care, Ortho/Neuro and Vogter Neuro Intensive Care Unit, and Family Care Units, Cardiovascular/Surgical Intensive Care Unit an Cardiac/Cardiac Intensive Care Unit, individual music therapy sessions are provided with the purpose of reducing pain, anxiety, and restlessness, increasing coping skills, providing cognitive stimulation and mood elevation, and increasing reality orientation, necessary due to chronic and terminal conditions, long-term hospitalization, depression, dementia, and surgical and other painful procedures. 

In Oncology, patients receive individual music therapy sessions to address any and all of the previously mentioned inpatient needs, as well as music listening and relaxation training for outpatients receiving chemotherapy and radiation treatment.  In addition, music therapy is a part of the established Angie Deeb Cancer Unit, and Neuroscience Center and Heart and Vascular Institute outpatient and family support groups and exercise groups. 

Outpatients receive MT services through both Pediatric and NeuroRehabilitation Services. 

MT services are also provided in the Labor and Delivery and Antenatal Care Units and through the "Music to Live By" childbirth education class taught by the MT staff.

The Rehabilitiation Center provides MT services for patients in conjunction with the interdisciplanary team of therapies including ST, PT, OT, and TR.  Those patients with memory disorders are provided music therapy sessions at the Adult Day Care outpatient facility.

Music therapy programs are augmented by the TMH Arts In Medicine program in which volunteers from the Tallahassee community provide patients, visitors, and staff with experiences in computer discovery, dance, literature, music performances, and visual art to enhance the hospital environment. 

Various creative approaches such as Orff Schulwerk, dance, art, drama, sign language, improvisation, and music with aerobic and strengthening exercise are used within music  therapy sessions at TMH to address the patient’s individual treatment goals.  Because of  a generally short length of stay, a crisis intervention model is often implemented. This provides the patients with the opportunity to make choices and gain control through the verbalization of their feelings.  Flexibility plays a key role; however, the patient’s needs/treatment goals and how they can most effectively be addressed is the first priority.  Finally, music therapy inservices are regularly provided for hospital clinicians to allow the programs continued growth. 

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Music Therapy Internship Experience

According to AMTA guidelines, the internship at TMH is 1000 hours which amounts to 25 weeks at 40 hours each week and eight hours each day, not including lunch.  Interns will have the opportunity to observe, co-lead, and lead both individual and group sessions, participate in treatment team meetings, document patient progress both daily and weekly, and implement patient assessment and evaluation.  Weekly individual supervision, formal and informal observation, and performance evaluations will be provided in addition to the completion of special projects and case studies. 
 

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Availability and Provision for:

• Living Arrangements - Assistance in locating housing will be provided once the intern has been accepted and a start date assigned.  A detailed listing of apartments and housing available in the area will be mailed to the MTI. 

•  Health Care - Employee Health screening and services are extended to interns free of charge, including the administration of the Hepatitis B vaccine series, if desired, (for the period of time when the MTI is actively interning at TMH and can be completed after internship for a fee) and the administration of the tetanus and varicella vaccines, if necessary.  These services do not replace the need for health insurance and may not be used as a primary health care provider. 

• Stipend - A small stipend will be provided contingent upon funding. 

• Liability Coverage - The MTI will be responsible for providing their own liability coverage through their University or their independent insurance.  Our facility does not provide liability coverage for interns. Click here to access an online  insurance site that provides liability coverage for students <http://www.proliability.com>.

• Orientation Procedures - During the orientation period, the MTI must complete protocol standards to comply with the JCAHO including: background checks, drug screening, fingerprinting, 2 PPD skin tests, and a varicella titre.

• Transportation - public transportation is available--a local bus system and various taxi services.  However, it is recommended that the MTI have a car for their own safety and convenience. 

 
• Field Trips - Field trips provide interns with exposure to other local music therapy programs in private practice, crisis intervention, psychiatric, special education, and palliative care settings.  

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Skills Expectations

The entering MTI will be expected to demonstrate: 
 

• Ability to play I, IV, V basic chord progressions on the guitar to accompany a song. 
• Ability to play I, IV, V chord progressions on the keyboard/piano to accompany a song. 
• Ability to accompany a song using guitar and piano/keyboard and lead a group while singing. 
• Ability to play a melody on the piano and accompany it with simple chord progressions. 
• Ability to read music. 
• Ability to assess, observe and document a patient’s mood, affect, behavior and responses to music interventions. 
• Ability to document a patient’s progress during Music Therapy sessions. 
• Functional vocal proficiency (ie., ability to sing in time and in tempo). 
• Respect toward other persons in response to a variety of situations or circumstances. 
• Knowledge of individual and group session plan development. 
• Ability to locate necessary medical information within medical dictionaries, Physician’s Desk Reference, and other related sources. 
• Ability to adequately express themselves in a professional manner. 
• Punctuality, professionalism, and organization, and ability to interact effectively with related disciplines. 
• Ability to follow hospital policies and procedures. 
• Ability to transpose songs to meet patients’ vocal range. 
• Ability to compose songs or simple arrangements using I,IV,V chords. 
• Ability to improvise, utilizing rhythmic instruments, guitar, piano or keyboard. 
• Ability to sight read easy to intermediate musical pieces on piano in order to accompany a song. 
• General working knowledge of music theory (ie., recognize various clefs, time signatures, tempos, etc.). 
• General knowledge of music history. 

The above entering skills will be required of each entering MTI.  Prospective interns will submit a detailed application, a resume, a copy of their best written work, 2 letters of recommendation, and a current college transcript to help determine the intern’s qualification for the internship (see Internship Application).  An interview with each prospective intern will be conducted, either in person or by telephone. 
 

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Number of Interns Per Training Period

The clinical training site at TMH accepts up to 2 interns per supervising MT during each training period.  The internship director may accept overlapping interns, provided the number of interns to be supervised does not exceed AMTA’s requirements 

Stipend

A small stipend will be provided for each intern, contingent upon funding. 

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Application Deadlines

Please print, complete and mail the linked application packet to: 

Miriam Hillmer, MME, MT-BC, NICU-MT
Internship Director
TMH Music Therapy 
1331 East 6th Avenue
Tallahassee, FL 32303
(850) 431-7468
Miriam.hillmer@tmh.org

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