Student Blog
OTs in intramurals ⟩
November 17, 2011, by Chris
Last week we played our final intramural flag football game of the season, and a dramatic one at that. The game went into overtime with none other than Kim Perring snagging the game winning touchdown in the back corner of the endzone. Our team finished 2-3, not bad for having to forfeit one game and play a man down for another game. Up next is intramural basketball starting in the spring. While we may be an average football team, we truly dominate in basketball. Last year, the team finished 5-1, with the one loss coming on a forfeit due to fieldwork and springbreak.
Next week I’ll be traveling back to the east coast to celebrate Thanksgiving with the family. I’m pretty excited, but when I return schoolwork will be coming at me full-bore, I just need to stay on top of things and I’ll be fine.
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Primary Care ⟩
November 15, 2011, by Kimberly
I just got back from USC-Eisner Family Medicine Center in downtown LA. For one of my electives this semester we are learning about and accumulating clinic hours in primary care settings. Primary care is a relatively new field for OT, but is an exciting one to be getting into. At Eisner we work right alongside the primary doctor to provide a more comprehensive care plan for the patient. Our scope of practice covers areas like pain management, weight management, functional assessments, organization, ergonomics, and work-life balance, to name a few.
This morning we worked briefly with a woman who is experiencing trouble with fatigue and mobility at work. She suffered a traumatic brain injury about 20 years ago and as a result has left foot drop and general left-side weakness which make it harder for her to walk. She has been mobile up until this point using the assistance of a walker and a cane while working her two jobs. But recently she has found it more tiring to walk everywhere.
After talking with the woman, we scheduled a follow-up appointment for an ergonomic assessment and a work-site assessment. These will allow us to see what adaptations to the environment could be made to enable her to better do her job without fatigue. She was very excited at the prospect of working with us in the future and at how willing we are to address her needs in the settings where they occur. So far in this class, my clinic experiences have been really rewarding. A patient who comes in for a simple check-up, some low back pain, or a need to reduce their cholesterol usually leaves from OT feeling more empowered to make small changes in their daily lives for greater health.
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A Salute to Veterans ⟩
November 14, 2011, by Chelsea
Community Getting Involved What are OS/OT?
Two weeks ago I went to an event hosted by the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy and the USC Center for Innovation and Research on Veterans & Military Families called “A Wounded Warrior’s Experience and Physical Rehabilitation.” This event featured Medal of Honor recipient Sergeant First Class Leroy A. Petry and surgeon Colonel James Ficke, MD. Four years ago, Petry was deployed to Afghanistan, where he lost his right hand when he tossed away a grenade that was near him and two fellow soldiers. Now, Petry has an advanced prosthetic hand capable of detecting outside resistance and that responds to his muscle contractions and skin receptors. After having occupational and physical therapy, Petry can now pinch, grab and rotate his wrist. It is amazing to me that despite the loss of his right hand, Petry re-enlisted to help the wounded and be a part of their support team. I admire his resilience and his determination to help others. It is so incredible to see how important it is for some people to get back to pursuing their most meaningful occupations. Petry and many other veterans demonstrate such selflessness. As occupational therapy students, it really helps to hear people such as Petry speak because it helps us to grasp the disability experience better and allows us to understand our future clients better.
Occupational therapists play a crucial role in the lives of many war veterans, which is why the USC Occupational Therapy program has honored veteran students with several events throughout November. Since President Obama has announced the withdrawal of all our troops from Iraq by the end of the year, it is likely that occupational therapy will be in high demand in veteran’s hospital and other settings where veterans are prevalent. It will be difficult for many of these men and women who served in Iraq to transition back into civilian life, when their most meaningful occupation for the past few years has been fighting for their country. As OTs, it will be our job to help these veterans find occupations that are meaningful to them and give them the means to pursue these occupations despite any physical and/or mental disabilities they may come home with. The soldiers have done their part in helping our country, now it is our turn to help them.
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Good food and conversation ⟩
November 8, 2011, by Floyd
Seriously, I think my class hosts a potluck almost every week! Whether it’s for a USC football game, someone’s birthday, or just a Saturday, we are always grubbing on delicious home-made foods and having tons of laughter. Just thinking about this past weekend and the food that everyone brought to the potluck makes me so hungry. Not only was the food great, but it was wonderful to be able to meet my peers outside of school to catch up on our personal lives. I feel that my class really values each other and sincerely wants to know about how each other are doing.
For this potluck, we created it for a faculty dinner where we invite a faculty member from our program to talk outside of school. We had Dr. Samia Rafeedie, one of our esteemed professors and practicing OTs come this week. It was nice to chit-chat about her life and about her pregnancy . . . she is 8 months pregnant. We got her a children’s book and signed it with our love and luck. All I all, we had good times and great conversations that we will always remember.
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Appreciating Los Angeles ⟩
November 3, 2011, by Alix
I’m heading home soon to CT. I can’t wait to see my family and friends, but I’m also worried about the fact that it is freezing cold and there is still no power after last weekend’s snowstorm. This means that I will be sleeping in below-freezing temperatures with no heat. I’ll probably bring an additional sleeping bag to put underneath the covers in my bed.
In Santa Monica, on the other hand, it’s 75 degrees and sunny. I’m starting to wonder how I ever lived back east. In fact I’ve been appreciating LA a lot this week, especially after Halloween. I remember all too well how in CT and NYC, Halloween costumes always had to be constructed with inclement weather in mind. It was useless trying to wear a cute outfit, because you always ended up putting a parka over it. High heels were unrealistic in the mud and slush and piles of leaves. For this reason, my costumes usually depended on a single key piece worn as a hat (bee antennae, angel halo, etc.).
So my costume this year turned out great (we dressed up as Yoshimi and the Pink Robot from the Flaming Lips album), but I do feel upstaged by my fellow ambassador Chris and our friend John, who both completed a surprise mid-party costume change into Dr. Seuss’s Thing #1 and Thing #2. Those costumes, being based on long-sleeved flannel pajamas with built-in slippers, would also have done well back east.
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