Student Blog

My Fieldwork in a “non-traditional” setting ⟩
February 12, 2021, by Lamoni

Fieldwork What are OS/OT?

My previous blog post was about being comfortable with uncertainty as I waited to learn where I would be placed for fieldwork this semester. Update: I have been placed and I have completed my first week! I am in what we would call a “non-traditional” setting. The work that I will be doing is not happening in a clinic or hospital and the clients do not have diagnoses. In fact, I will be completing my work remotely because it is research. I am at SOLA Peace Center working under Dr. Kristy Payne and regularly meeting with Dr. Gelya Frank. SOLA is a non-profit organization that has recently formed a collaboration with USC. SOLA’s primary goal is to create more peaceful and just communities. It is based out of South Los Angeles and primarily serves the economically disadvantaged. The organization recognizes that poverty is a form of structural violence and due to a lack of resources, children in these communities are often experiencing occupational alienation. As occupational therapists, we know the many benefits that occupation and occupational opportunities bring to our lives. Thus, we can imagine how detrimental the lack of occupational opportunities can be. Without proper tools, skills, and resources, children are limited in their possibilities. My role as a level II fieldwork student here is to strengthen the effectiveness and reach of SOLA in the community by attending community meetings, completing observations, and researching best practices. To be productive in the community, SOLA must be backed by evidence.

Though I am not writing treatment plans and submitting documentation, the work at SOLA is that of an occupational therapist. I ask the questions, “what is preventing children in this community from engaging in meaningful occupation?” and “How can I change that and help them be successful?” The overarching theme of occupational therapy remains – how can I help this person do what they need to do and want to do (despite disability, illness, and/or circumstance)? The work at SOLA is a combination of pediatrics, wellness, and mental health. Children learn ways to regulate themselves, life skills such as peaceful communication and conflict resolution, and goal-setting for self-improvement. Further, children learn how to be leaders in their community, how to take social action, and how to make their voices heard. There is no selection process—anyone that wants to join is able to do so. What I love most about SOLA is their focus on and integration of occupational justice. SOLA aims to give children exposure to new possibilities and the tools that they need for success in school, in the workforce, and in society.  The mission is to help those in the community feel like they have agency, particularly the children that are often overlooked.

I am so excited to acquire and develop new skills while working with SOLA Peace Center! The insight that I gain will not only help me become a more thoughtful, well-rounded occupational therapy practitioner, I will be assisting in leveling an unfair playing field while doing so. Everything that we do with intention is occupation. That means that occupational therapy fits into much more than the distinct areas of adult rehabilitation, pediatrics, and mental health. We are a profession with so much value and so much to share. Let us continue to expand and bring our expertise where it is needed.

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Imposter Syndrome: Undergrad Edition ⟩
February 10, 2021, by Liz

Admissions Diversity

As I’ve mentioned before, one of the best parts of being a student ambassador is connecting with students—students that have been recently admitted, students interested in applying, and current students. Last night I had a video call with a recently admitted student, and they asked me something that really stood out to me. She asked me about imposter syndrome, but it wasn’t about how I related to it as a person of color. It was about how I felt when I was first admitted coming from Cal State Fullerton. Now, this person did not mean to make Cal State Fullerton sound inferior to other campuses and I certainly have nothing negative to say about CSUF at all. But, I thought it was a great question.

I remember being very proud and excited when I first received my acceptance letter to the program. But, as summer slowly approached, I started to worry about whether or not I would be just as “smart” or just as “prepared” as all of the other students in my class. I didn’t mean to doubt myself or feel as though I was competing with everyone else, but I just wanted to be good enough and feel like I deserved to be there.

On the first day of class, we all introduced ourselves. The faculty put together a PowerPoint that stated what our names were, our hometown, and the universities we attended. My last name begins with an R so you can only imagine how nervous I felt as they went through everyone leading up to my turn. As people walked up to introduce themselves, I saw UCLA, UC Berkley, San Diego State, UC Davis, USC, Chapman—all of these highly respected universities on people’s slides. And again, I don’t mean to say CSUF is any less than these institutions, but the schools on those slides definitely come with a reputation of being some of the best. It took some time for me to feel confident and know that I was just as good a student as everyone who came from these other highly respected schools. I have to say that everyone in my classes has had amazing ideas and thoughts to share these past two years—people from divrse backgrounds who’ve attended different universities.

That’s the point I hope to get across with this post. It’s completely normal to feel nervous and scared that you may not be as good as everyone else around you in class. I’m sure everyone that gets admitted feels this in some way! But, I want you to know that you deserve to be here and there’s a reason you were admitted and it’s because the admissions team saw something in you that made them believe you would be a great OT. That’s the great thing about the holistic admissions process. There’s bright people on every campus and we want people with different backgrounds to share their experiences in the classroom.  I also thought this was something that students who are currently at community colleges could relate to as well. Continue to push yourself and work towards getting that bachelor’s degree in order to one day apply for OT school!

At the end of the day, we’re all working towards being occupational therapists. You’ll get a chance to develop your clinical reasoning skills and discover your therapeutic use of self along the rest of your peers. We’re all on this journey together. So, congratulations to all those students who just recently got admitted into our program. Take some time to celebrate all of the hard work you did to get here. And if you’re still preparing to apply or try again, you also got this! As always, feel free to shoot me an email if you would like to chat more about this or anything at all. Fight on!

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Electives During the OTD Program ⟩
February 5, 2021, by Daniel

Classes

This Fall I was feeling burnt out towards the end of the semester. It was my first OTD semester with classes being virtual and it was my first time being the only OT at my site (primary care clinic). Many times, I was just trying to keep up with my assignments and residency demands. During the month of October, I began looking at what classes I would be taking for the Spring semester, but it was all just too stressful, and I kept pushing it back. My bi-weekly check ins with my faculty mentor and clinical preceptor helped with brainstorming ideas for potential electives to take in the Spring. The idea of getting to choose courses that interest me and plan my own schedule sounded refreshing. I began to look for electives outside of the OT department since I’ve never had the opportunity to take a class in another department.

Taking the advice from my check ins and further understanding the needs of my residency population, I decided to look for electives in gerontology, policy, and pain medicine under the Keck School of Medicine. Eventually, I came across several exciting opportunities to take as electives but not enough units because of the 2 additional elective units I took during the Master’s program. Remember that during the OTD program you can take 4 units of electives (unless you took extra elective units as a USC Master’s student). For students starting their OTD in the fall, in the Spring semester you will also be taking OT 621: Occupational Therapy Leadership: Contemporary Issues (4 units).

Since the beginning of my residency training our focus has been supporting clients with uncontrolled diabetes and hypertension. I also had the opportunity to provide short consultations, with one of the highest requests being for chronic pain. Clients on our active caseload will often request support with pain management as well due to diabetes complications such as neuropathy and other comorbidities that cause pain, making it harder for them to engage in their health management and daily occupations. Given this need and while doing further research, I decided I wanted to use my 2 elective units to learn more about pain and better support my clients. After reaching out to Keck faculty to get clearance for pain medicine courses, I enrolled in PAIN-704: Pain and Society: Epidemiology and Cultural Issues and PAIN-720: Physical and Occupational Therapies. PAIN 704 is a course focused on exploring societal issues related to pain and pain management such as culture, ethnicity, caregiving, social and psychological factors. PAIN 720 is a course focused on discussing different OT and PT techniques to assess and treat chronic pain.

The first week of January I had a check-in with Dr. Sarah Bream, our OTD Program Director. During our meeting I shared with her my desire to take MDED-511: Immigrants, Illness, and Narrative Medicine (4 units), but not having enough units. MDED 511 is a course that examines immigrant experiences in the U.S. through the lens of narrative medicine, aimed to deepen students’ understanding of critical issues affecting immigrants in the U.S. and develop skills to better serve immigrant communities and populations in healthcare and other social services. I shared with her my passion to increase my knowledge and skills to better serve immigrant communities during my residency and in my career. Dr. Bream was very receptive of my ideas and even provided additional advice to work on for my OTD portfolio. She shared with me that on a case-to-case basis, exceptions could be made to substitute OT 621 with another course. I was really surprised but excited to hear this because that meant I could take the MDED 511 course. I truly appreciated her help with problem solving, finding a way to shape my OTD experience, and taking care of the necessary paperwork to make the change.

I am now three weeks into my Spring semester, and I am feeling refreshed (after Winter Break), more confident in my clinical skills, and looking forward to my electives expanding my knowledge. I wanted to share my experience choosing electives during the OTD because if you are feeling unsure about what to take or simply don’t have enough units to take certain courses, I encourage you to reach out to Dr. Bream, your faculty mentor, classmates, the student ambassadors, or even former students because unless you ask, you may not know about the different ways that you can customize your learning experience.

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Welcome to the Waiting ⟩
February 3, 2021, by Bethany

Admissions Life Hacks

Hello to all of our undergraduate applicants who have now reached the Waiting: that awkward time in between application submission and decision where the choice is out of your hands. All admissions processes, whether for undergrad or graduate school, have that awkward, breath-holding Waiting. You’ve spent months trying to paint the perfect picture of yourself for each counselor that reads your personal statement. You’ve looked at schools and maybe you have that one ideal school in mind. You’ve hit the submit button. And now what? Whatever thoughts or expectations we have about our future education, we all at some point get stuck in the Waiting. So as you’re sitting trying to picture what the next four years of your life may look like, here are a few tips to remember.

1. Breathe — With applications in, breathe in. Now, breathe out. You did it! You submitted! Good job! You’ve done your part, and now look at all this new time that you have gained! Take a breath and bake cookies or go for a night drive. Go back to your favorite activities, or find a new one. Or you can always spend more time studying for all those AP classes that you decided to take senior year . . .
2. Celebrate — You have done your best, written your best, and put on your best show. Take time to eat some ice cream, since it’s hitting 80 degrees here in LA, or drink hot chocolate and watch a movie.
3. Commiserate — Remember that other students are also waiting! Find your other friends who are in the same boat. Wait together, and rant together, if you need to. Remember that wherever you are in this journey, you’re not alone.
4. Ask — If you still have questions about the college experience, use the time to reach out! Email me at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) if you want to ask me questions about OT undergrad life. Take an undergraduate virtual tour. Stay updated on the undergraduate Admission Blog to learn more about the “Now what?”
5. Be present — The phrase “be present” is used frequently among my friend group. But it always takes a moment for the real meaning of the phrase to sink in. As you go throughout your day, be present in the moment. Yes, you can think about your future, but don’t let those worries take away from what you’re living right now. Make some good memories. Now is as good a time as any.

So. Welcome to the Waiting. Just remember, the Waiting doesn’t last forever. Your path may end up looking different than you expected. But know that somehow, someway, you’ll end up where you need to be.

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10 Things I Like About Being a Student Ambassador ⟩
January 29, 2021, by Yna

Getting Involved International

We recently conducted an information session about the student ambassador position, which made me look back and reflect upon my experience thus far as a student ambassador—and I came up with a list of 10 things that I like about being one!

1. Forming connections with a lot of people — For the most part, being a student ambassador is really about connecting with different people: from prospective students, current students, alumni, clinicians, faculty, and staff. Whether it is to answer a prospective student’s question during an info session/career fair, or to gather my fellow classmates’ opinions, or to ask for a clinician’s expert advice, every interaction is unique and helps me broaden my perspective about different matters.
2. Being of help to prospective students — Not too long ago, I was also in the position of being an applicant which I know could feel overwhelming, especially if you’re coming from a different country like myself. I remember having feelings of anxiety because the whole application process was pretty novel to me, not to mention a whole lot other things to take into consideration such as housing, scholarships, and financial aid. Being a student ambassador allows me to be of assistance to students who find themselves in this position by sharing my experiences—tips on what I’ve found helpful, what not to do, who to reach out to, and other helpful resources I can provide them.
3. Having lots of opportunity to be creative — I work closely with Lamoni in managing USC Chan’s pages; and having to create content for social media indeed opens up lots of opportunities to bring creative ideas to the table. This goes starting from planning out what content to publish, to designing eye-catching posts, to crafting interesting captions; and in general just always being open and thinking about new ideas.
4. Sharing thoughts and experiences (mine and my fellow students’) — Writing blogs, for me, has been a time to sit down, pause, and think: about interesting things that have happened, about what kind of information students need at this time, or about how can I represent students in the division and share their experiences as well. It is particularly enjoyable for me whenever I get to work on projects together with my classmates in the program such as when I created a fun video about winter break occupations, because I feel like I was able to take a peek at what everyone’s been up to while we weren’t together in class, which I get to share with other readers too.
5. Working with other amazing student ambassadors — I have had so much to learn from being around the other 6 talented student ambassadors who each possesses unique skill sets. Although we each have our own ambassador duties, a lot of the tasks inevitably overlap with each other, which allows us to partner with one another and share responsibilities. I consider myself lucky to have found an amazing support system within the recruitment team who are all very supportive and willing to help each other out.
6. Enhancing my skills and discovering new ones — Being a student ambassador has given me so much opportunities to create and compile videos which greatly contributed to the improvement of my skills. Before coming to USC, I decided to learn how to edit videos just for fun and started creating short travel vlogs. I’m glad to have been able to utilize this skill, this time for various events around the division. I mean, I still have so much to learn and improve on but I’m definitely better than when I first started! =)) Moreover, since a lot of the ambassador work involves getting in touch with different people, this has helped me, over time, be more comfortable communicating with other people whether personally or through other virtual platforms. Finally, I’ve also learned to do new things such as utilizing and managing different platforms to organize online meetings for info sessions, create RSVP forms, and send out post-event surveys through the help of other student ambassadors who are well-versed when it comes to these matters.
7. Challenging my comfort zone — One of my major inhibitions when I was just about to apply for the student ambassador position was that public speaking is not really my strong suit. While up to this date it still isn’t, I have managed to organize and host a couple of international info sessions together with a few guest panelists from different countries. This part of the job is probably what really scared me the most, but I’m glad that I was able to push myself out of my comfort zone, which I believe is a very important first step!
8. Improving my time management skills — Given that enrollment in the MA program is full-time, having to work part-time really requires a great deal of time management skills for you to be able to achieve a balance not just between work and school but also leisure! I have learned strategies to spend my time wisely and be more organized in scheduling my work and school tasks. More importantly, I have also learned to ask for help from my team whenever the load gets too much to handle—one thing that our supervisor Kim always reminds us to do, as our well-being should always come first.
9. Supporting the admissions team — A few student ambassadors including myself have taken part in certain steps of the admission process. During this time, we have worked closely with Dr. Anvarizadeh, our director of admissions, as well as the whole admissions team, wherein I have witnessed the hard work that they all do to support and advocate for the community. It inspired me to be the change I want to see, as Dr. Anvarizadeh has always reminded us.
10. Being able to attend events — One of the fun parts of being a student ambassador is getting to be part of various events in the division! For example, I have provided support for Bianca Ojeda, our special events program coordinator, in hosting the virtual holiday party for the Chan division last year. I enjoyed facilitating games for the Chan faculty members and staff and seeing them having a fun time while in their holiday outfits.

To wrap everything up, being a student ambassador overall enriches my USC student life experience. It is a great opportunity that I am glad to have taken, albeit my hesitations as a new and international student coming to LA.

For those of you who might be interested to apply as a student ambassador, you can send an email to my supervisor Kim Kho at .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address), the deadline to apply is on February 19th at 3:00pm. You can also check out Liz’s blog to know even more about the work as a student ambassador. As always, feel free reach out to me and I will be happy to answer any further questions! 😀

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