Student Blog

Winter Break Occupations ⟩
January 11, 2021, by Yna

Diversity International Videos

Happy 2021 everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful time during the holiday season and are feeling well-rested and ready to start this year anew. We are but a few days away from going back to school for the spring semester. Despite being in this extraordinary circumstance, it’s delightful to witness people finding unique ways to celebrate the season. I can say at least for myself that the break has been restful and rejuvenating, for I’ve had plenty of opportunities to catch up with closest family members as we stayed in and simply spent time with each other.

As all things must come to an end, it is now time to face reality—going back to school! I find it quite difficult to believe that this will already be my final semester before graduating. I know that once we step into the new term, we’re going to be too busy to even take note of the amount of time passing by — at least this was my experience during the last semester. But however daunting this may seem, it is also exciting to think about all the new experiences and learnings that I will be gaining with my amazing classmates and supportive professors as we all go through this common yet unique journey together. I try to remind myself to just enjoy the ride and keep in mind that everything’s going to be alright. Now, it’s time to turn any worry into productive preparation for all the exciting things in store for us this year!

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Joining a Growing Number of Latinx Occupational Therapists ⟩
January 5, 2021, by Daniel

Diversity Getting Involved

Recently the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) published the 2019 Workforce and Salary Survey. Based on 15,596 responses (most being AOTA members), in 2018 race/ethnicity of occupational therapists were as follows: 3.6% Hispanic/Latinx, 2.6% African American/Black, 6.3% Asian/Pacific Islander, 0.2% American Indian/Alaskan Native, 1.7% Multiethnic, 1.6% Preferred not to Answer, with the majority of occupational therapists remaining at 84.0% Caucasian/White. Keep in mind that these numbers are based on people who responded to the survey. The United States (U.S.) Bureau of Labor Statistics also compiled data in 2019 from employed occupational therapists that were as follows: White, 75.7%; Black or African American, 10.2%; Asian, 12.4%, and Hispanic or Latino, 10.2%.

The truth is these statistics are not where I or many people would want them to be and they make me feel fortunate to be a part of this small, but growing percentage of Latinx occupational therapists. It is also a reminder that I must continue to push the narrative. In addition to the numbers shared above, I also represent an unknown statistic of undocumented occupational therapists in the United States. The closest statistic I found while doing my research was from the Migration Policy Institute (MPI) tabulation data from the U.S. Census Bureau 2018 American Community Survey, which found that 3.6% of “therapists” in the U.S. are “foreign-born workers”. Yet, there is no true number I can refer to as this number gathers occupational therapists, physical therapists, respiratory therapists, and speech-language pathologists under the term “therapists”, and the term “foreign-born workers” can include undocumented people, undocumented people with Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) status, and a variety of visas. Furthermore, disclosing immigration status is a sensitive topic to disclose on surveys or any type of data collection.

So why is this important you may be wondering? Well, as I have disclosed in a previous financial aid video, I am currently undocumented with DACA status. My entire life has been full of firsts, first person in my family to go to college, first to go to graduate school, and the list goes on. During the process and since officially becoming a licensed OT in California, the firsts just keep coming and as we begin 2021, I foresee many more happening this year. At some point this year I will be completing my Doctorate in Occupational Therapy (OTD) degree and applying for jobs. If someone would have told me this back when I was in high school, I would have not believed it. Back then I didn’t think it was possible to even go to college, much less that one day I would be at USC working on my doctorate degree. This is why the numbers above matter because to have access to even one professional that looks like you or that may come from a similar background can make a huge difference in someone’s decision to pursue a specific program and/or career as it did for me. Furthermore, having representation in the healthcare field for clients from diverse backgrounds is vital to providing the best care possible and better understand client beliefs and values.

This year my life is going to change, and it is scary/exciting as this will be one of the biggest firsts I’ve ever had to experience. The last two years at USC, I’ve had the opportunity to have mentors in the OT profession such as Dr. Celso Delgado, Dr. Jesus Diaz, Dr. Gabby Granados, Dr. Beth Pyatak, and Dr. Arameh Anvarizadeh, to name a few, who have supported me in ways that have made it possible for an undocumented student from Van Nuys to join this group of occupational therapists working to increase representation in our profession and make our communities’ voices heard. And I also want to give a shoutout to some of my classmates, Katie Bui, Marilyn Thompson, and Janis Yue, for also doing the work to increase diversity in OT these last few years and also working on their OTD.

For 2021, I have made two commitments. The first commitment is to become even more engaged in sharing my story and be a mentor to more OT students, applicants, and those interested in this field. The second commitment is to do more community work with organizations across the country such as Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD). These are my initial commitments I have planned this year in order to continue increasing those percentages shared earlier and help create an even more diverse, inclusive, and equitable OT profession. Change is slow but it’s up to us to make that change. If you are a potential applicant, someone interested in OT, or current student feel free to reach out to me! (.(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) or 818-571-8222). Let’s network and have these conversations!

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#NoRegrets ⟩
December 28, 2020, by Calvin

Admissions Getting Involved International Life Hacks Living in LA

Since OT school wasn’t an option for me right out of undergrad, I thought, “Well, I guess it’s time for plan B: to take a gap year.” Except, as time went by, it started to feel less like a back-up plan and more like the decision I should’ve gone with all along!

My gap year happened pretty unintentionally, but I’m honestly so glad that I took that time off. After 4 years of undergrad, I felt burnt out! A change of pace was something I needed and taking a year off to rest and try new things ended up serving me really well. It was because of my gap year that I was able to pursue research in another country, visit family and friends back in Hong Kong, travel around the world, build my professional experiences, study for the GRE, and just overall, take a break from school! Even though I wasn’t on vacation 24/7, my schedule definitely allowed for a lot more flexibility. I also want to emphasize that taking time off before heading to graduate school is completely normal. I might even suggest it because it gave me the time to reflect, mature, and refocus my goals.

I know what it’s like to feel the pressure of securing something for yourself after undergrad. I also know what it’s like when that doesn’t work out. Not knowing what’s going to happen next is a scary thing, but it’s also an opportunity to challenge ourselves and grow in ways that we might not have imagined before. So, do what you need to do before starting grad school, and know that you don’t need to jump into it right away. Take the time to think about what’s best for you and your future.

My Gap Year Memories in Photos

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Learning to Lean on Others ⟩
December 23, 2020, by Savi

Life Hacks

I got a text last night from one of my best friends in the program stating, “If I ever come to you seeking advice and you don’t have the mental capacity just let me know! And I seriously am here whenever you need advice or to vent!” To give you context to this message, earlier that day my friend had overheard me sigh heavily after looking at my phone. She asked what was wrong, and I explained that sometimes I just get overwhelmed by the number of people I feel like rely on me, even if deep down I know that they will be alright if I don’t answer their text or don’t help them problem-solve a solution to an issue. If friends, acquaintances, or family reach out to me, I know they believe I can help them and I feel compelled to go above and beyond in order to make their lives a little bit easier. I felt weird saying this out loud and immediately felt a sense of shame about believing that there was a lot of pressure on me to fulfill a role no one actually expects me to fulfill.

As occupational therapists, we are tasked with making meaningful occupations more accessible to our clients. I love my job, but I do find it difficult to switch off my “OT” lens/brain when I leave work or school.

I sat and tried to process how I could prevent this from happening and I soon came to terms with the fact that I will never fully feel like me unless I am there to listen to my friends or assist with problem-solving a solution to an issue they are experiencing. I feel honored to be someone that people feel comfortable confiding in and I take great pride in being there to help them better understand their worth, capabilities, and strengths.

For that reason, I have decided to focus on the second part of my friend’s message: “I am here if you need me.” I am so willing to be there for others to help them overcome hurdles to participating in their meaningful occupations, but I rarely find myself reaching out to others when I need help myself. I immediately replied to my friend and told her that I will definitely take her up on her offer because I know she truly means it. I also know that every one of my friends and family would do the same and that I am not a nuisance to any of them. I am not myself without my meaningful occupations, and I typically refrain from participating in them if I am overwhelmed or stressed. If people in my life are willing to come and open up to me then I should be willing to do the same! That way we can all participate in the activities and occupations that make us feel whole again . . . I mean I am definitely not the best version of myself unless I go on a walk/run outside, take a warm shower, and get at least 7 hours of sleep. 

So if you’re like me and you can’t seem to step away from the OT mindset even when you leave work, that is ok! Just know that you are surrounded by people who want to help you in the same way . . . even if they haven’t officially been trained to do it 😉. Know that you are not a burden and make sure that you are allowing yourself the opportunity to participate in the occupations that are most meaningful to you!

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Working with the Community ⟩
December 21, 2020, by Liz

Diversity Getting Involved

In one of my previous blog posts I shared a little bit about the community program that my colleague, and one of my dearest friends, Stephanie and I are leading together. The program is called Vivir Con Diabetes, and was initially developed by another occupational therapy student, David, as a part of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. In efforts of continuing the program, he mentored our very own Daniel Padilla, who then continued running the sessions the following year in collaboration with his colleague, Ceci. As you may all know, Daniel is now an OTD student and taking on other things as he works towards becoming Dr. Padilla. His colleague Ceci is also working on obtaining her OTD and is busy as she completes her residency at CHLA’s UCEDD. So now this year, Stephanie and I are running the program’s sessions.

To give you all more background, Vivir Con Diabetes is a program designed to support the Spanish-speaking community of Boyle Heights as they strive to make lifestyle changes in order to improve their diabetes management. Our goal is to implement culturally sensitive interventions as we support them in achieving their goal of better managing their diabetes. Our program site is the LAC+USC Wellness Center, which our participants are very familiar with because they utilize some of their other resources. I get a lot of questions from prospective students like “What kind of work do you get to do directly with the community?” “What are other ways to stay involved besides student organizations on campus?” “What kind of work do you directly get to do with the Latinx community?” Well, this is one of those ways in which I stay connected with my community all while using an OT lens.

Normally these sessions are held in person, but given the current situation we have been hosting them online. There are three sessions that take place Saturday mornings and are each 45 minutes long. It sounds like a long morning, but they really fly by! As we were discussing what we would be covering during the sessions and how they would be structured we had a few things to think about: would everyone that was interested in joining our classes have access to the internet? A computer? A cell phone? We really got to think about how much of an impact COVID-19 has had on our community, especially those who would come in-person to the Wellness Center with the goal of learning more about how to be more directly involved in their own health and care. Most of our participants tune in using their cell phones. Because Stephanie and I log in using our laptops, we had to learn a little more about how to instruct and guide our participants to unmute/turn their cameras on/off on their phones.

Stephanie and I touch on different topics every week and make sure that we relate them back to our participants’ diabetes management. We talk about things like:

• Sleep hygiene
• Chronic pain
• Stress management
• Physical activity — two weeks ago we did Zumba for 20 minutes, which was a hit!
• Communicating with one’s provider
• Mental health

These are just a few of the topics we cover, and as I mentioned before we always tie the topic back to diabetes management. For example, how does the stress created by family members and your provider affect your ability to manage your diabetes? How does the pressure of keeping your A1c levels low affect how you feel about yourself? How does it affect your relationships? Because our participants are Spanish-speaking and there’s already a low number of Latinx providers that they can relate to, our participants really love to share and talk to a group of people that understands — people that they can relate to.

I should mention that Stephanie and I aren’t just creating these lessons off the top of our heads! We get feedback from Dr. Diaz on our session outlines every week before introducing any content to our participants. Which brings me to my next point — mentorship. Aside from being able to work with the community, participating in this program has provided me with some great mentorship from Dr. Diaz. He continuously supports Stephanie and I by meeting with us on a weekly basis to go over our session outlines, any challenges we faced at our sessions, and also shares a ton of resources with us!

All in all it’s been such a great experience to be a part of this program. It’s something that I wish would have been available to help my grandmother with her diabetes management, and something that I think really makes a huge difference for our community in general. Speaking from my grandmother’s experience, she didn’t quite understand what it meant to have diabetes, didn’t know that there were so many lifestyle changes that could have helped her manage it, and also didn’t really feel comfortable asking her provider questions because she didn’t speak English. So, I am really passionate about supporting my community in any way possible.

I hope this was helpful for learning more about other ways in which you can stay involved and make a difference in the community. Please feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about the program or about the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship! I would be happy to walk you through that application if you’re interested in applying for the following year. Fight on and happy holidays!

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