Student Blog

What I wish I knew before taking the “Foundations” courses: Part 1 ⟩
June 18, 2021, by Arianna

Classes Life Hacks

Throughout my Junior year, I took the four “Foundations” for occupational therapy courses: Occupation, Kinesiology, Neuroscience, and Creativity, Craft and Activity Analysis. These were some of my favorite classes because I got to know my future professors, I spent more time with the 12 students in my cohort, and I learned material that will support me in my future career as an OT.

By the time this blog is up, the Entry-Level MA students will be finishing their first week of classes, and as some of you may know, they are taking the same four Foundations courses that the BS-MA students took this past year! So, fellow future classmates, this blog is for you 😊 . I’ll be writing tips and advice for each class so keep reading if you want some pointers!

Disclaimer: I’m not sure if the structure of the summer classes is the same as the classes I took. Hopefully it is but if not, I hope you can still gain something helpful from this blog!

Foundations: Kinesiology
In my opinion, Kinesiology was the most challenging Foundations course BUT at the same time it was the class I gained the most from. If you loved anatomy, I think you will enjoy this class as well!

• Tip #1: Use the “Complete Anatomy” app to study

If you don’t have this app already, sign into your USC email and click this link: https://libguides.usc.edu/c.php?g=293713&p=1956412. It will give you access to a FREE lifetime membership to Complete Anatomy! This app is great because it allows you to isolate each muscle and watch them in motion. Seeing how the muscles shortened and lengthened really helped me form a better understanding of the function of each muscle, which in turn helped me memorize the prime actions!

• Tip #2: Get up and move during the test!

Although a normal professor would not appreciate their students standing up and moving around during an exam, Dr. Sopkin encouraged the exact opposite! During the tests, it was SO helpful to act out the different actions of each muscle with my own body. For example, if I couldn’t remember the actions of my anterior deltoid, I would just swing my arm around and note which movements required the use of that muscle.  I believe your professor is Dr. Rafeedie this summer, but I think she will also encourage you to do the same.

• Tip# 3: Make empty muscle charts

Pretty soon, all of you will be very familiar with the term “muscle charts”. Once you get these charts, I recommend organizing them by unit, and making a blank version of each chart in Google Docs. When it’s time to study for the exam, pull out your empty muscle charts and fill them in until you can do it from memory. Although the amount of content you need to memorize seems intimidating, if you start memorizing the muscle charts as soon as you get them, you will do just fine.

• Tip # 4: Create acronyms for force couples

Sooner or later, you will learn about force couples, and these can be hard to remember at times, especially when there are multiple in each unit. Acronyms always make memorizing easier for me. Here’s one acronym I made that I remember off the top of my head: SLT (Some Lettuce and Tomatoes). S=Subscapularis, L=Latissimus dorsi, T=Teres major. Together, these muscles aDduct the shoulder. How I remembered this force couple was: AD(d) Some Lettuce and Tomatoes. Lol.

Foundations: Occupation
For everyone who loves history, this class might be your favorite! Being completely honest, this class wasn’t as stressful as Kines. It is largely discussion based, and I was a history nerd in high school so this class was right up my alley.

• Tip #1: Start making a “timeline”

I apologize in advance if you do not have to make a timeline at the end of the summer, but I would start taking notes on 1-2 important figures in each chapter and 1-2 important events. These are facts that you should be writing down regardless, but taking these notes may just help you get a head start on your final project.

• Tip #2: Use the app “Speechify”

If you watched my Instagram takeover a while back, you probably heard me talk about the text-to-speech app, “Speechify”! When I was in Foundations: Occupations, we had a lot of heavy reading. I can’t lie, long and dense readings take me forever to complete because I somehow always manage to read without processing anything. As a result, I have to go back and read the same sentence over and over again until I can comprehend it. When I discovered Speechify, I was able to get through the reedings a lot faster! I am an auditory learner, so listening to the readings made it much easier for me to stay focused.

This blog is getting long so I’ll have to make 2 parts! Come back next Friday for more tips; I’ll be talking about Neuroscience and Creativity, Craft and Activity Analysis!

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Can’t Sleep? Count Sheep! ⟩
June 4, 2021, by Arianna

Life Hacks

Although Mental Health Awareness month is over, I wanted to write about something I struggle with that many of you may experience as well: sleeplessness. Don’t get me wrong; I love sleeping. I love having vivid and nonsensical dreams that linger in my mind all day, and I love being able to rest and recuperate with an occupation as restorative as sleep. The one thing I don’t love is the “simple” process of falling asleep.

My typical night goes as follows: I get into bed, lay on my side curled up in a fetal position, close my eyes, and think about the day. Pretty soon, I start to think about some embarrassing thing I did in high school. Then, I think about grad-school, and worry about how I’m supposed to pay for that. Next, I think about having to wake up before seven in the morning to commute to classes if I decide to live at home in 2022. Before you know it, my heart is racing, my blood pressure is up, and my entire sympathetic nervous system is ready for action! This can go on for thirty minutes to an hour.

Once my brain is too tired to think, my body takes over. I suddenly have the urge to pee, but when I walk to the bathroom, the urge disappears. Pretty soon, I can feel every fold and wrinkle in my pajamas, and the idea of sleeping in lumpy clothing forces me to get up and reposition myself. Next, I can see a tiny beam of light peeking through the blinds, which of course, bothers me. And last but not least, my baby hairs start to tickle my face. AGHHH!!! By now, I’ve been in bed for two hours, and I have to be up in six.

Now I forget about my body and I am only filled with frustration, for I have just wasted 2 hours of sleep! This sequence of events used to happen every single night, but I’ve picked up a few tricks to help me overcome my sleeplessness.

1. Melatonin tablets
Over the past year, my best friend has become melatonin tablets! Taking 10 mg of melatonin an hour before bedtime helps me feel sleepy. Melatonin has also helped me establish a more regular sleep cycle! Oh, but I do NOT recommend getting the “Natrol Strawberry Melatonin Gummies” because they taste better than most candies, which is dangerous if you have a sweet-tooth like me.

2. No phone in bed!!!
Oh boy, I wish I had the willpower to do this every night. Sometimes when I feel extra motivated to get a good night’s sleep, I charge my phone on my dresser to prevent me from using it in bed. Although the eternal scrolling can be comforting by helping me take my mind off of external stressors, it prevents me from winding down effectively.

3. Mental exercises
I’m not sure if this is considered an exercise, but when my thoughts are overwhelming, I repeat this phrase in my head over and over: “What are you thinking about? Nothing. What are you thinking about? Nothing”. Sometimes I actually fall asleep doing this! I also find counting sheep to be helpful. Although it seems silly, sometimes if I imagine velvet sheep walking across a velvet couch in a velvet room, I become extra relaxed.

4. Deep breaths
Last but not least, never underestimate the power of three deep breaths. Slowly breathing in air, holding it, and exhaling, noticeably slows down my racing heart. I need to remember to practice mindful breathing more often, as it proves time and time again to be beneficial.

These tips have all helped me get better sleep, but of course they don’t work perfectly. Some nights, my brain refuses to sleep no matter how hard I try, and I just have to accept that. If you struggle with sleeplessness, I hope this blog was relatable and comforting. I also hope you were able to gain useful tips to help you get a better night’s rest! We must never forget that sleep is an occupation that everyone deserves to partake in.

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Vivir Con Diabetes ⟩
May 25, 2021, by Global Initiatives Team

Diversity Fieldwork Getting Involved

By Stephanie Gomez-Rubalcava and Liz Rivera
Professional Master’s students

Vivir Con Diabetes (in English: “Living With Diabetes”) is a community service project that we have been hosting as a part of the Albert Schweitzer Fellowship. This fellowship requires students to collaborate with a community site and create a project that caters to the needs of an underserved population. Our project was tailored to service individuals in the local, Spanish-speaking community of Boyle Heights who have been diagnosed with prediabetes or Type II diabetes. We believe that there is an increased need for healthcare providers who can implement culturally-sensitive interventions.

This program was started in 2018 by an occupational therapy student in the Chan Division, David Saldana. It was then continued the following year by Daniel Padilla Vega and Cecilia Garcia. We began as volunteers for the program in 2019 and were awarded the Schweitzer Fellowship in 2020. With USC OT students receiving this fellowship for the third year, it provided us the opportunity to continue expanding this amazing work. Our sessions covered topics related to lifestyle modifications to improve diabetes management such as: stress management, mental health, sleep hygiene, and increasing understanding of what it means to be diagnosed with diabetes. We really wanted to focus on prevention for those diagnosed with prediabetes and on modifying the habits and routines of those diagnosed with diabetes. In previous years, these sessions were hosted in person at our project site, the LAC+USC Wellness Center, but due to the global pandemic, we had to host the sessions virtually.

Although over the last year we faced several challenges in delivering the diabetes management content via Zoom, there were some great benefits to conducting this program virtually. Some of the challenges included making the program accessible for our target population, participant difficulties navigating Zoom, and internet connectivity issues. The silver lining to all of these challenges was that over the weeks, we created a family-like, virtual community and provided participants with space to reflect on their health goals. Many of them mentioned that our Saturday sessions were the only time they dedicated to themselves, and so we decided to incorporate at least 10 minutes of mindfulness/yoga activities to each session. We also provided every participant with at least one free, at-home hemoglobin A1c test to screen for diabetes.

Although a couple of weeks ago we celebrated our final Vivir Con Diabetes session, we are truly grateful for the opportunity to learn with and from our participants. As soon-to-be Latina graduates of occupational therapy, we are excited to continue working with our Latinx community in our future careers and helping them bring about positive and meaningful change in their lives. Lastly, Stephanie Perez, a previous volunteer of Vivir Con Diabetes, has recently been awarded a 2021-2022 Albert Schweitzer Fellowship (see contact information below). We are excited for her to bring innovative ideas to the program, and we encourage current or incoming students to contact her for an opportunity to volunteer with her project during the Fall and Spring semesters. Thank you to our mentor Dr. Jesus Diaz, Daniel, Cecilia, and all of our 2020-2021 student volunteers for making this program possible. Fight on Trojans!

Stephanie Perez, OTS: .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address)

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The career that chooses you ⟩
May 21, 2021, by Arianna

What are OS/OT?

Occupational therapy has always been a part of my life. Growing up, I watched my mom (a Chan Division alumna) practice occupational therapy with my grandpas. My maternal grandpa suffered from a stroke and Lewy Body dementia. As I grew older, he was deteriorating. However, my mom dedicated countless days and nights to helping my grandpa live a more fulfilling life. Through research and therapy, she was able to help him maximize his independence.

The passion my mom put into her work was astounding. She spent hours inventing and creating tools for her patients and her dad to use. With admiration in my eyes,  I watched my mom cut up pool noodles, build tiny exercise equipment, and melt plastic to create a hand brace. Growing up in an environment where I was constantly exposed to OT inevitably helped spark my interest in the field.

Although I had an early interest in OT, I found myself wanting to explore other fields. I didn’t want to pursue the only career I had known. I looked into medicine, psychology, and even fashion designing! However, I didn’t feel the same passion and excitement when I researched fields outside of OT. I quickly realized that OT always was and forever will be the career for me. Even when I tried to diversify my interests, OT drew me back like a magnet as if the career was choosing me.

When I was almost 100 percent certain that I wanted to be an OT, I had to find some experience in the field. It was difficult for me to find hands-on opportunities to work alongside an OT. Therefore, I turned to a field of work that provides similar experiences: caregiving.

My first caregiving experience was in 2017 when I was a one-to-one aide for a boy with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Every week we met, I would set simple goals for him to achieve. For example, one week our goal would be “don’t put toys in your mouth”. If we were able to reach this goal, we would move on to a more challenging goal such as “don’t throw hard toys”. I loved my job and I worked with the same boy for two consecutive summers. I ended up becoming a certified caregiver so I could work more closely with him!

In 2019, I began caregiving for a young boy with Down syndrome. This experience put my creative thinking skills to the test because I ended up inventing a new game almost every day for us to play! Now I have many games that I hope to use with my future clients!

These opportunities helped reassure me that I made the right decision to pursue OT. As I begin my first year in the entry level master’s program, I look forward to exploring the endless number of specialties within the field of OT. These past three years studying OT have been some of the most fruitful years of my life and I cannot wait to continue the journey.

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Thnks fr the Mmrs (aka. Thanks for the Memories) ⟩
May 13, 2021, by Savi

Getting Involved

Coming into this program, I had no idea what to expect. I didn’t know if I truly had what it took to succeed and I thought that I would be lucky to just make it through to graduation. Little did I know that I would embark on a very unique and enlightening journey of being an ambassador for the Chan division.

I was lucky enough to be chosen as one of seven representatives for our division and I truly could not be more thankful. I have had the most incredible opportunity to organize and speak at over 20 events, correspond with and get to know over 40 prospective and incoming students, and write around 20 blogs for incoming, current, and prospective students to read for years to come. I am grateful to have had the opportunity to share my passion for OT and our program with hundreds of people around the world, and I am incredibly thankful for my OUTSTANDING ambassador team and admissions team for all of their support and for everything they have taught me. It truly has been an honor working with and learning from all of you. This job has brought me so much joy and although I am so sad it is coming to an end, I am extremely excited to see all the amazing things the incoming ambassador team will do throughout the next year.

I have made wonderful friends and connections and have learned extremely valuable skills that I will carry with me for the rest of my career. I have been inspired by those around me (read my blog about all these wonderful people) and have gained invaluable leadership skills through both this ambassador position and my coursework.

Reflecting on these two years I realized that time really does fly by . . . and that I am definitely not ready to leave the Chan family just yet! I will, therefore, be staying another year at USC to pursue the advanced clinical track of occupational therapy doctorate, completing my residency at California Rehabilitation Institute and Cedars-Sinai. Thankfully, that means I get to delay my goodbye from this Chan family for one more year.

Thank you all so much for reading my blogs this past year and thank you to Kimberly Kho for giving me the opportunity and platform to spread OT knowledge and love around the world. I am forever grateful. Fight on!!

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