Student Blog

Tai Chi and (Chai) Tea ⟩
January 23, 2014, by Clarissa

Classes Community Diversity What are OS/OT?

This morning, I saw a group of older adults practicing Tai Chi in a park nearby my house and I felt so happy! Why, you ask? I took a class last semester geared towards creating a community project. My group members and I interviewed experts, talked to community members, and designed a program for (you guessed it) Tai Chi!

Older adults are often at risk for falls and social isolation. In our research regarding Tai Chi, we found evidence in the literature supporting Tai Chi’s positive effects on fall prevention in older adults — it helps with factors contributing to falls like balance, coordination, and fear of falling. To address fall risk and social isolation, we decided to write a proposal for creating a Tai Chi class followed by time to socialize with tea. The social relationships built through tea time could also motivate the older adults to join our class.

We decided our target population would be older adults in Monterey Park, a city just east of downtown LA. The city has a 66.9% Asian population. In our research, we also found that Asians were less likely to talk about their lifestyle to their health providers so they may have needs that aren’t being met. The cultural familiarity of Tai Chi (and the tea!) may work to encourage their attendance to our program.

To explain the title of this blog post — my group really wanted to name our project Tai Chi and Chai Tea but had to very sadly let go of it. Chai tea’s sugar content may not be the best for older adults. The title lives on here. Woohoo!

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Learning More About Occupational Science ⟩
January 23, 2014, by Kate

What are OS/OT?

Sometimes it’s difficult to find other people who know what occupational therapy is, but think about the mystery that is occupational SCIENCE. People look at me like I’ve misspoke when I tell them more about our Division at USC and the classes I am currently taking. “Occupational science? What is that? Do you use microscopes and test tubes?” Not exactly. We have been introduced to the concept of occupational science since our first semester, but now as second-year students, we are all taking a Seminar in Occupational Science 2-unit course. Today I will be attending my second class of the semester, and the experience thus far has been really interesting!

From what I know, the concept of occupational science was actually founded at the University of Southern California in the 1980s when the university offered PhD degrees in the field for the first time. It’s crazy to think that our school has been such a leader in our profession!! Occupational science can roughly be defined as the study of human activities (occupations) and how participation and engagement in these activities impacts our lives. This class is really helping to bring all the concepts we have learned over 2 years into full circle.

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One Week Down, 17 More To Go ⟩
January 23, 2014, by Ryan

Fieldwork

Well, I have finished my first week of my last semester of school! (I am probably going to use that phrase a lot because it sounds so great . . . “my last semester!”) I am very excited about my classes. I have loved how our schedules have been set up for us so far this past year and a half, but it is really nice to be in classes that I have chosen. There is a different excitement about each class. Yesterday, I had my first clinical observation at Keck Medical Center for my Acute Care course I am taking. I was a little nervous at first because I haven’t spent a lot of time in hospitals, but that is why I signed up for this course! Last semester, I completed my Level I Fieldwork for Adult Rehab in a hand clinic so I wasn’t able to see a big variety of diagnoses.

I really enjoyed my experience at Keck. The beginning of the morning was spent completing our orientation and filling out paper work. Then I was able to shadow Dr. Don Gordon who is a practicing therapist at Keck and has been a guest lecture for two of my classes since I’ve been in the program. He is very nice and an engaging speaker so I was happy to hang out with him yesterday as well as see him in action. It was great! I saw three patients with a variety of reasons for being in the hospital; one individual had recent spinal surgery, another person had gastrointestinal problems, and then I saw a man living with liver dysfunction and Hepatitis. Observing Dr. Gordon, I truly saw a client-centered approach with each patient we saw. He does a wonderful job sitting to talk and listen to his patients. Each person had their own difficulties that were causing them discomfort but I could see how they all appreciated the time we took to just talk and hear about who they were. The focus was not only on their physical impairments but also on the things or people in their lives before coming to the hospital or even before they were sick or had any pain. I left very uplifted and inspired! I love OT!!! (Another phrase I think I use a lot, but I mean it . . . I LOVE OT!!).

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The OTD: It’s Happening! ⟩
January 23, 2014, by Kate

Admissions

I recently got accepted into the OTD program here at USC and I couldn’t be more excited. Coming into the Master’s program, I was unsure if I wanted to extend my schooling at obtain the doctorate once I had completed my two years. I felt that I would be ready to get into the working world and become the best OT I could be. After hearing so much about how our profession is escalating towards the doctorate at entry-level, I had to re-think if I wanted to pursue the OTD now, or come back later. There were many thoughts that went through my head, and pros and cons that I had to weigh. In the end, however, I applied and thought, “Let the universe decide!” Well, the universe came back and said, “Do the OTD!”

As I have mentioned in the past, I am interested in occupational therapy in the primary care setting, as well as acute care/rehabilitation in hospitals. I am working with the director of the doctorate program to secure my residency at a primary care site in downtown Los Angeles. There are few opportunities for OT in primary care right now, but I have faith that I can advocate for a position where I can help patients live their best lives through lifestyle changes. I’m excited to take on the challenge of securing a residency and advocating for OT. I’m also excited to take this next step in my own education. I know that having a doctorate degree will elevate me in relation to my peers in the medical and therapeutic field (many physical therapists now have a doctorate degree).

I can’t wait to be Kate Holford, OTR/L, OTD! 2015 can’t come soon enough!

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Group Projects ⟩
January 22, 2014, by Jen

Classes Community Diversity

So far this semester, I feel like I have had a number a group projects. The great thing about USC being such a large program is that with each new project, I generally get to work with someone new! I enjoy this because each person in the program has something different and exciting to offer. Everyone in the program has I different background, I’ve become friends with people who were professional dancers, writers, teachers, accountants, and more! I am glad that I went straight from undergrad to grad school because I never had a chance to get out of the “school mode,” but my peers that did work before starting grad school have brought such great experiences and knowledge with them . . . and I’m fortunate that they are always willing to share their knowledge with me!

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