Student Blog

We Are Back!!! ⟩
January 16, 2014, by Ryan

Classes Externships School/Life Balance

I can’t believe it has been a month already, full of relaxing and enjoying friends and family. I had a pretty good break, but it sure went by fast. I am from the area so I was able to work in the Admissions office a couple of days. I was so glad to be helpful to the Admissions team during the busy time of the holidays and admitting students for fall 2014. Then I went to Tucson, Arizona for the Christmas holiday to visit my uncle, aunt, cousins, and my cousin’s kids. The weather was great and I enjoyed spending time with family that I don’t get to see very often. I watched a good amount of television as well. I caught up on some movies and shows that I never get to watch during the semester. I also took a lot of yoga during the break which was an awesome way to relax over the break after such a jam backed fall semester. However, I am excited to be back at school. This semester is my last semester (Holy Cow?!!!), and as second year students in our spring semester we are able to choose between 12-18 units of electives within areas of interest. I chose 12 units giving me a lighter schedule this semester and I chose a variety of classes that I am excited to learn more about. For example, I am taking Sensory Integration theory course which can count towards a certification if I am interested in continuing after I graduate. Also, I am taking an Acute Care course where I am able to observe OTs at Keck Hospital within the acute setting. I am so excited to get more experience in this area to prepare me for my summer Level II Fieldwork. Well I look forward to sharing more experiences this semester . . . like the Leadership Externship!

Here is the Admission team and Student Ambasssdors for our holiday lunch, Sabino Canyon in Tucson, and my new pencil to start off my last semester!

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An Exciting Semester Ahead! ⟩
January 16, 2014, by Kate

Classes Externships

After a very relaxing and restorative winter break, I am now ready to kick off my last semester as a Master’s student with a big bang! Although it is always tough to get back into a routine of waking up early and studying on weekends, I know that this is the last 3 months before I’ll be in the “real world” of occupational therapy. This semester is different than others, too, because we are able to take electives in our specific area of interest. By doing so, we can develop our niche in the field of occupational therapy, which will help us in our own clinical practice.

This semester, I am taking Lifestyle Redesign and a special elective at the Occupational Therapy Faculty Practice so that I can implement some of these techniques into a group session. I’m also taking a Motivational Interviewing class in order to improve my communication in a therapeutic manner. My other elective is a special topics course in occupational therapy in acute care. This class is really neat because alongside a weekly lecture/lab combination, we spend four hours per week in a hospital setting at USC’s Keck Medical Center.

This semester I am also excited for our leadership externship that is associated with our Leadership Capstone course. I am going to Ghana with a group of about 40 other students and practicing occupational therapists. We will be working with children with disabilities at a special school and training center. I’m very much looking forward to gaining a global view on the opportunities for those with special needs.

All in all, I couldn’t be happier with my schedule this semester. The classes I have chosen and the adventures that await me are challenging yet exciting.

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Mixing it Up! ⟩
January 15, 2014, by Clarissa

Community Getting Involved

The spring semester started a couple of days ago and I can’t believe it’s my last semester in the program! It’s hard to imagine not seeing my classmates every day, some of which have become so dear and special to me. The time has flown by and I’m getting nostalgic already.

The one thing I’ll miss most about USC is the community. Not only have I met those with amazingly compassionate hearts and bright minds in the OT division, I’ve also become acquainted with future colleagues through interdisciplinary interactions. It’s normal for students in any graduate program to feel engrossed in the world of their own discipline — school can be pretty consuming! This is why I appreciate opportunities to interact with students from other schools. Not only is it a great learning opportunity to learn about related professions, which is important to future practice, but it also puts OT’s unique characteristics into perspective.

Last semester, we had several functions where we could mix and mingle with other disciplines, including a mixer with the public health school at a cute little café in downtown LA, another function initiated by the pharmacy school, and several tailgates with physical therapy. The USC chapter of Phi Theta Epsilon, the national honor society of OT, also organized the annual OT/PT Forum where practicing OTs and PTs spoke about patient cases where collaboration was critical. Students of both disciplines were given the opportunity to brainstorm about these cases too. Pretty cool, huh?

Here’s a picture of the OTs with our new public health friends at Eat, Drink, Americano in downtown and of the OTs and PTs putting our minds together at the OT/PT Forum!

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Holiday Break Balance ⟩
January 10, 2014, by Jen

Living in LA School/Life Balance

With almost 4 weeks off from classes, I made sure to catch up on some much needed rest and relaxation. I spent the beginning of the holiday break in my hometown in the bay area. I was able to catch up with friends and families as well as engage in some of my favorite occupations: hiking, playing with my dog, and eating. After spending time in Northern California, I flew down to visit more of my family in San Diego. It did not feel like winter in San Diego’s 70-80 degree weather and I enjoyed every moment of my time there. For New Year’s Day, I went to the Rose Parade in Pasadena. I had never been before, but because I now live in Los Angeles it made it very easy (and fun) to attend. One of my favorite floats was the Cal Poly Universities Float (although I am a little biased since I attended Cal Poly in San Luis Obispo for undergrad). The float, titled “Bedtime Buccaneers”, won the Crown City Innovation Trophy. I was very proud of the work they did. Since the New Year, I’ve been spending time with friends and preparing to return to school. My break was full of balance which is one of the most important things to have.

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It’s Winter Break Time!!! ⟩
December 18, 2013, by Ryan

Living in LA School/Life Balance

Well, finals are over and it is time to relax . . . and I mean relax. I had a final on Thursday so that afternoon I went to get my nails done with a friend of mine. It was just what I wanted, something relaxing. And I never treat myself like that. I usually do it myself. It was great! I felt relaxed and had some great girl bonding time.

Then after our last big final on Monday, a bunch of us went to brunch and celebrated the end of our fall semester. I can’t believe I only have one more left! We had a blast! The restaurant was empty (because it was 12:30pm on a Monday) so we would rotate seats around the large rectangular table so we could all talk and catch up after the crazy busy 2 weeks we just had.

And yesterday I went on a hike in the Pacific Palisades, up Temescal Canyon. It was a beautiful day and does not feel like Christmas is just next week. After the hike, we all got frozen yogurt and ended the day playing Balderdash at a friend’s house. So, I would say my vacation so far is going great!

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