Student Blog

Choices, Choices! Aka, “What Electives Should I Take?” ⟩
October 28, 2013, by Kate

Classes What are OS/OT?

During the second semester of our second year in the entry-level master’s program, we are given the chance to take elective courses that spark our interest in the field of occupational therapy. The Division offers a variety of elective courses that provide students with a look into a particular niche. Examples of elective courses that the Division is offering for Spring 2014 include: Occupational Therapy in Acute Care, Sensory Integration Theory, Early Intervention, Universal Design, Hand Rehabilitation, Dysphagia, Lifestyle Redesign® and Motor Control. There are a lot of choices and, to some, it might be overwhelming to decide what to take versus what not to take. If only I could take all of the classes!

I’ve decided to enroll in some of the classes I feel most connected to, including Lifestyle Redesign® and Occupational Therapy in Acute Care. I have applied for the Occupational Therapy Doctorate program at USC and am very interested in pursuing Lifestyle Redesign® a bit further in order to assist my future clients with changing their habits and routines and positively impacting their own well-being. Furthermore, I am interested in marrying that area of practice with the adult rehabilitation or primary care setting. I feel that by taking these two courses, I can best prepare myself for my doctorate and for my practice.

I’m really excited to dive deeper into occupational therapy and the specific courses that I am interested in. Whenever I think about it, it amazes me how much closer I am to graduating! I can’t believe how fast the time has gone by throughout this program. Soon enough it will be a new group of students coming through these doors — maybe even YOU!!! I think the best that I can do is leave a positive legacy for the future USC occupational therapy students!

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A global reach ⟩
October 24, 2013, by Rob

Community International

Occupational therapy is a profession practiced worldwide, with 80 different nations represented in our global association, the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. USC has embraced the global nature of the profession with the MA-I program, which offers a one-year master’s degree to practicing clinicians, both from the United States and internationally.

I recently received a picture from my friend Toshi, who came from Japan last year to do his MA-I at USC. After finishing the program, he returned to Kyoto, where he works in the sub-acute care sector of adult rehabilitation. I’ve attached his picture at the bottom and I’m glad to see our buttons proudly displayed in his work space!

The opportunity to integrate with practitioners from other countries is of great value to us as students. Being exposed to a broader perspective on occupational therapy continues to challenge us to keep an open mind when it comes to our expectations on what OT should look like. And we get to meet interesting people from a variety of backgrounds and expand our interconnected network of OTs across the world.

Toshi, you may be across the world from us, but you will never be far from our hearts!

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Friends and Tiffany & Co. ⟩
October 23, 2013, by Clarissa

Community Getting Involved

This weekend, I got to share my passion for running with some of my friends in the occupational therapy program. After class last Friday, we packed into a car and drove up to San Francisco for my fourth Nike Women’s Half Marathon.

Sharing the seven-hour drive to and from San Francisco made me realize how much I will miss being around my classmates when the school year is over. The last year and a half has gone by so fast and I can’t believe I only have a little over one semester left to spend with some of the warmest, most supportive, driven, and fun people I know. My classmates inspire me to be a better person all the time, both professionally and personally.

As you can see, one of the reasons I love the program here at USC is because of the people in it — students, staff and faculty. I’ve always had competitive school experiences, and it amazes me how much OTs support one another’s successes. I remember our late night study sessions in the library our first summer here and we still debrief one another about our fieldwork experiences. Through this program, I know I’ve made some lifelong connections and friendships.

Friendship isn’t the only thing that’s forever — so is Tiffany & Co. One of the best things about the Nike Women’s Half Marathon in San Francisco is that our “medal” for completing the race is a Tiffany’s necklace presented to us on a silver platter by a fireman. Another awesome shared experience to add to the list? I think so. Pictured below are two other USC OTs, Megan and Colette, with me and our fireman!

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USC Interdisciplinary Health Symposium! ⟩
October 21, 2013, by Kate

Community Getting Involved

This Saturday, the USC Student-Run Clinic presented the 3rd Annual USC Interdisciplinary Health Symposium. I was fortunate enough to be on the planning committee for this event as part of the USC Student-Run Clinic Occupational Therapy Board. Since the first week of school, I have been meeting with different students from the other health profession programs (medicine, physician assistant and pharmacy) to put together the panels and topics to be covered. This year the keynote covered disaster-preparedness, an all-too important topic since we live in California, the home of a few earthquakes here and there. The afternoon tracks included cerebrovascular accident (CVA aka stroke) and motivational interviewing, or what to do after a disaster hits. There was great attendance by students from all the programs and I am so proud to have been a part of it!

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USC Division of OS/OT Rocks! ⟩
October 21, 2013, by Ryan

Getting Involved School/Life Balance

Let’s see, today I want to talk about how much I love having such supportive faculty and staff here at USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. I have been feeling very overwhelmed this semester, of course, because there is a lot I have to learn in order to be such a fantastic OT but I have also taken on more activities this semester. One, that I am a Student Ambassador, which includes 10 hours a week of assisting the Admissions team by pumping up prospective students during the stressful time of either choosing a career in occupational therapy and/or choosing the number one school in the country for OT (USC, of course).

I am also working in a non-profit group called Active Minds and helping start a chapter at USC to educate students about mental illness issues as well as promote mental well-being throughout our lives. The first month of school I thought I could handle the stress of the my course workload on my own because I did it last year, but eventually I decided one day after class to talk to my professor about how much trouble I was having completing all the assignments on time. She made me feel so much better by giving me suggestions on ways to catch up and suggested meeting the following week to see if I need any more help.

In addition, I have decided to take advantage of the OT Faculty Practice on campus and receive free (because of the student health insurance) OT services to help me manage all the extra work I have been trying to do this semester. My occupational therapist is great! The first session seemed so simple and then I realized amazingly she had switched it around so that I was doing the work without even realizing it. So good, right?! This has caused me to slowly start taking on ways to look at my schedule and organize it in a more efficient and meaningful way. And she has done this in such a collaborative way that makes me feel so empowered, that I could eventually do on my own. I love Occupational Therapy! These are just two more experiences that have given me more insight into other facets of occupational therapy and will be a great addition for when I finally become a practitioner myself.

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