Student Blog
New Year, New Roles, Same Old Happy OTs! ⟩
September 6, 2013, by Clarissa
Walking into class last Monday felt like walking into a land of happy, supportive people who I’ve missed so much over summer! I had a great time trading stories from our 12-week Level II fieldwork and really feeling that empathy from one another for our trials and triumphs. Occupational therapy is such a broad field and it is almost impossible to have hands on learning in all practice settings, so our conversations were fascinating educational experiences as well!
As for my summer experience, I did my Level II at a skilled nursing facility in Northern California where I worked with patients who had various physical disabilities such as spinal cord injury, stroke and orthopedic fractures. I conducted evaluations and engaged patients in treatment sessions in order to improve their participation in meaningful activities. Eventually I was responsible for managing a full caseload, so about seven patients a day, just like a practicing therapist! Talk about time management as a key skill to acquire! I learned a lot from my patients and other therapists but the experience has taught me one thing — there’s still so much for me to learn! That’s one thing I value about OT — it is a dynamic field with constant opportunities for self-improvement. Now that I’ve seen how educational material is applied in practice, I will definitely be learning in school with a new lens.
I’m looking forward to what the new school year will bring! I adore kids and am currently in the Pediatrics Immersion where we’ve started analyzing videos of very cute kids. I’m also enjoying my new position as a Student Ambassador. I love talking about OT to anyone who will listen, so this position is perfect for me. Another new role for me is the care team coordinator position for the Student Run Clinic, which is an interdisciplinary clinic run by USC students from the pharmacy, medicine, physician assistant, and, of course, occupational therapy programs. I’m excited to learn about how OT can grow in primary care and how our professions complement one another.
Until next time, happy back to school, and go USC OT!
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A great way to start the year ⟩
September 5, 2013, by Rob
Classes Community What are OS/OT?
One of my favorite parts about attending the program here at USC is the tremendous diversity that can be found amongst the 100-something people in each class. From dancers and gourmet chefs to artist and musicians, each of us possess some unique background unrelated to occupational therapy that we can bring to the profession and each other.
This past weekend was a perfect example. Over the summer, I had the opportunity to be a Classroom Assistant for the incoming first-years in both Kinesiology and Neuroscience. Donna was a student in my Neuroscience lab, who I could tell had a lot of creativity and ideas floating around in her head. She invited me to a special event she was having at her house last Saturday. She wanted to build a ramp that would help one of her classmates who rides in an electric wheelchair get up the two cement steps on her front porch. That way, if they wanted to hang out or have a study group, there would be no accessibility issues.
Donna recruited over a dozen of her classmates to help and it turned into one of the highlights of my summer. With a background in art, carpentry and design, Donna was able to facilitate the whole affair, teaching everyone tool safety as well as the practical aspects of creating a ramp. People that had never used a drill or saw were cutting wood, snapping chalk lines, and laying screws along a straight edge. It was a beautiful sight.
Everyone brought food and we feasted all afternoon. Then, after successfully testing the ramp and decorating it in Trojan colors, we were all able to finally go inside for ice cream. At the end, we had a jam session with a few of the many instruments Donna has collected over her years as a musician. I left with a feeling of fullness from a job well done (or maybe it was the massive amounts of potstickers, watermelon, and brownies I ate!) and people well met that I’ve experienced more as an OT student than I have in a lifetime. These are the moments that make our program, and the people in it, so special.
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Week One down . . . 15 more to go! ⟩
September 3, 2013, by Ryan
Last week was our first week back to classes for our fall semester. I cannot believe I am in my second year of OT school at USC and that it has been a year since I started this glorious program. My life is so different from when I started the program. I feel like l look at my life in such a different way and make better choices for myself because of the daily influence of OT. I am so excited for my future in such an amazing, creative, and inspiring career.
So, the summer was a very intense 12 weeks completing my Level II Fieldwork at a Pediatric Sensory Integration OT Clinic (if you haven’t heard of Sensory Integration look it up, it is so fascinating). I was amazed at how much work was involved but I learned SO much from the greatest supervisors (I had two of them, when usually you have one) and I appreciate OT’s even more. Clinical experience is so different than being in class. We talk about it a lot, but until you are really hands on for a good amount of time you just don’t understand it. I really think with this experience under my belt, I am going to get even more out of my classes this semester because I have developed treatment plans, documented notes, and treated clients on my own.
Well, I will keep you posted as the weeks go by . . .
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My First Week Back! ⟩
September 3, 2013, by Kate
Classes Fieldwork Getting Involved
What a rush! Last Monday was our first day back at school and my first week as an official USC OT Student Ambassador. It was so great to see friends that I hadn’t seen all summer and to catch up on our first Level II fieldwork experiences. I enjoyed hearing about the different sites where my friends interned as OT students — from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Hawaii, to a pediatric clinic in Denver and beyond! My own fieldwork experience was so interesting and such a great learning experience. I had the chance to work at a forensic treatment agency, collaborating with social workers, MFTs and case managers, to help formerly incarcerated individuals regain their independence and become involved in healthy, meaningful activities. I learned so much about the value of occupational therapy and how it can help change lives. But for now, it’s back to school!
I am currently in the Adult Physical Rehabilitation and Disability immersion and so far, it is fascinating! We have begun to learn about the different settings in physical rehabilitation, dive into Medicare and where OT fits, and take a short field trip to the Keck Medical Center of USC for actual chart reviews. As a second year master’s student, I am also taking a class on Adulthood and Aging, which complements the Adult Rehab and Disability immersion perfectly. I am lucky to be learning about this area of occupational therapy at such a critical moment in time. I also attended my first elective course this fall, which covers occupational therapy in primary care. I am very excited about this “new frontier” in OT, and I cannot wait to learn more. This elective offers a plethora of volunteering opportunities where we as students learn through experiencing a primary care setting first-hand. I know that this fall will be busy, but I am looking forward to it all!
To cap it all off, I have begun this journey as an ambassador for the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. I am so excited to share my love for OT and my love for USC all at the same time. I’ve attached a picture of my fellow ambassador, Ryan Thomas, and I in the office before we had lunch with two visiting international students. I have learned this past week, that when you’re doing what you love with such great people, it is pretty hard to have a bad day! Until next time . . .
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New beginnings ⟩
May 16, 2013, by Alisa
Beginnings and Endings Fieldwork What are OS/OT?
I can’t believe that I’m writing my last blog. I am graduating tomorrow.
Is this real life? Yes, I tell myself that it is really happening. I’ll be graduating from USC once again, but now, for my Master’s. It seems like yesterday that I was in undergrad, not completely sure what I wanted to do with my life.
I have found a profession that I’m excited to be a part of and that I know I could empower others while empowering myself.
This year has gone by so fast, and as I’m reflecting on the year, I’m actually feeling a bit sad. I have met so many great and genuine people, and I truly believe that in the OT program, I get to interact with those people everyday. I love my professors, I love my classmates, I love my co-workers, I love my friends I love my dogs. What more could I ask for?
I will miss leading tours for prospective students. I will miss the foods and snacks that my classmates bring in to share. I will miss yoga on the lawn during lunch hours. I will miss group projects. I will miss listening and talking to classmates. I will miss the compassion of the people in the program.
But I know those memories don’t have to end as we walk off the graduation stage. We can continue to check in with each other. We have various ways to do that, thanks to social media (I’m still a fan of snail mails). We have created a network of the Trojan family for life, and for that, I am grateful.
With every ending has a new beginning.
Monday I’ll start my last level-II fieldwork at the Veteran’s Hospital for 12 weeks. I’ll be working with people with traumatic brain injury. I’ll be pursuing my clinical doctorate degree in the fall and starting my residency at USC University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles in pediatric mental health. I’m super excited about that as well. Although I don’t have a lot of experience with children, I’m ready to learn. So I’ll be keeping myself busy in the summer and starting to study for the NBCOT exam. Come fall I’ll be a licensed occupational therapist! Woohoo!
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