Student Blog

Revelations in Lifestyle Redesign ⟩
January 23, 2013, by Kendra

During my Lifestyle Redesign class this morning, we were instructed to get into dyads and practice coaching techniques. The specific one we were working on involved asking the client to identify complaints and then assist them to reframe that complaint or area of struggle in a positive light and/or identify strategies to help combat that complaint.

Many sessions went like this:

OTS: What is an area of complaint for you?
Client: I am not getting enough sleep. I only slept two hours last night.
OTS: Wow, you must have a lot of important things going on in your life!

It seems simple, and perhaps silly, but the student that played the part of the client in this dyad remarked that she felt validated and the stress of having not slept was more bearable when she looked at it in a different light. It made her more interested and willing to hear what the OT had to say, and more receptive to identifying and making changes in her life.

Often times these simple strategies of, basically, just listening and affirming the client make a huge difference and create a positive relationship between the client and therapist. I loved it!

So what happened in my dyad you ask? Well mine went a little differently, but it was simply amazing!

OTS: What is an area of complaint for you?
Me: This new schedule is stressing me out, I feel like I’m not organized and don’t have a grasp on everything that’s expected of me.
OTS: That sounds stressful. What are some things you’re doing to deal with that stress?
Me: Well I feel better since yesterday when I bought binders and organizing materials.
OTS: Do you have a to-do list?
Me: Yes I do. In fact it’s right here, it has everything on it, and I take it everywhere I go.
OTS: So it seems that you’re doing really well dealing with the stress and you seem to already have a system that helps you manage everything.
Me: You’re right, I do!
OTS: You do! You’re doing great, just don’t forget you already know how to handle all this!

Crazy right!? I had the list on me! I wrote everything down, crossed things out, but when I was not actively doing that the stress of everything else burdened me so much I forgot I had already taken steps to get organized and stay on top of everything. Oh how blinding stress can be!

This just calls to mind how the job of an OT can vary from complex to simple but both are meaningful, important interactions that carry the potential to change the way a person views, and interacts with, life!

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Fun in the Sun ⟩
January 22, 2013, by Amber

Living in LA School/Life Balance

After just one short week back in school, I was gifted with five days off over this Martin Luther King, Jr. holiday weekend. I had already hunkered down mentally for the semester, so it was pleasantly jarring to realize I had five days of freedom ahead. And as if on cue, the winter decided to take a break and become summer for a while. Being a Northern California native, it will never cease to amaze me that there are days throughout the winter when one can have a proper beach day in Southern California, bikini and all. Armed with said bikini, along with bikes, roller blades, boogie boards, and surf boards, my husband and I escaped to the beach for two days. I spent a good amount of time perfecting my boogie boarding skills, which are meager to say the least. We enjoyed a long bike ride along The Strand, picking out which beach mansion we would most like to live in. We soaked up the sun, visited with various friends, and I even got a tan! It was a beautiful weekend, and I feel rejuvenated as I start my semester this week in earnest.

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Back At It ⟩
January 17, 2013, by Ricky

Classes

Day 4 of the new semester! I hadn’t fully comprehended how I’d be putting in 11–12 hr days. Don’t be alarmed, that’s only 2 days a week. The cool thing is, I have very light days just after to recover. So far it doesn’t even matter because I’m absolutely loving my courses. That may have something to do with the fact that I got to choose them. That’s not to say that some of the courses I’ve completed to date aren’t great; I’m just saying it’s always better when you hand pick ‘em. So one of courses is a USC OT staple: Sensory Integration (SI). SI is an approach that was pioneered by USC’s own A. Jean Ayres. My professor was a student of Ayres’ and is very accomplished in her own right. So exciting! Another of my self-selected electives is the Motor Control best-practice course at a renowned local rehabilitation hospital. This class is a late one, but I don’t think I’ll have any trouble staying awake seeing as how yesterday was our first day and already we were practicing transfers. So hands-on — I love it! The instructor is very engaging as well. Well, let me see how today’s 12 hr-day goes, and I’ll check in with ya’ll shortly. Oh, also, what’s the deal with Manti Te’o? C’mon bro, really?

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Beyond Ergonomics ⟩
January 16, 2013, by Kendra

Classes What are OS/OT?

And let the semester begin!!!

So far this week I have attended Motor Control, Ergonomics, and Lifestyle Redesign and they are all fascinating courses. I am especially excited about Ergonomics, aka ‘the science of work.’

When we think about Ergonomics, we typically think of having a computer workstation designed to best fit your body so as to limit repetitive stress fractures, carpal tunnel syndrome and many other work related chronic injuries.

And while this is a perfect example of Ergonomics, its application is in everything we do, every move we make.

What especially surprised me was our professor telling us how the disks between our vertebrae begin to deteriorate by our 30s. People this is crazy! I’m nearly 30 and determined to have a life filled with adventure and the freedom to move and explore the world as I see fit. As you can see below, sometimes I just have to play on the monkey bars, and it is MUCH harder when you’re adult sized, so I want to minimize my risks as much as possible.

Another thing that blew me away was how typical movement can negatively impact our body. Let me explain. We all know to ‘lift with your knees but not with your back’ but what we don’t consider is how simple movements like bending over to plug in your phone or twisting to reach a paper or high five a friend can damage your vertebral disks. The professor explained it further, that while these movements may be harmful we do them because it’s the most efficient form of movement. So how does one find a happy medium? The best answer is always, always exercise, diet, and be kind to your body.

I’ll keep you posted as I learn more!

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Welcome back! ⟩
January 16, 2013, by Paula

Community Living in LA School/Life Balance

It is a bit scary how quickly 4 weeks can go by — especially when it is the last time that you will have no obligations for an unforeseen period of time. After a month of break, we have all returned to the Division here at USC and are settling into new class and work schedules. It has been great to see everyone again! Some congratulations were in order for classmates with exciting news from the break — engagements, OTD residency decisions and summer fieldwork placements. Each of the professors I have had class with thus far have commented about how close we all seem, since it is very difficult to quiet the chatter and hugging at the beginning of a new class. I guess it goes to show what happens when you throw 100+ OT students into an auditorium.

Over the break, I had a wonderful time catching up with family and friends. Many adventures were had and I was happy to play tourist in my hometown for a while, going sight-seeing in San Francisco and other Bay Area cities. My sister was gracious enough to allow some friends and I to use her home as our own for a weekend so we were all able to try out “city living” for that period of time. Definitely a highlight of my break — what a wonderful, beautiful city. I was also able to spend a fair amount of time in San Luis Obispo (my favorite non-home location, as many of you know) :]. It was great to relax there with friends and see Occupational Therapists who I had the opportunity to work with prior to entering this program.

The break was rejuvenating, restful and full of new memories, just as I had hoped it would be. I did find myself anxious to return to school, who wouldn’t be ready to kick off the LAST semester of graduate school?? I look forward to the electives which we have the opportunity to take this semester as second year students. I have chosen to take the SI, motor control, hands and dysphagia courses so you can bet that I will be sharing my experiences with all of you!