Student Blog
Finally Finals ⟩
December 11, 2012, by Paula
Finals week is here and man, can you feel the stress. As students make their way through study guides and coffee canisters, it is important for us all to incorporate a bit of balance in each day and to remain mindful of the reason that we are in school. It always helps me to have an endpoint or something to look forward to.
For the second years, this may be the fact that we will be done with the program this coming May (wow!) or that we have Spring electives to look forward to. For the first years, they have just conquered their first practice immersion (yay!) and are creating bonds with one another which will continue to provide them with support, laughter, and distractions. I know that all of my classmates are eagerly awaiting the four week break that we have from classes which begins at the end of the week.
I have always been a planner, list-maker and extremely talented procrastinator. These characteristics come out full throttle during finals. In order to create some balance for myself, I have focused my energy into study breaks which include exercise, fresh air, packing, and planning for the break. I plan to spend the four weeks recharging for our final semester and catching up on the occupations I neglected through the semester when other tasks took priority. To be sure that I revisit these occupations, I have made some personal goals for myself to tackle over the break: read a book for fun; visit Yosemite; spend a weekend in San Francisco; cook and bake old family recipes; visit the wineries in Livermore; relax with friends and family; see the infamous Christmas lights at Deacon Dave’s (345,200 lights this year!); and go adventuring in Donner with some great friends.
What goals do you hope to accomplish this holiday season?
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Wrapping Up ⟩
December 5, 2012, by Amber
This is the last week of the Fall semester, and today was my last regular class day. It was fitting that our last lecture was on end-of-life issues. It also happened to be the last day that I will spend with my cohort. I have been with the same cohort of 40 since my class was divided into three groups for our immersion courses last Fall semester. For three semesters my “Cohort B” has learned together, laughed and cried together, and become like an extended family. We have created many memories and lasting friendships.
In honor of our last day together, our classmate Kim gathered hundreds of photos and created a slideshow looking back over the past year and a half. Today we watched the slideshow while enjoying a potluck lunch, to which everyone had contributed something delicious. For the last time, we laughed and celebrated together.
I still have one more semester before graduation, so I will continue to see the people in my cohort next year. However, we will all be in different courses and have different schedules. I suppose it’s an appropriate way to mentally prepare for graduation, after which we will part ways for good. I know I will definitely miss my USC family. Go Cohort B!
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Transitioning Occupations ⟩
December 5, 2012, by Kendra
Life Hacks School/Life Balance
Three years ago when I decided to switch gears from being an actor to becoming an occupational therapist, I went through a difficult transition. I constantly berated myself for giving up too soon or not having the chutzpah to make it work. In a way I went through an identity crisis. I had dedicated the majority of my life to acting! I moved thousands of miles away from home, dropped cash on classes, workshops, and headshots galore while working multiple jobs at wild hours just to make ends meet and get to auditions on time. Juggling so many factors just to maybe get a job took away the joy I’d felt performing over the years. Even though I wanted to be an actor more than anything I did not relish in the laborious, seemingly endless, struggle.
So when I decided to change careers I had to let go of a part of me, but I promised myself I would always find my way back to performing. But next time it would be on my terms. I could do it as a hobby, as a side project, for fun not money. Part of me thought that was a bunch of bologna, but part of me hoped I was right.
Having made the transition and been in grad school for nearly two years, I am so glad I made the choice I did. Knowing what I know now about occupations, I also know that I was never ‘giving up’ acting. It will always be a part of me. What I did was shift its definition within my life, moving it from work to play and leisure activities. Doing this allows it to best suit my personal needs, and therefore be a more meaningful, fulfilling occupation as opposed to one causing stress.
I had my first read-thru for a web series this last weekend. It was wonderful. Exciting. Freeing. Invigorating. Never once was I worried how this would affect other auditions, or disappointed it didn’t pay. I was able to indulge in the performance and truly sink my teeth into the experience. By redefining a meaningful occupation, I was able to find the just right fit for the rest of my life.
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Older Driver Safety Awareness Week ⟩
December 3, 2012, by Paula
December 3-7th, 2012 is AOTA’s Older Driver Safety Awareness Week! Driving rehabilitation is a common area of practice for OTs and can include identification of unique challenges and strategies to improve safety well as analysis of the role that driving plays in someone’s life. The goal of this week is to advocate for older adults who still are driving and to educate everyone of the important relationship between access to transportation and active participation in one’s community. Mobility allows one to remain active, involved, motivated and confident in their abilities. This in turn helps improve well-being and reduces the barriers which are often imposed upon this age group due to stigma. We all realize that certain changes take place as we age and it is important to keep in mind that these changes are normal and that they will eventually happen to each of us. I encourage you all to be mindful and to help educate on the importance of driving safety instead of drawing assumptions solely based on someone’s age.
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Last Session ⟩
November 30, 2012, by Ricky
My last day of fieldwork was this past Wednesday. For those of you who caught my post, “First Session,” from a few weeks back, I have continued to work with the same child. Fortunately, things have become so much easier. I’m learning to adapt, on the spot, to meet the child’s unique needs and interests on the given day — always focusing on goals and functional performance, of course. Things are much less awkward, but I still get nervous and feel unprepared before each session. My fieldwork educator has been very supportive and reassures that she still feels unprepared at times. And really, things always end up going a lot better than expected. It’s only been a few weeks, but I definitely see improvement in both my client and my therapeutic self. I’m learning to appreciate that patience is a very strong/important trait for me. My client would become easily frustrated and tantrum. Keeping a cool head and providing simple cues, very calmly and soothingly, really helped me cultivate an environment of tranquility for everyone. I’m happy to report that tantrums ceased after the first few sessions and that my client has become more tolerating of certain situations. Further, now that I am more comfortable, I have become more playful — and as I become more playful, I become more comfortable (oh what a terrible vicious cycle, haha!). I’m really grateful for this experience, and especially grateful to my client and his parents for trusting me and giving me the opportunity to practice being an OT . . . and for letting me sing. 😊
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