Student Blog

Interdisciplinary Health Fair ⟩
November 13, 2012, by Paula

Community Getting Involved What are OS/OT?

Last Saturday, USC Occupational Therapy students participated in a health fair at the YMCA of Alhambra with our Health Science Campus neighbors! The PharmSC Clinic hosted this student-run health fair with support and involvement of the USC School of Pharmacy, USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, USC Physician’s Assistant Program and UCLA School of Dentistry. The event was a collaboration of efforts in order to educate the community and honor National Diabetes Awareness Month.

At one point in the day when there was a lull in the community attendance, a student from our tabling neighbors turned to our table and asked, “So, what is OT, anyway?” As an OT student, we often hear this question from the community and are used to educating others about OT. Providing this education to students of the other disciplines is just as valuable in order to advocate for our profession among future interdisciplinary professionals. Overall, it was a great morning of educating community members and students from the other disciplines. Many of the consumers who approached our booth had either not heard of Occupational Therapy or were familiar with OT but unsure of what OTs do in practice in terms of Diabetes management. Student volunteers educated consumers about the importance of a balanced daily routine. We also described how Occupational Therapists help clients find new strategies to stay on top of blood sugar levels, medication and insulin timing throughout the day. Another hot topic was the importance of good grooming and activity levels to improve general health and thus also help with Diabetes management.

Consumers responded with interest in learning more about OT and also an appreciation of what we do as a profession for such a variety of individuals and settings we serve. It was a great day of spreading the news of how valuable Occupational Therapy truly is!

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Homecoming Weekend ⟩
November 12, 2012, by Paula

Community

This past weekend was a busy one for USC. The University was celebrating Homecoming weekend and nearly every division and organization associated with USC had something planned to properly celebrate the weekend. Here at the Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy, there were a number of events. Many OT alumni witnessed an unveiling and ribbon-cutting of the new Pediatric and Rehabilitation Laboratories and a reception in which Dr. Florence Clark spoke to the past and present of our department and of our profession.

I was lucky enough to be able to tend to some of the guests for the day’s events. Little did I know that these women would happen to be the same ones whose photographs don the hallways of our department because, oh that’s right, they are not only alumni but they are movers and shakers of OT. It took me a moment to realize that I was chatting with Dr. Elizabeth Yerxa and Florence Cromwell. Florence Cromwell, USC alumnus, served two terms as President of the American Occupational Therapy Association from 1967-1973. In 1974, she was instituted as Acting Chair of the USC Department of Occupational Therapy. Dr. Yerxa was named the Department Chair in 1976 and played a vital role in the USC Department of Occupational Therapy initiating the world’s first PhD program in Occupational Science in 1989. These two women were such a joy to spend time with, not only knowing how much they have done for the profession but also to see how excited they both are to see the Department growing and flourishing. And they were even interested in supporting our current student council by purchasing some USC OT shirts.

As a student ambassador, one of the most frequent questions I receive from prospective students is, “Why USC?” This past weekend was a perfect example why :]

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OT outside OT school ⟩
November 7, 2012, by Kendra

Community Living in LA What are OS/OT?

Last weekend I attend wedding #527 of the semester in New Orleans. While chatting with the bride’s mother, I learned a dear friend of hers is an occupational therapist who manages a skilled nursing facility in San Antonio, Texas.

Let me meet this girl I said!

It was a really exciting moment for me, getting to ‘talk shop’ with a seasoned professional and hold my ground while doing so. In chatting I discovered she did the validity studies in the early ’90s for the Allen Diagnostic Modules (ADM). Validity and reliability studies are essential for evidence based practice. We need the evidence to show our assessments measure what they say they do (validity) and consistently between testings and different testers (reliability). It just so happens this semester I am interning with one of the developers of the ADM!

It’s moments like these that I am so proud of my education. Not only do I get to go to school with the movers and shakers in the OT world, but Los Angeles is also a city of brilliant and imaginative occupational therapists. I felt, even though I’m still a student, I already have the education to collaborate and work on par with seasoned professionals. Add to that my job as a student ambassador makes attending these kinds of functions; weddings, bridal showers, etc., so much easier to navigate because now I can talk about OT in a clear, succinct way. It was so rewarding getting to offer insight and swap stories with a professional who has been working in the field for 40+ years. And it is especially rewarding to see someone’s internal light bulb go on when they understand the value of an occupational therapist.

This is why USC is #1 in OT!

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Election Day! ⟩
November 6, 2012, by Amber

Getting Involved

Tonight we will learn who our next President will be. It’s always amazing to see the attention of the nation focused so singularly. Today, the halls at school were filled with students wearing their “I Voted” stickers. Many wore red, white, and blue clothing. Conversations centered around the when and where people voted, and who they voted for.

Now that we are becoming occupational therapists, when we vote we also need to consider how a particular candidate or legislative bill might affect the future of our profession. Our state and national associations both have political action committees. According to their website, the Occupational Therapy Association of California Political Action Committee (OTAC PAC) is a voluntary nonprofit committee that is not affiliated with any political party. The purpose of the PAC is to provide a voice for occupational therapy practitioners in the State of California political arena. The PAC accomplishes this purpose by providing financial support to California legislative and constitutional officeholders and candidates that benefit the public by improving and protecting issues related to occupational therapy. As students, we can get involved in the PAC to advocate for occupational therapy in the state of California.

The American Occupational Therapy Political Action Committee (AOTPAC) is a voluntary, non-profit, unincorporated committee of members of AOTA. Their website states the purpose of AOTPAC as furthering the legislative aims of the Association by influencing or attempting to influence the selection, nomination, election, or appointment of any individual to any Federal public office, and of any occupational therapist, occupational therapy assistant, or occupational therapy student member of AOTA seeking election to public office at any level. The committee is not affiliated with any political party.

OTAC and AOTA need PACs because the organizations alone cannot contribute even a token amount to a candidate. Through the PAC, OTAC and AOTA can solicit and direct the flow of contributions from its members and provide important assistance to individual candidates for election to office. Please submit a comment below and let me know about your voting experience!

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Time Flies When You’re Having Fun! ⟩
November 5, 2012, by Amber

Beginnings and Endings

Today I ran into family friends that I haven’t seen in 3 years. When I last saw them, I had not even learned about this career called occupational therapy. I didn’t know it existed. It’s impossible to imagine, now that I am so immersed in my studies. Needless to say, the explanation of what I am doing now took a very long time! It was very striking to consider how much my life has changed in the last three years. At that time I was a working professional in an entirely different field, and had a vision for my life that did not include going back to school or changing careers. The conversation also made it very clear how quickly time has passed since I decided to pursue occupational therapy. I was excited to tell them that I will graduate in May. In what seems like the blink of an eye, I have achieved something great. I can’t wait to take that licensing exam!

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