Student Blog
Feeling a little overwhelmed? ⟩
October 18, 2012, by Ricky
Fieldwork School/Life Balance What are OS/OT?
So I was looking at my calendar the other day. I got a lotta things on my plate right now. I am a full-time student, I have a part-time internship, I have a part-time job, and I’m planning a wedding. It also doesn’t help that I live in the Inland Empire, go to school in LA, intern in Whittier, and my fiancée lives in Bellflower. Each day is different and I have had to get creative with my commute to save time and money. But you know how they say, “there’s always gonna be someone who has it worse than you do.” Some people in my class have it pretty rough too. I know this woman who is a mother of 3 and commutes from South Orange County. The life of a grad student is no joke. I get angry when people look at me as if to think “oh, your life is cake,” when I tell them I’m a student. “Trust me, I’d much rather have a 9-5 schedule, buddy,” is what I’m thinking, haha. But anyhow, it begs the question, “why do we do it?” Well, as for me, it’s because I believe in OT. Each fieldwork experience, I meet individuals whose lives have been improved because of OT. They tell me themselves. Like the lady at the rehab hospital who leaned over to me during her OT session and said that in her eyes, her therapists were angels. Or all the parents at the SI clinic who keep telling me that their little one wasn’t able to do this or that, until he/she had started OT. This stuff changes lives. That’s my motivation. I want to be the best OT I can and help as many people as possible, but even if I just help one person in the profound manner that I have seen at fieldwork, that would be worth it.
I want to give a shout-out to the guy I met at the OTAC conference, who said he reads this blog to stay motivated as he completes his prereqs to get into OT school. Bro, I’ve been there, and that can be just as rough (or more). Trying to get the classes is a feat in itself. I’m sure many of you prospective students are juggling jobs, parenthood, and a whole variety of responsibilities. To all of you, stay up and keep at it. I am pretty busy right now, but I don’t regret it one bit. Being here feels right . . . like I’m supposed to be here. I love me some OT.
I say we all pat ourselves on the back.
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Tik-Tok Tik-Tok ⟩
October 18, 2012, by Alisa
It is the end of the week, finally! This week has been a long week, and I’m surprised I don’t feel tired. As a college student, it is sometimes hard to manage your time. I guess it does not get easier when you get older, does it? I presented on two assessments today, one is the Worker Role Interview (WRI) and the other one is the Work Environment Impact Scale (WEIS). I had the desire to stay up late last night to finish my PowerPoint presentation. I truly cared about it and wanted to do my best. I even baked pumpkin cake (the mix is from Trader Joe’s) to share with my group members (see below). Considering I had two hours of sleep, I am functioning pretty well. I actually don’t feel tired. I haven’t had any coffee today. I guess I’m just excited about life while the adrenaline is keeping me awake all day. I usually only stay up that late once a semester, not bad for a college student, right? My goal is to manage my time better and not procrastinate. Do you have any tips for time management? I would love to hear it.
Also, on a side note, yesterday my residents dropped by to give me flowers! Oh, life of a resident advisor. I think that really motivated me to finish my presentation. 😊
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‘Real’ life as an OT ⟩
October 17, 2012, by Kendra
Last week was our full week of fieldwork, and while difficult and overwhelming at times, I always find these full weeks invigorating and a well-timed reminder of why I’m going into occupational therapy at all. While in school our lives are determined by case studies, readings, and exams. Life between September and December depends on being able to stay afloat, manage the stress load, and make the grade. Essentially, each fall and spring our life is completely consumed with being a student.
What is especially exciting during these full week immersions, is the ability to play the part of worker, wife, mother, housekeeper, cook, and experience what life will be like outside of school!
When I was in theater school my life consisted of auditions and memorizing monologues for comedy or Shakespeare classes, and I thrived. But when I graduated and was released into the wild world of acting I felt unprepared and was disappointed by the stark contrast between school and the big bad real world. For the longest time I shook my fist at the establishment that trained me for helping me become a better artist but never preparing me for the business and self-promotion aspect that is just as important, if not more, to establishing a career as an actor. Basically no one ever told me what daily life would be like.
This is why experiences like last week are so very valuable, not just in gaining clinical experience, but in having the chance each semester to try on the role of pediatric OT, acute inpatient OT, and mental health OT. We can see how well we fit (or don’t fit) into the daily grind of working in each setting. We can learn first hand how work effects our relationships, coping skills and leisure time. We experience what the stress of one setting is like compared to others and build not just skills but a realistic understanding of what the job will be like.
So as I transition back to my role of stressed out student, I feel refreshed and confident knowing that all this hard work is leading me to a fulfilling and inspiring lifetime in occupational therapy.
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Getting Back In The Water ⟩
October 15, 2012, by Paula
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to engage in a neglected occupation of mine at the annual Team KC Swimathon: swimming! Team KC, a Livermore-based organization, was created to honor and remember an inspiring young girl and friend of mine, Korrine Croghan. Korrine was diagnosed with choriocarcinoma in December of 2007 and fought vigorously until she passed away in October of 2008. She had a dream to raise money for other children fighting cancer in order to supply them and their families cope with everything they are dealing with and providing assistance with rent, bills, gas cards, coffee cards, etc. The Swimathon is an annual event which raises money to help meet the immediate needs of these pediatric cancer patients and their families.
I have been pushing away from this activity which used to be a component of each day for many years of my life and I always give the excuse that it is because of time, money and location. Although I know that I have many resources to look into to develop this occupation back to what it once was, I often find multiple excuses as to why I should not make these changes. Overall, regardless of what workout I do, it is not the same as swimming and I only feel completely content with a workout if I have had a challenging swim also. The Swimathon was a perfect reminder of the community which I grew up in and the relationships formed through all of the years of swimming. Once again, Korrine has inspired me to engage further and to reassess my reasoning for not swimming when I have the opportunity. She was always a motivator and I think that she would have made an amazing OT. ;]
If any of you are interested in more information about Team KC or Korrine’s story, you can check out the Facebook page, or go to Korrine’s Blog.
Go out and engage in something you have been meaning to. Live life to its fullest!
(Also, a big THANK YOU to all of you who supported Team KC throughout this process and who remembered Korrine by donating to my swim. It means the world!)
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Outreach ⟩
October 15, 2012, by Amber
One of the neat things I get to do as a student ambassador is represent USC’s occupational therapy program at outside conferences and events. This weekend, I went to the University of California in Irvine to participate in an event for pre-health undergraduate students. There were over 400 students in attendance and dozens of exhibitors from different organizations representing medicine, nursing, public health, and many other disciplines. It was fun to be an exhibitor and meet students from another university. Many wanted to know exactly what occupational therapists do, and several were already excited to join the profession. Leave me a comment below if you want to see USC OT at your school!
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