Student Blog
My First OT Elective ⟩
September 19, 2011, by Chelsea
The second year of the Occupational Therapy program at USC gives students the opportunity to take their first OT elective course — their first opportunity to choose a course they are interested rather than having it be required! After doing my third Level I Fieldwork in hand therapy, I had a heightened interest in the field and in the prospect of getting certified to be a hand therapist. Although there were many awesome courses to choose as my one elective this fall, I had no trouble making the decision to take Hand Rehabilitation with Lisa Deshaies.
So far it has been incredible and is “hands down” my favorite class! We have learned so much practical knowledge about the anatomy of the hand and all kinds of different hand deformities and injuries. Professor Deshaies keeps the class interesting by reading us excerpts that relate to the hand in Sports Illustrated, showing us videos of the progress and personal struggle of a patient she treated, bringing in actual hand and arm cadavers to get a more “hands on” anatomy understanding, and leading great class discussions. Currently, I’m working on a Hand Observation Log for which I have been observing how people use their hands daily for functioning, communicating, and other daily activities. Surprisingly, you can tell a lot about a person by how they are using their hands. Some of the best aspects of the class are that the class is at night so I don’t need to wake up early, and it is credit/no credit making it less stressful than my other courses . . . however, it can be a bit of a “handful”!
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Another week of delicious-ness! ⟩
September 15, 2011, by Floyd
Living in LA School/Life Balance
I just had another fun-filled weekend! On Friday I went to a Gourmet Food Truck festival in Santa Fe and ate everything in sight! I got this delicious Mexican and Filipino infusion burrito that composed of garlic rice, chicken adobo, fried egg, and topped off with some Vietnamese rooster hot sauce, and it was delicious. I got a side of carne asada fries from a Mexican truck and a roll of tempura crunchy California roll from a Japanese truck. For dessert I got a basket of sweet potato fries and washed it down with some mango juice that I got from an Asian dessert truck. My friends and I ended the night relaxing in the hot tub with glasses of white wine, homemade chocolate chip cookies, lemonade tarts, and tiramisu. What a delicious night!
On Saturday, I went to a concert of variety of punk rock bands and indie bands at the House of Blues in downtown Disney. Since I have my annual pass to Disneyland, my friends and I hopped on over to the resort and saw the fireworks eating our jumbo turkey legs and drinking Disney’s Dole Whips (Like a root beer float but instead, it’s with pineapple juice and pineapple whipped ice cream).
Sunday, I ended my week for some “me time.” I went to Chinatown for some dim sum (Asian food that are miniature sized), and got a full body massage at my favorite place. Then I went home and lay on my bed and relaxed with some articles for class (I have to get some homework done sometime!). I canceled the rest of my other plans for the evening because sometimes, it’s just nice to be by yourself to reflect.
Ok, if you haven’t noticed, my world seems to revolve around eating good food and going to do fun stuff. That’s me!
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OTSC Elections and Tailgate ⟩
September 14, 2011, by Chris
The elections for the first year positions on the Occupational Therapy and Science Council are being held this week.
The first year students had an amazing turnout with over 20 candidates being nominated for positions on the student council. The voting will close later in the week, but I have no doubt that all of the choices would be valuable assets to the council. The student council is also putting on a tailgate/mixer for the first and second year students to get to know each other.
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People-Watching in LA ⟩
September 13, 2011, by Kimberly
I will be the first to admit that I enjoy people-watching.
Before you think I’m completely weird, you have to know that I take public transport all over LA all the time; and when you are sitting on a bus for 45 minutes across town, it’s hard not to observe the people around you. People-watching for me is more about wondering where they come from, where they’re going. I guess you could say I am an OT at heart, just trying to figure out who a person is from a few seconds we happen to be sharing the same mode of transport. The best part about LA is that it is so culturally diverse and rich. The individuals I have met on the train, bus, Metrorail, walking or even riding my bike all have a different life-path that has brought them where they are today.
My favorite part of riding public transport is when a conversation is actually struck. During OT month last April I had a pin that said “I Love OT” on my backpack and the guy next to me said he had to ask why I loved “overtime.” After a laugh I corrected him and pointed out that OT really stands for occupational therapy and proceeded to have a conversation about the profession. Before we were finished 2 people next to him had joined in and the whole bus-load was educated on what a great thing OT is.
People who ride public transport range from the smallest baby, to the man who can’t afford dinner, to the businesswoman carrying groceries, to the student riding to class. It is really a snapshot of our community and provides an opportunity to get to know others we might not see driving from point A to point B on the freeway. Sometimes I wonder what people think my story is. Well, all they have to do is ask . . . but for now I am content simply observing and smiling at the complexity of human life through the lens of a simple bus ride.
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Back to Reality ⟩
September 13, 2011, by Chris
Community Living in LA School/Life Balance
Well, the first week of class has come and gone, which means it’s back to reality.
Although the return to class may not be at the top of my “things I enjoy” list, it was actually really nice to hang out with friends I haven’t seen since May. The start of fall semester also means the start of football season. This Saturday marks the Trojans’ season-opener against Minnesota. I’m looking forward to meeting up with some friends at the unofficial OT tailgate. I’m anticipating an excellent second year in the program (which will hopefully help me make a decision about the OTD).
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