Student Blog
Creative ways to achieve balance ⟩
October 24, 2012, by Kendra
It’s the middle of the semester which means mid-terms, papers, and presentations hitting us like a tidal wave. Students start showing up in pajamas with dark shadows under their eyes. Backpacks appear fuller and heavier and there’s always someone staring intently at a laptop in a corner or empty classroom.
It is during times like these that I absolutely love my zany cohort. Last week a classmate decided to introduce arbitrary color coordination day. One day each week we all dress up in a color or pattern for absolutely no reason other than we can. Last week was blue.
It really makes no sense why we do this and why we all seem to enjoy attempting to get 45 people to match outfits, but it’s a great way to have fun and de-stress for a few minutes or hours. When we learned about balance in our Health Promotion and Wellness class, we talked about eating healthy meals, getting enough rest, and finding leisure time within a working day. Shockingly the textbooks don’t mention that matching outfits helps you find balance. 😊 And yet, it does. It is something to laugh about, something we all share (in addition to the shared stress about tests and papers) and for a brief moment the stress disappears and we are just friends being silly about arbitrarily coordinating.
Somehow this weird little tradition has become my favorite part of the week and a wonderful reminder of why I love OT school!
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Fight On! ⟩
October 23, 2012, by Amber
One of the most enjoyable things about being a Trojan is attending the USC football games. It is at these events that our incredible pride and school spirit is on the greatest display. Never before in my life have I witnessed so many people that were so excited about the same thing. It really is incredible to walk onto campus on the day of a game. Fans dressed in red and gold cover the entire campus, the marching band and cheer squad parade throughout, and everyone engages in the great tradition of tailgating. The Occupational Therapy students teamed up with the Pharmacy students for the festivities, and new friends were made. I was excited to have my father with me, who had never attended a college football game. On the way into the game, we caught a glimpse of the retired space shuttle Endeavor on display at the California Science Center. I spent the game teaching my dad the fight songs and game day traditions. He had a wonderful time and said it was more fun than any NFL football game. I felt proud to be a Trojan!
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Splinting 101 ⟩
October 23, 2012, by Paula
This week, the focus for our Adult Rehabilitation lecture and laboratory experiences is on the human hand. Honestly, the hand has always been an intimidating part of the body to me. It is vital to so many occupations and one small change to function can cause such a global influence in the daily routines of the individual. I realize that it sounds obvious but if you stop and think about what you do not use your hands for throughout each day, I am sure that you cannot think of many. After some wonderful presentations from our peers covering various medical conditions which have a large impact on hand function (some of which included Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, Dupuytren’s Disease, Skier’s Thumb, and Peripheral Nerve Injury), we were able to dabble in fabrication of orthoses (more commonly referred to as thermoplastic splints). This was a great experience as a student, not having to worry about making a splint perfectly for a patient who may be in pain or may have a limited range of motion or motor control. It was also not without frustration. This process takes the right TLC in order to form the plastic material properly to the skin’s surface without being too snug, without having pressure points or indentations, and without causing discomfort. We had the opportunity to make three different splints: a volar wrist cock-up splint which may be useful to an individual with Carpel Tunnel Syndrome, a thumb Spica splint which may be useful for an individual who has sustained a scaphoid fracture, and a resting hand splint which can be useful to an individual who experiences symptoms of arthritis. Although we are nowhere near the ability or practice level of one who would be suitable to use these skills in practice, it was a great experience to be able to try out this process.
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Jack of all trades ⟩
October 19, 2012, by Alisa
Last week I had my full week of fieldwork. It was nice to take a break from class, but I do like being in class and seeing my fellow students! Oh, boy, I can’t believe we’ve been in the same cohort for a year now. Time quickly flies. I’m sure you can attest to this. So, fieldwork started slower at the beginning of the week, but gradually gained momentum by the end of the week. I feel that I’ve been fortunate to have liked all my fieldwork experiences so far, and I feel that it won’t make it easier for me to decide which area I want to specialize in. Maybe, I’ll specialize in being a jack of all trades. Imagine that on a business card.
By the end of the week, I had my own clients and was writing billable notes! I’m doing fieldwork at a forensic treatment agency, and I work hand-in-hand with the Employment/Education Specialist. I have helped clients with writing a resume, filling out an application, searching for jobs online, and advising them on transferring to a 4-year university. At the end of the day, I felt that I’ve helped my clients to progress toward their employment/education goals.
I also got to meet a lot of people during the full week. There were about a dozen Social Work interns, 4 OT interns, and 2 Homeboy Industries interns (imagine having to fight for the computers or how crowded the meetings would be!). My site really fosters students’ learning and growth. I really felt that everyone works together as a team here. It’s multidisciplinary, yet unifying since we work for the clients and have their best interests in mind. By the end of the week, the office had a pizza and pastry party, and my life was content. Some of the other highlights during the week were successfully coordinating a recreational activity for clients and alumni to go to a taping of The Price is Right as a fundraiser, participating in the Mindfulness group and Moral Reconation Group, and getting ramen during lunch in Little Toyko. I enjoyed the experiences.
I’m thankful for the opportunities given to me, all the people I’ve come across, all the support from my professors, family, and friends. Without them, there would be no me. Until next time, have a great weekend!
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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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