Student Blog
School/Life Balance

A Day in the Life of an OT Student ⟩
February 22, 2016, by Jodie

Living in LA School/Life Balance

Ever wonder what a typical day as a Trojan OT student looks like? As student ambassadors, we often get asked this question so I thought that it would be helpful to actually see what a typical day is like! I documented my Monday schedule to share with all of you. Just a reminder that I am currently in my second year of the program, halfway through Spring semester! 😊

As many of you already know, our program is located in the Center for Health Professions (CHP) on the USC Health Sciences Campus (HSC). I commute to HSC from Monterey Park, which is only about a 20 minute drive taking local streets. I park in the Biggy Parking Structure — one of the closest parking lots to the CHP building. 

On Mondays, I start my morning off working in the ambassador’s office from 8:30 AM to 1 PM. The ambassador’s office is located in our division’s main office in Room 133. Here you see my fellow student ambassador, Rashelle, already working hard in the office!

Once I’m done with my shift, it is time for my first (& only) class of the day: OT 540 Leadership Capstone. All the second year students take this course together from 1 PM to 3:20 PM in room G-37, our large auditorium located on the first floor of CHP.

After OT 540, we are done with class for the day! I like to spend the rest of my afternoon catching up with classmates and getting schoolwork done. Seen in these pictures are some of my classmates sitting out on the CHP patio, catching up after a busy morning in class.

I also enjoy going to the HSC Fitness center, located in the Soto Building less than a mile away from CHP. Since this fitness center is so close to CHP, it is convenient to squeeze in a workout whenever it best fits in my daily schedule. Every USC student has access to this gym so feel free to take advantage of this beautiful facility! (Disclaimer: that is not me doing the push up! 😮)

After all my activities from the day are done, I make my way back home in the evening and relax and prepare for tomorrow’s adventures! This usually consists of checking my planner for any reminders, packing my bag, and setting (multiple) alarms so that I’m all ready to go in the morning. 😀

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A Sneak Peek into our SChedule and Classes! ⟩
January 28, 2016, by Rashelle

Classes School/Life Balance

Here’s a visual representation of our semester class schedule!

To break it down for you:

Mondays
We are typically all together in the lecture hall, learning core elements that are essential to our profession (ex: health and wellness, behavioral neuroscience, adulthood and aging, clinical reasoning & therapeutic use of self).

Tuesdays
You meet with your cohort in your semester-specific practice immersion (either Adult Physical Rehabilitation, Mental Health or Pediatrics), in a room that holds about 1/3 of your class, or about 45 people.

Wednesdays
Last semester, when this screenshot of my schedule was taken, I had my fieldwork day on Wednesday! We spend a full day at a site, relevant to our practice immersion, which offers us a chance to observe treatments with people in real life.

Thursdays
Every week for 3 hours, you will be enrolled in a lab that matches your practice immersion. This lab contains ½ of your cohort, or about 22 people, and gives you hands-on experience to practice certain assessments or techniques on your fellow classmates! You will also have another core class emphasizing the importance of research, so that we may incorporate evidence-based practice in therapy.

Fridays
Days off! People use this time to work, research, or relax. This past Friday was actually our annual OT Vegas Trip! It was so nice to participate in ALL my favorite occupations as we hiked, ate at buffets, danced, and socialized throughout it all!

Shout out to the MA-I students who are from various countries, and taught me so much about international OT practices! So happy I got to bond with you all this trip!

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The Highs and Highers of 2015 ⟩
January 14, 2016, by Rashelle

Classes School/Life Balance

Happy New Year everyone!

In a nutshell, 2015 was a tremendous year! I graduated with my Bachelor’s of Science in Occupational Therapy from USC, I completed my final two practice immersions in pediatrics and adult physical rehabilitation, then, I ultimately said farewell to my amazing cohort.

I developed a community project proposal, which I could envision myself implementing as I become a more seasoned clinician; I learned how to cook easy, cheap and healthy meals; and I created everlasting friendships with my OT friends through our class trips to Big Bear Mountain, Las Vegas, and every pocket of Los Angeles from Venice Beach, Santa Monica, Korea Town, Little Tokyo, Hollywood, Pasadena and Downtown Los Angeles. 

Through all of these events, I’ve grown as an individual professionally, personally, socially, spiritually, and thankfully avoided growing horizontally! When thinking about all the ways in which I’ve matured, I’ve realized that I can owe almost all of it to being in this program. The occupational therapy program at USC truly embraces the holistic lens of our profession, cultivating individuals in every aspect of their lives. For example, in classes such as Health Promotion and Wellness, we are guided in exercises promoting self-analysis and goal setting, in order to integrate healthy habits into our daily lives. Not only is stress management crucial for our future patients, but also relevant in our own lives as graduate students! Furthermore, in the OT & Faith bible study, which took place during lunch, we learned about the overlap between our personal beliefs and professionalism.

Then, just a few days ago we had our first class in our leadership capstone course. While each class we have taken thus far emphasizes becoming a leader in whichever practice area we pursue, I am excited to learn about specific qualities, traits, actions and leadership styles that will help me excel further in life. Lastly, while we are no longer studying our practice immersions in cohorts, I am looking forward to delving into electives of interest with new classmates — particularly those from the Post-Professional Master’s Degree (MA I) Program, and the Doctorate of Occupational Therapy (OTD) Program. While 2015 was glorious, I know that 2016 will provide even more memories to cherish as we come to the end of our program, and enter the real world.

Ready or not, here we come (shortly)!

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Faculty Mixers! ⟩
December 1, 2015, by Rashelle

Community Getting Involved School/Life Balance

This year for the annual faculty/student mixer series, students were invited to partake in fun events organized by our student council professional development chairs. I was fortunate enough to be available to attend all three of them this year!

At the first mixer I got the opportunity to show off my (un)impressive bowling skills with Dr. Myka Persson, a previous professor, Carey Sokol, my past fieldwork coordinator, and Amber Bennett, who coordinated the Career Fair, which I attended the day after. It was awesome to see faculty members in such a fun, informal environment, which really allowed me to get to know them apart from the structured school work and meetings. 

The second faculty/student mixer was held at Urth caffe with Dr. Karrie Kingsley, one of my favorite professors, along with Dr. Tracy Jalaba and Dr. Lindsey Reeves, who recently completed their doctorate degrees at USC’s distinguished Faculty Practice. It was an honor to sit next to them over dinner, and to hear about their captivating journies of how they got to where they are today.

Lastly, after my final day of fieldwork at the Keck Hospital of USC, I got to celebrate it with, coincidentally, my fieldwork supervisors! Dr. John Margetis and Dr. Kim Lenington are two of USC’s finest clinical faculty, who taught me the ins and outs of how to intensely care for patients in an intensive care unit. If that was too cheesey, it must be from where my mind has drifted after all of those nachos we ate!

These intimate gatherings truly made me feel welcomed into the Trojan Family. Not only will I feel less intimidated when approaching these faculty members in the future, but also I was able to connect with first year students, who may have been intimidated by me! Every day, with every new person I meet, I see how large this network of Trojans is, and how supportive and encouraging they can be as we go through this journey together.

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New Friends! ⟩
September 25, 2015, by Heather

Community Diversity School/Life Balance

When I first arrived at USC, I was not anticipating the multitude of amazing people that I would meet. I thought grad school was just about furthering my education to prepare me for my career in occupational therapy. I couldn’t have been more mistaken.

The people here are incredible and I have grown incredibly close to many of them.

The friends that I have made in this program have been some of the most amazing people that I’ve had the pleasure of getting to know. We come from various backgrounds, different parts of the country, and from a wide variety of life experiences.

A large part of my enjoyment of being at school is being with my friends. We spend endless academic and nonacademic hours together, and are constantly involved in each other’s lives.

Without a doubt, my friends in this program have molded my experience at USC significantly. I look forward to our futures as we grow together as health-care practitioners.

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