Student Blog
Classes

Elderly Drivers and Community Mobility ⟩
April 23, 2014, by Jen

Classes Diversity What are OS/OT?

In my leadership capstone course, we had an interesting discussion on elderly drivers and community mobility. I found it interesting that although senior drivers are safest compared to other drivers on the road, they are more likely to be injured or killed in an accident. I am not sure of the exact reason for this, but I believe it could be because their health may already be compromised due to their old age. I also think a reason they may be more likely to be injured or killed when involved in an accident (even if they are not the reason for the accident) is that their reflexes may be slower so they are not able to protect themselves as quickly. There are a number of barriers that elderly drivers face. One of them mentioned in the forum was how unmet transportation needs are linked to reduced well-being. This reminded me of a client I had who used a ride share program to get to their therapy appointments. Although they valued therapy sometimes their ride would be very early or very late in picking them up and dropping them off. This became quite a problem because it greatly interfered with how they spent their time. Instead of coming to therapy for an hour session, they frequently would get dropped off up to 45 minutes before therapy and not get picked up until an hour after therapy ended. This caused the time they dedicated to therapy each week to become almost 3 hours (with most of the time being waiting for their ride) instead of spending their time doing things they would like to do. I hope in the near future these types of issues will become less common for older adults.

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Presentations, Midterms, and Papers… Oh My! ⟩
February 21, 2014, by Jen

Classes

With Spring Break rapidly approaching, it has really sunk in how fast this semester has gone by. The faculty do a great job of making sure the assignments we have in different classes are reasonably spread out, so I never really feel too overwhelmed by the course work. Last week I had a paper due, this week I have a group presentation, and next week I have a midterm. I have also enjoyed the variety of assignments. Most of my grades in undergrad were determined by tests alone. Because of USC’s small class sizes, professors have the time to give feedback on presentations and projects instead of exclusively grading multiple choice tests. Not only does USC evaluate what we have learned in a variety of ways, but the faculty also makes sure to teach us in a variety of ways. For example, this week is my Dysphagia (swallowing) course a group of students presented some current research, the professor spent some time lecturing, and then we did a lab where we practiced the content we had just learned about. I believe this is one of the best ways to learn.

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Out with Cohorts, in with Electives! ⟩
January 30, 2014, by Clarissa

Classes What are OS/OT?

For the first 1.5 years of this program, I pretty much had my schedule set for me with required classes. The way it works is that we are split up into 3 cohorts at the beginning of our program (A, B, or C) and each cohort rotates through what we call immersion courses which are in the different practice areas of our profession — Physical Disabilities, Mental Health, and Pediatrics. We grow really close to our cohorts because we pretty much see them all day, every day. We still see classmates outside of our cohorts as well, though, because we have courses outside of our immersion.

Our final semester is different because we no longer have cohorts and now have electives! I wish I could take all the electives that existed! I ended up selecting Hands, Dysphagia, Early Intervention, and Motor Control as my elective courses. They’re all great courses and I love all the application. In dysphagia, we learn about treating patients who have difficulty swallowing. Last week, my partner and I looked at one another’s oral anatomy and tested each other’s gag reflexes (while my friend Kathy photobombed us). It was cool! Just not so cool when it was my turn:

Twice a week, I also go to Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center for my motor control course — once to learn in a large classroom setting and practice techniques on my classmates and once for lab where I share my instructor with just one other person and apply what we learned on a patient. We’re currently learning on the stroke unit and I’ve so far found this class really valuable. The instructor is so good and I’m learning so much! In this picture, I’m mobilizing my friend/patient Judy’s scapula. Later on, I cuddled up to my friend Angela (aka patient who had a stroke) so we could practice educating patients how to manage sleeping in their home with their spouse. Lastly, the picture includes my friend Megan who put together a wheelchair BLINDFOLDED! Yup, we are definitely getting the wheelchair management techniques down cold!

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Coming Soon: Graduation ⟩
January 30, 2014, by Kate

Beginnings and Endings Classes

I am just into my 3rd week of classes, and tomorrow marks the end of January. However, it feels as if graduation is just around the corner. This semester is in full swing: I’ve had quizzes, papers and projects already due. Since we will be out of school for a total of 3 weeks in March due to the leadership externship and spring break, I feel as if April will sneak up on me and it will be May as soon as I blink. The students have been told of when our comprehensive exam will take place — May 5th — and now it’s up to us to go out with a bang!

Our comprehensive exam (the “comp” for short) is a 150 multiple choice test that covers 6 classes we have taken during our two years: Quantitative Research, Qualitative Research, Advanced Neuroscience, Health Promotion & Wellness, Leadership Capstone, and Advanced Seminar in Occupational Science. Students must pass the exam in order to graduate from the program. No big deal!!! (Just kidding!!)

I’m really excited to graduate from the program. I’m sure I will have a lot more to say as the time comes closer!

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Electives! ⟩
January 28, 2014, by Jen

Classes

The first two weeks back at school flew by. The course I’m taking this semester are:

• Hand Rehabilitation
• Dysphagia Across the Lifespan: Pediatrics Through Geriatrics
• Leadership Capstone
• Advanced Seminar in Occupational Science
• Contemporary Issues: Occupational Therapy in Early Intervention
• Independent Study at California Children’s Services (CCS)

What is so great about this semester is that the majority of courses I am taking are electives, which means I was able to customize my schedule to my interests. In my Early Intervention class, we had an assignment that involved us reading an autobiography written by a person who grew up with a disability. The story I read is titled “I’m Walking as Straight as I Can: Transcending Disability in Hollywood and Beyond” by Geri Jewell (who had a role in the show The Facts of Life). I found the story to be extremely interesting. Geri Jewel has cerebral palsy (CP) which is a motor impairment syndrome that arises during the early years of a person’s development. I am also getting a chance to work with numerous children with CP in my independent study at CCS. It is great to get to learn about a topic in class, read about a person’s actually experience, and also have the opportunity to have hands-on experience.

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