Student Blog
Classes

NAMI ⟩
November 1, 2012, by Alisa

Classes Getting Involved What are OS/OT?

One of our assignments for my class was to attend a National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI) meeting. I attended a family-to-family support group on Monday, and to be honest, it was a truly eye-opening experience to be able to hear about the families’ lived experience. My attendance at the meeting confirmed my desire to work in the mental health setting. Some of the families in attendance have family members such as sons and daughters, spouses, and siblings who are affected by mental conditions. These conditions include borderline personality disorder, schizophrenia, anxiety, and depression.

I thought the set-up of the meeting worked well where everyone said his or her name and the person in their family living with a mental condition. After the check-in, the two facilitators attempted to problem solve urgent issues first, then they tried to problem solve other issues together as a group as time permitted. The facilitators stated that it was especially hard to know that what we have planned for our family members might not turn out to be exactly as planned. Everyone has come a long way, and by showing up to the meeting is a step toward change. One member shared that how a mental condition affects marriage and now has affected her son. It was comforting for me to learn that despite living with a mental condition, it is still possible to live life to the fullest when paired with medications and therapy. Sometimes it is a “difference between night and day” as one member stated. Some of their loved ones have graduated from universities, but they are now struggling with keeping a job. One member shared that her sibling wanted to get more involved and give back to the community and share what it is like to live with a mental condition and lupus.

As I experienced the meeting, I could empathize with some of the family members whose siblings are living with a mental condition. I felt that the families at the meeting cared about their loved ones, and I have found a place where it is fine to talk about our lived experiences. Although I have chosen not to share about my experiences since I wanted to observe at my first time there, I could see myself returning to the group and learning more from the families there. It has provided me to a valuable learning experience indeed. Some of the group members stated that it was important for them to attend the group because it meant a lot for their loved ones. Some felt that violence was an issue while others attend because they want to find new ways of coping. Some are still going to the grieving process while others have come to terms with their loved ones. All in all, the meeting provided a safe space for anyone to share and learn, and for that, I am grateful that such amazing organizations exist. Go NAMI!

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Splinting 101 ⟩
October 23, 2012, by Paula

Classes What are OS/OT?

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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Tips on studying for the GRE ⟩
October 6, 2012, by Alisa

Classes Life Hacks

I just took the test on October 5th and survived it! Boy, that was one long test. Some of you are probably wondering why I’m taking the test when I’m already in the OT program, right? Well, I got admitted as an undergrad at USC, so I started the program as a senior. Therefore, I didn’t have to take GRE, but now, since I’m applying for the Doctorate in Occupational Therapy, I have to submit my GRE scores. Walah! To all the undergrads out there, I would suggest taking it as an undergrad. When you’re in grad school already, you’ll be busier and to motivate myself to study was very tough.

Here are some tips for studying for the GRE:

1. Get one of the books (I used Kaplan and ETS) and do a self-study.
2. Attend one of the free GRE Strategy Sessions offered by Princeton Review. They raffled off vocabulary books and mathematics books! Wee! Free swag.
3. Take a free practice test offered through Princeton Review, Kaplan, etc. and use the results as a guide for studying.
4. Focus on studying what you’re good and master it.
5. Find a study buddy (shoutout to my tutor, a fellow OT student who patiently taught me basic mathematics during lunch and after class!).
6. Familiarize yourself with taking a computerized test. There are a total of 6 sections, one of which doesn’t count toward your score, so you should still try your hardest.
7. All the prompts for the essays are posted online. It won’t hurt to take a look at them.

On test day:

1. If you arrive early, you can take the test early, and get out earlier.
2. Bring a jacket because it might be cold.
3. You will be given a locker to put your belongings in. You can only bring your ID and the locker key in the testing room.
4. There will be one 10-minute break after the 3rd section. Use it. I went to the restroom and ate carrots.
5. There is a 1-minute break after every section. Stretch, stand up, breathe deeply, close your eyes, roll your neck or pray.
6. Do not panic! If you’ve studied well, you won’t likely be blanking out. If you do, try your best with an educated guess. Remember, there’s no penalty for guessing. Yay!
7. Remember that this is only one test. It does not define who you are. You can take it again. I believe that there are many factors that make up your application. Do not let the GRE scores deter you from applying. Regardless of the results, you are still a great person.
8. Your estimated scores for the Verbal and Quantitative sections will pop up at the end of the test. You can google “GRE Concordance Scale” if you’re unsure of how the new score is compared to the old score. For the USC OT Program, it is encouraged that you have at least a combined score of 1000 (old scale).

Good luck! You know more than you think you know. 😉

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Rancho Los Amigos ⟩
October 1, 2012, by Paula

Classes What are OS/OT?

Last week for our Adult Rehabilitation course, we had the opportunity to visit Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, CA. Rancho first began serving in rehabilitation services in 1888 and has since been a nationally known and respected facility which leads practice in rehabilitation. Lucky for us, Rancho has been affiliated with USC since 1972 and we are able to fully appreciate this relationship as students of the program here. Rancho provides and excels in rehabilitation services with directed focus on the needs of an individual who has experienced a stroke, brain injury or spinal cord injury, as well as services in pediatric, orthopedic, amputee and outpatient rehabilitation. Beyond these rehabilitation programs, Rancho also provides has many innovative patient programs which promote self-esteem and involvement including art programs, performing arts, wheelchair sports, horseback riding, fashion shows, and many more.

One of the main facilities we had a chance to see was The Center for Applied Rehabilitation Technology (CART). CART began in 1989, and utilized advanced technology to provide assistance to individuals with physical disabilities. This program employs a team of physical, speech, occupational, and recreation therapists and engineers to evaluate and provide assistive technology to clients in order to enable them to lead more independent lives. On our tour, we were able to see different assistive technology from augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) used for individuals with speech impairments to the full Model Home which is completely decked out with modifications and assistive technology to display the true potential of Universal Design. The functional yet subtle changes to the environment which can enable an individual in his or her own home to practice more independence were abundant and being surrounded by it all made me realize that the possibilities truly are endless.

To end the afternoon, we visited the Rancho Driver Evaluation and Training Program which provides clients throughout the age-range who wish to return to driving. The program enables clients through simulation exercises, education and preparation for DMV procedures and also consultation pertaining to vehicle modifications. We were lucky enough to hear from Jay Cramer, an actor, a comedian and a part of the Rancho family. Jay sustained a spinal cord injury while bouldering in 2006 and became a patient at Rancho where he later met his wife. Jay showed us the modifications to his van with his service dog, Goliath, while he shared with us his view of life after his injury saying that he has experienced more now than he ever had before. His attitude, his humor and his enthusiasm for life was so refreshing. I encourage you all to read more about his story!

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Cognitive Disabilities Model ⟩
September 27, 2012, by Alisa

Classes

This week in class was very interesting. I learned about the cognitive disabilities model, and the guest speaker was Catherine Earhart, one of the developers of the Allen Diagnostic Module. As part of the assessment, clients get to make a greeting card! The assessment allows us to quantify the data using the Allen scale of levels and modes, which provide a specific activity analysis identifying the cognitive and motor requirements of meaningful activities that clients desire to do. This can give us a baseline of where and how you want to treat the clients next. It is important to know that there might be various factors that affect clients’ performance; therefore, the assessment data has to be collected throughout time before a pattern can be detected. Another assessment, Allen Cognitive Level Screen-5 (ACLS-5), clients perform three visual-motor tasks of leather lacing stitches with increasing difficulty. I did not have difficulty with the running stitch or the whipstitch, but I had great difficulty with the single cordovan stitch. Overall, it is an interesting assessment used can be used in mental health settings and other settings, too!

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