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USC OT Ranked #1 ⟩
March 13, 2012, by Floyd

Community

US News & World Report rankings of the best graduate school programs in the nation just announced University of Southern California’s Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy ranking #1!

I am so proud to be part of the Trojan family and to receive the greatest education throughout the nation. When you sit in the lectures offered by renowned professors in the field, you can understand why USC OT was ranked number one. USC is always in the cutting edge of research and evidence-based practice. When I graduate this May, I feel confident that my education will follow me throughout my years of practice. I understand that time will establish my clinical expertise, but I know that the foundation that I have set at USC will enhance my skills into fruition.

Not only will I have a great education, but I will also have wonderful colleagues who I spent 2 remarkable years with. This kind of networking and fellowship is something that money can’t buy. When I go out into the “real world” and start practicing, I know that I am not alone. I have over a hundred other fellow practitioners who I can bounce ideas off of and support each other’s growth.

FIGHT ON, USC, FIGHT ON!

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Dog Park! ⟩
February 21, 2012, by Kimberly

Community Living in LA

I dog-sat for my friend’s terrier mix this past weekend. On Sunday I decided to take him to the dog park so he could get some energy out and hopefully enjoy playing around. I had never been to a dog park, or taken a small dog in my car anywhere before. The first challenge of the outing was where to put the little guy. I grew up with large dogs who always were very content and could only fit in the backseat or the bed of my family’s truck. So I at first put him on the front seat floor where he stayed for all of about 2 seconds before jumping up to the seat. Before I knew it, as we drove, he was climbing farther and farther into my lap. I tried to continue focusing on the road, but by my second turn he was sitting contently in my lap in front of the steering wheel. Since he’s so small I decided to let him stay and just continue driving (I still want to ask my friend if this is his normal riding routine or if I spoiled him a bit) . . . it was kinda cute, I’ll admit.

We arrrived at the dog park and walked up to the entrance gate. There was an area for large dogs and one for small dogs each with nicely manicured running space and benches for the owners. I followed other dog-owners in and let my new friend off his leash into the open space. I watched in humor as the dogs found each other, started chasing games, elicited pets from other owners, and ran incessently in the gated area. I was surprised by the stark personality differences between the dogs and what some enjoyed doing over others. My friend’s dog was very content on his own but would seek out other dogs occasionally. He wouldn’t initiate play, but seemed to like meeting all the other dogs and just being in the open space. Though the dogs were very at home, I found it a challenge to figure out what to do myself. The other dog-owners were either standing or sitting around the dog-park. Should I talk to them? Simply focus on my dog’s play? Walk around? Sit down? Run with the dogs? I had been so focused on getting the dog to the park that it didn’t occur to me to think of my own role during our time there. In the end conversation was struck up with some of the other owners over dogs as they came up and elicited pets from us. I can see how this could easliy become a community of people and of dogs if is was a place that you frequented. Definitely a new occupational environment, but a very fun one to experience.

About 20 mintues later, my little guy was tired out and we headed home. This time he climbed right onto my lap from the beginning and I had to work keeping him from jumping up onto my fore-arms to look out the window. I love dogs, I really do . . . but I have to say it was nice to pass him off to his owners at the end of the weekend. Maybe after grad school a pet will become more feasible. But for now, I am completely happy with the occasional chance to dog-sit!

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Renewing an Occupation ⟩
February 14, 2012, by Chris

Community Living in LA School/Life Balance

Before beginning the Occupational Therapy program at USC I started playing beach flag football. Well, once I moved to the west coast I didn’t have a league to play in anymore. I’ve played football for almost as long as I can remember and not having a league to play in was bothering me. Last week I began searching for leagues throughout Los Angeles and I found one that meets in Santa Monica. I quickly informed a few classmates of this league and built a solid group to start going weekly. The first weekend only three of us went, but more people have expressed interest in playing. Once we got there the games were great. The teams were pretty much even and the organizers try to keep groups of friends together. Finally after playing for about 3 hours we finally called it quits, with me leaving with a pretty sweet sunburn. Next week should be even better as more people should make it out.

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International Holiday ⟩
December 13, 2011, by Kimberly

Community Diversity International

Last week we had an international student dinner to celebrate the end of the semester. Everyone brought a traditional dish from their culture or from their family. All the food was amazing and each dish was even judged for prizes according to taste and presentation. My favorite part of the evening however was sitting down at the long table in the OT Lifestyle redesign Center and talking about all of our different holiday traditions. There was a large Christmas tree at the end of the room which spurred on discussions of Christmas and where the tree comes from, how to decorate it, what the significance of the star is, etc. We also heard about the Chinese Moon Festival and the history behind eating moon cakes. We heard a YouTube recording of an Indian song sung in all the different dialects and languages the nation speaks. How being married in some cultures means you are an adult and thus need to now provide presents for all the kids as opposed to receiving them. There were discussions of what family traditions surround this time of year for everyone and whether or not people were getting to go home. It was a nice celebration in the middle of study week and gave us a chance to pause. I think the fact that we all take time during this season to pause it one of my favorite parts. So, even if you are still working or taking that last final, remember to pause and reflect on your traditions, your celebrations, the people around you and all that has happened this past year.

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Thanksgiving for Optimal Living with Multiple Sclerosis ⟩
November 18, 2011, by Alix

Classes Community

We just finished our last session of the “Optimal Living with Multiple Sclerosis” class, an elective I took this semester. It was a unique and useful course that gave me the chance to lead 1:1 occupational therapy sessions and groups for participants living with Multiple Sclerosis. 

The class also included a lot of good food (including a pizza-baking class earlier in the semester), and today we hosted a Thanksgiving potluck to express our thanks to the participants and to reward ourselves for a semester of hard work. (I made kale salad with pomegranate seeds, lemon, olive oil, and toasted sesame seeds.)

I am leaving the class with a much better understanding of how to be an occupational therapist for people with MS. I am also leaving with a great new recipe for chilli, courtesy of one of our participants. Finally, I got a chance today to chat with some of the PT students in the class. It’s a great feeling knowing that I’m collaborating with other disciplines for the good of our clients. I’m thankful for all that I learned in the class and for all of the enthusiasm and positivity that the participants brought to each session.

I hope you all have a healthy and happy Thanksgiving!

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