Student Blog
Externships

Feelin crazy, but in a crazy awesome program!! ⟩
September 9, 2013, by Ryan

Classes Externships

Whoa! What a crazy two weeks! Actually, it has been a nice transition from summer because we had Monday off for the Labor Day holiday. Also, each semester we are required to fulfill a Level I Fieldwork within the immersion that we are learning (mine is Adult Physical Rehab & Disability) that is just one day a week. We don’t start our fieldwork until September 18th, so I had Wednesday off, meaning I had two days off of school last week (I know, I shouldn’t complain). Going into our third week, I already have a test in my Adult Rehab course tomorrow (we’ll see how that goes) . . . but I am interested in today’s optional lunch meeting provided for us second year students. It is a Q&A panel for our upcoming course this spring, OT 580 Leadership Externship. OT 580 is a class where we get to explore leadership, advocacy, ethical reasoning, professional behavior and public policy opportunities as they impact the practice of occupational therapy, without actually practicing. We have the chance to go to other countries, work with different companies or populations in order to learn new skills to add alongside our OT practice. In the past, students have traveled to Ghana and worked alongside staff at orphanages advocating for OT. I think this is so exciting! I am looking forward to gaining more information about it today and thinking about what I might want to do . . . ideas, anyone?

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Goodwill and OT ⟩
April 10, 2013, by Kendra

Externships What are OS/OT?

These last few weeks I have had several transformative experiences, but more on those later. Last weekend was the OT Extravaganza, an event hosted each year by the Division of OS and OT and put together by members of PTE (the student honor society). This year’s theme was Leadership, and as part of the event students were allowed to enter their Leadership Externship experiences into a competition.

I am thrilled to say my partner Jane and I won for our work with Mujeres Fuertes along with two other amazing gals who went to Costa Rica.

This was such a HUGE honor and a source of immense pride for Jane and myself because we have also been awarded the Extraordinary Engagement Award by USC for our work with Mujeres Fuertes. It feels like here at the end of our education that things are falling into place, that our education has helped us to become not just advocates for OT, but for women, health, and the community. And that’s just one program!

My heart was near to bursting on Sunday, after so much good will from our school, when we returned to the group to lead a stress management session. Every. Single. Time that I work with the women, share with them, learn from them I feel transformed. I forgot in my desire to help others make positive change, that their lives can have a tremendous impact on my own. I feel that I have a new community of support bonded by the simple fact that we are women and we want to feel better about our lives.

Above we are “releasing” the stress we cannot control by tying it to a balloon and letting go. Such a simple exercise carried so much weight and meaning to all of us.

Occupational therapy is so powerful, not just for the client but for the therapist as well. I feel an enormous wealth of positivity surrounding me as I make my transition from school to the workforce.

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Better late than never ⟩
April 10, 2013, by Paula

Classes Community Externships Getting Involved

It has been WAY too long since I have made an entry (whoops!). The past month has been filled with so many activities, visitors, projects, discussions, and so much planning for the remainder of the semester! Although the externship is now a few weeks behind us, I know that it is constantly present in each of our minds. As I mentioned weeks ago, I had the amazing opportunity to work alongside an interdisciplinary palliative care team here in Los Angeles and to advocate the importance of an OT being a member of their team. My experience was so eye-opening and I think of the people I worked with through those two weeks still every day — I know that this will not change anytime soon. The team was extremely receptive and supportive of what I had to bring to the table and of my ideas and examples for the applicability of OT to serve this population. It was a very exciting, invigorating experience for me to be able to advocate for the profession in this way.

Needless to say, this is a challenging population to work with no matter how you look at things. Overall, it was great to see how the team supports one another and how they ultimately put the family and their concerns at the forefront of treatment. Although we would all wish this quality of treatment for a family member or friend, it is sadly not the reality for many people needing medical attention. One of the most powerful experiences I had during my externship occurred in debrief/conversation with my direct supervisor after we had visited a patient and the family. She told me: “you have to have somewhere to put all of this.” And it is as simple as that. We require balance just as our patients do. If we as practitioners don’t take the time to process and really work through what we are experiencing in the workplace, then how are we possibly expecting to provide our patients with the highest quality of care we can offer? It made me think back to a professor within the Division who told the class in one of our first lectures when we began the program. She told us all that “you need to have therapy before you can give therapy.” This gives a whole new way for us as OTs to evaluate our own capacity for MINDFULNESS. :]

This past Friday, the Division hosted the Admitted Student Reception in which we welcomed the newest addition to the USC OT family — SO FUN! It was great to be a part of this event as a Student Ambassador, as I very clearly remember the 2011 Reception where I finally decided to take the USC plunge :] The new class is amazing and so enthusiastic about OT.

Saturday was the annual Relay For Life at USC. This event is a 24-hour fundraiser for The American Cancer Society and has been close to my heart for many years. Our team this year, “OT4LIFE,” was a great representation of OT spirit. This event made me think back to the days at my externship site and the support and value that a community can provide to someone fighting through such a hard battle, such as those living with cancer. Many of the children I worked with had been told that they would not make it to their next birthday. At Relay, I was able to speak with several adults who had been told the same thing, either about their own health or that of their child. But they were still present at an event in order to give back and continue to be involved in the community which had offered them support in a difficult time. Talk about perseverance and having the will to FIGHT BACK. Read about one of the touching stories shared at Relay For Life.

We’re just 10 days into April and OT month with so many awesome events and experiences already. Keep them coming, I’m loving it.

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Externship in Thailand ⟩
April 3, 2013, by Alisa

Externships International School/Life Balance

I can’t believe I got a rare opportunity to spend 3 weeks in Thailand. Of course, I took it and ran with it. 2 weeks of externship and a week of spring break. The goal of the externship was to learn leadership skills, so I reached out to my aunt who is the owner of Sammie and Sandy Beauty Spa and the chairperson of a non-profit organization, Zonta International (Bangkok 7 region). Some of the highlights of my externship were that I got to table a booth for my aunt’s company at the Bangkok International Hair Show and a golf course. Those were two different populations, but I had to utilize my people skills to engage potential customers in our services and products. It was a tough crowd I have to say, but it was still a valuable experience. Zonta International had a Rose Day, where all of the regions met up to represent different ASEAN countries. I got to dress up in Thai traditional clothing and networked with the members through an evening of great food and music while learning about ASEAN countries and potential business opportunities there.

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The RCFE Challenge ⟩
March 19, 2013, by Ricky

Externships What are OS/OT?

Just got done with my 2-week Leadership Externship. I got to split my time between 2 assisted living companies. One company operates 2, 6-bed homes; and the other runs a campus with capacity/licensure for 86 residents. The technical name for places like these is Residential Care Facilities for the Elderly (RCFEs). If you aren’t really familiar with the different residential settings that are available for older adults, you may think of an RCFE as a convalescent or nursing home, but sometimes these names get jumbled. The best way to think of them is to picture a continuum of assistance/care provided: at one end you will see places that provide little to no care, and at the other end you will find places that offer complete care (like feeding or even managing life-supporting apparatuses). RCFEs are [supposed to be] in the middle of this continuum, offering some support/care. I was really surprised to observe, however, that RCFEs will pretty much accommodate anybody over the age of 60. With the baby-boomer generation coming of age, I recognized the increasing demand for RCFEs. As a future OT, with an administrative background, I know that this industry holds great opportunity for OT; so I had to check it out. I spent a better part of my time following the administrators around as they managed the day-to-day functions. It was so interesting to get a peek into the thought processes of the people making the tough business decisions at these RCFEs. Both places offered memory-care, which is what they call the level of care provided to people with Alzhiemer’s and other diagnoses that manifest into dementia. It was neat to see the level of care provided to these residents. I also had a chance to educate the administrators on the value of OT — after providing one of the administrators with an overview of what we did, and what we could do for his residents, he seemed very perplexed as to why (to his knowledge) none of his 86 residents were receiving OT. I was surprised too. The fact is: we have the skills that RCFEs desperately need, and we are desperately underrepresented in the industry. There are quite a few reasons behind our being left out of RCFEs, but that makes for a whole series of blog entries, so I’ll spare ya’ll. Bottom line: RCFEs need OT, and OT needs some strong advocates . . . are you up for the challenge?

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