Student Blog
Getting Involved

Hello Friends! ⟩
September 9, 2015, by Heather

Getting Involved What are OS/OT?

For my first blog post, I wanted to stick to the student ambassador tradition of telling my “how I found occupational therapy” story.

A long, long time ago, I graduated from UC San Diego with a degree in History, Art History, and a minor in Photography. I had ambitions to become a food photographer and to travel the world to photograph for publications like Bon Appetit. While I endeavored to fulfill this dream, my grandmother suffered from a stroke at home in Santa Barbara.

At the time, I had always liked being in the position of helping others, but this became especially apparent while caring for my Grandma throughout her recovery. In my case it took a crisis to realize an untapped skill that I had. When I first began helping my Grandma, she was receiving inpatient therapy at a rehabilitation hospital. I observed her treatments with several health care professionals, but was most impressed by the work of the occupational therapist. This was my first introduction to occupational therapy. My Grandma’s occupational therapist spent multiple sessions with her every day, helping her regain independence in activities of daily living and remediating her motor control deficits. As I watched the occupational therapist work with her, I learned that the basic tenet of her rehabilitation stemmed from the idea that all activity should be purposeful in her recovery.

I wanted to get involved.

Then, one morning, the occupational therapist asked, “Would you like to do an exercise with your Grandma?” I had been waiting for that question since the moment I arrived. She showed me activities that were tailored to my Grandma’s current cognitive level, which were modified weekly to reflect her improvement. I was overjoyed to be an active participant in my Grandma’s recovery. I was amazed at how her occupational therapist was affecting her recovery in incremental ways, and doing something monumentally important.

Occupational therapy slowly but surely transformed my Grandma. Her sense of self-worth improved and she was able to appreciate a quality of life that seemed lost after the stroke. Active participation in my Grandma’s recovery inspired me to discover more about occupational therapy. I volunteered at a pediatric clinic, Ready Set GO Therapy, and at Laguna Honda Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in San Francisco. I enjoyed my experiences in both clinics tremendously because they offered different insights into the array of care-styles that occupational therapists provide. But most importantly, they both gave me the ability to be a component in the rehabilitation of a patient.

At the pediatric clinic, I gained a better understanding of pediatric occupational therapy, with its focus on sensory integration, motor skills, and rehabilitation that facilitates confidence and healthy development. Whereas, at Laguna Honda Hospital, I was exposed to occupational therapists that treated patients with the effects of stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, and other major traumas. Here, I assisted the occupational therapists with patients with an extraordinary variety of social needs, including homeless people. I learned the importance of comprehensive care and the focus on full community integration. It was unlike any other opportunity I’ve had before because I was able to connect with a forgotten sector of society. Most importantly, my experience taught me, like my experience with helping my Grandma, that empathy, compassion, and sensitivity are necessary characteristics for an occupational therapist to possess.

I have truly united my vocation with my avocation, and I am so thrilled to be on the road to becoming an OT! ☺

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All good things come to an end . . . ⟩
May 19, 2015, by Leila

Beginnings and Endings Classes Fieldwork Getting Involved

I can’t believe the time has come to close one chapter of my life and begin another. My time as an occupational therapy master’s student has come to an end and it is bittersweet. Time really does fly by when you are having fun, and I have to say my time in the program has been a phenomenal one. From the amount of knowledge I have learned to the amazing individuals (students and faculty) I have met, I will forever cherish the past couple of years. If someone would have told me 2.5 years ago that I would be graduating from the top occupational therapy school I would not have believed it! I can honestly say that the endless hours of assignments, studying for tests, and long commutes was all worth it. Is it hard? Of course! But every sacrifice made was worth it and I cannot think of a greater moment in life than finding a profession that you are passionate about and achieving that dream. Fortunately, USC’s OT program, wonderful faculty, clinical instructors and peers have prepared me to continue on this journey in becoming an amazing occupational therapist.

I look forward to my upcoming Level II fieldwork experience where I will be working in the pediatric inpatient unit at Rancho Los Amigos National Rehabilitation Center in Downey, CA. Completing my final Level II fieldwork this summer will officially label me as a “Master” of Occupational Therapy, but not until I pass the NBCOT (National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy) exam will I be marked as a licensed occupational therapist! The last few weeks have gone by so fast and I am sad to say that this will be my last blog post as a student ambassador. I really have enjoyed my time working as an ambassador and will miss it greatly! It’s time your current student ambassadors pass the torch to the incoming student ambassadors who will be here to help you. On the plus side, you will get to hear from different students!

Nevertheless, USC’s occupational therapy program is fun (and hard work) and like I stated above, it is great finding a profession that you are passionate about. Discovering occupational therapy and deciding that you want to make a career out of it is one of the most important steps to achieving your dream! Keep your head up. It may seem like a long road ahead, but no one or nothing can stop you from reaching your goals. I wish you all the best of luck in your endeavors. Thank you for reading my blog as a student ambassador!

— Leila A.

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AOTA 2015 in Nashville! Yee-hawww! ⟩
May 11, 2015, by Jonathan

Getting Involved Videos What are OS/OT?

Howdy!

This post is about my recent trip to Nashville, Tennessee for this year’s AOTA conference! First off, I have to give a big thanks to the division for making this trip possible for me, as I was fortunately awarded a scholarship to attend the conference. This was a huge help, especially since I probably spent half of this amount on some bah-beh-cue dry ribs alone. Haha totally kidding, but jokes aside, having the opportunity to attend this year’s conference really brings my entire gradschool experience full circle. Exactly two years ago, I had the opportunity to attend the AOTA national conference right before I started the program, in which I volunteered. For any individuals who are hoping to gain a conference experience, I highly recommend volunteering, even if you are not yet a practitioner or a student! Typically if you volunteer, you get to attend the conference for free, as was the case for me two years ago. I remember going two years ago, just being admitted to the program, with excitement of what was to come. I remember running into Ricky and Rob, two former ambassadors, and little did I know that I’d be filling their shoes two years later. With that said, as Leila mentioned in a previous post, this year’s conference was the largest ever! It was a pleasure getting to attend several educational sessions, meeting other practitioners and fellow students, and just enjoying the OT pride that was definitely palpable in the atmosphere!

This year’s theme was “giving voice to the distinct value of occupational therapy.” Personally for me, this means being able to articulate, advocate, and express the unique skillset occupational therapists can provide to help all people, in utilizing occupation to help everyone we serve reach their fullest potential. Whether that’s helping a Grandfather who’s recovering from stroke gain the upper extremity strength to hold his baby granddaughter, helping a Mother who’s battling cancer find meaningful occupations while she receives treatment, helping a child with special needs gain the skillset they need to access their school curriculum, or helping a veteran with PTSD foster therapeutic relationships within the community through surfing, our value is diverse, essential, and most definitely distinct. This was actually one of my favorite things about the conference; the fact that I was able to attend several educational sessions and poster board presentations that demonstrated how occupational therapy is evolving on a daily basis, and just how occupational therapist are utilizing their unique skill sets to help people of all backgrounds. One of the practitioners I had met was formulating an occupation based program for refugees from other countries, who have a long history of oppression, abuse, or trauma. A fellow student I had met had implemented a creative arts and crafts program at a local women’s penitentiary, which I really identified with especially given my experiences at Project 180. Several relatively new professionals spoke about their transition from student to working clinician, and it was great to gain their insight about their challenges and their keys to success.

All in all, AOTA 2015 was an amazing experience that gave me greater insight about my profession, and where it is headed towards the future. Needless to say, It’s an exciting time to be in the profession and to see what my fellow colleagues have been working on to help our profession grow and evolve. In addition, Nashville was an amazing city as well and it was tons of fun checking out the city with my classmates and several new friends in our spare time. I can definitely say that I have never in my life heard so many country covers of ’90s hip and R&B songs. Here’s a video documenting some my AOTA 2015 experience.

Y’all take care now,

Jonathan

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USC OT at AOTA! ⟩
May 5, 2015, by Claire

Community Getting Involved

American Occupational Therapy Association had its annual national conference in Nashville, TN last month, and it was a fantastic experience! Nashville is a very fun place — I also just happened to start listening to country the past year before this conference, so I was proud of knowing some songs that we heard from live musicians.

My classmates and I were able to present a Critically Appraised Topic (CAT) poster at the conference, and we have so many people to thank along the way! Dr. Myka Persson taught our Quantitative Research course and gave us a lot of guidance when we were preparing the content for our final presentation. Thanks to her push and also Dr. Natalie Leland and Dr. Ashley Halle’s help, we were able to submit an abstract and prepare a poster! It was a really wonderful opportunity for all of us to get involved in our professional network! If the opportunity comes up for you to go to the national conference (or even better, get a scholarship to cover for the trip), I would say TAKE IT! You get a great reward for a just some extra work in preparing for the conference. Getting involved in the professional affiliations early as a student is extremely valuable.

Also, if you might remember, a group of classmates and I spent our Leadership Externship trip in Korea. We got to meet our Korean OT friends and professors at AOTA! It was so nice to see them again! 😊 OTs may be spread out all over the world, but not even the Pacific Ocean can keep us apart for long! We are hoping to meet again at next year’s annual conference (in Chicago!).

There was a USC party too, and I got to meet alumni from years back! They were all super inspiring to talk to and to hear about their experiences! It was all a good time!

Here are some pictures!

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35th Annual Swim with Mike! ⟩
April 28, 2015, by Jonathan

Getting Involved Videos

Hello everyone! Hope you’re all doing great! Over here at the division we are wrapping up OT month and it’s been an absolute blast so far! This blog post is actually dedicated to one of the events of OT month that my classmates and I had the privilege of participating in, the 35th annual Swim with Mike Swim-a-thon! As the Occupational Therapy and Science Council Philanthropy Chair, it was my second year coordinating a USC OT team to participate, and I have to give a shout out to my friend Ali Adams for helping me coordinate USC OT’s involvement over the last two years. For those of you that don’t know, Swim with Mike is an annual swim-a-thon that is held to raise money for the Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund. The fund was first started through the generosity of three time All-American Swimmer Mike Nyeholt. In January 1981, Mike was in a Motorcycle accident that resulted in paralysis from the chest down. As a gesture to show support for Mike, his family and friends started a swim-a-thon fundraiser to help Mike purchase a specially equipped van that he could utilize. On the day of the swim-a-thon, Mike surprised his supporters by joining them in the pool, straight from the hospital! More than $58,000 was raised that day, which far surpassed the donation needed for the van. As a result, Mike used the excess funds to start the Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund at the University of Southern California. The aim of the Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship Fund is to raise money for student athletes who have sustained a life-altering injury. Through the generosity of the Swim with Mike supporters, the donations are utilized to help student athletes with disabilities pursue higher education.

35 years later, Swim with Mike has raised over 15 million dollars, has 61 current scholarship recipients, has granted 178 total scholarships, reaching students from over 85 different universities. Swim with Mike is a fun aquatic festival that brings people together to swim, dive, and most of all, have fun for a great cause. Last year, I had the privilege of participating in a 34 hour swim-a-thon with participation from 40 fellow OT students who made up our team! I covered the night shift from 2 am to 7 am with my good friend Anna Redfern, and best believe I got supah pruny. This year, Swim with Mike was different in that it conducted its first ever triathlon.  Inspired to answer the question “what is your 35,” participants donated 35 dollars to participate in a 35 minute bike, 35 minute swim, and 35 minute run to support the Physically Challenged Athletes Scholarship fund. We had 20 OT students represent our team this year, and we all had a really fun time supporting a great cause. If you’d like to support the Swim with Mike Scholarship fund please visit swimwithmike.org.

Here’s a picture of some of our team this year, but I am currently making a video that I will be posting shortly. Here’s a video of my awesome team and I enjoying our SWM experience. Enjoy!

Please stay tuned for my next blog, in which I’ll be writing about the AOTA conference. In the meantime, Leila has written a blog about the conference as well, check it out, it’s a good read! 😎

Until next time my friends,
— Jon

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