Student Blog
Getting Involved

Finding Balance ⟩
September 10, 2013, by Jen

Getting Involved School/Life Balance

Yesterday in my “Health Promotion and Wellness” course, we discussed finding balance (or lack thereof) in our lives. A balanced life includes leisure, individual care, free/unscheduled time, and efforts in school/work activities. It may not surprise you that an overwhelming majority of my day falls in the “efforts in school/work activities” category. Thankfully, I greatly enjoy what I do in school and the work I do outside of school. Something I am very involved in is USC’s Occupational Therapy and Science Council. I am currently the chairperson of the organization and it is a busy time for me because elections are underway for the first-year master’s students in the program. I am looking forward to elections being over, because I remember how excited I was to last year to find out I received a position on the council and want this year’s first-year students to have that same feeling. Because our program at USC is two years long, the term for each of the positions on the council are two years long. Tonight is the night that voting closes, so I’m sure the candidates are eagerly awaiting the results. Good luck to all!

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New Year, New Roles, Same Old Happy OTs! ⟩
September 6, 2013, by Clarissa

Fieldwork Getting Involved

Walking into class last Monday felt like walking into a land of happy, supportive people who I’ve missed so much over summer!  I had a great time trading stories from our 12-week Level II fieldwork and really feeling that empathy from one another for our trials and triumphs. Occupational therapy is such a broad field and it is almost impossible to have hands on learning in all practice settings, so our conversations were fascinating educational experiences as well!

As for my summer experience, I did my Level II at a skilled nursing facility in Northern California where I worked with patients who had various physical disabilities such as spinal cord injury, stroke and orthopedic fractures. I conducted evaluations and engaged patients in treatment sessions in order to improve their participation in meaningful activities. Eventually I was responsible for managing a full caseload, so about seven patients a day, just like a practicing therapist! Talk about time management as a key skill to acquire! I learned a lot from my patients and other therapists but the experience has taught me one thing — there’s still so much for me to learn! That’s one thing I value about OT — it is a dynamic field with constant opportunities for self-improvement. Now that I’ve seen how educational material is applied in practice, I will definitely be learning in school with a new lens.

I’m looking forward to what the new school year will bring! I adore kids and am currently in the Pediatrics Immersion where we’ve started analyzing videos of very cute kids. I’m also enjoying my new position as a Student Ambassador. I love talking about OT to anyone who will listen, so this position is perfect for me. Another new role for me is the care team coordinator position for the Student Run Clinic, which is an interdisciplinary clinic run by USC students from the pharmacy, medicine, physician assistant, and, of course, occupational therapy programs. I’m excited to learn about how OT can grow in primary care and how our professions complement one another.

Until next time, happy back to school, and go USC OT!

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My First Week Back! ⟩
September 3, 2013, by Kate

Classes Fieldwork Getting Involved

What a rush! Last Monday was our first day back at school and my first week as an official USC OT Student Ambassador. It was so great to see friends that I hadn’t seen all summer and to catch up on our first Level II fieldwork experiences. I enjoyed hearing about the different sites where my friends interned as OT students — from the Department of Veterans Affairs in Hawaii, to a pediatric clinic in Denver and beyond! My own fieldwork experience was so interesting and such a great learning experience. I had the chance to work at a forensic treatment agency, collaborating with social workers, MFTs and case managers, to help formerly incarcerated individuals regain their independence and become involved in healthy, meaningful activities. I learned so much about the value of occupational therapy and how it can help change lives. But for now, it’s back to school!

I am currently in the Adult Physical Rehabilitation and Disability immersion and so far, it is fascinating! We have begun to learn about the different settings in physical rehabilitation, dive into Medicare and where OT fits, and take a short field trip to the Keck Medical Center of USC for actual chart reviews. As a second year master’s student, I am also taking a class on Adulthood and Aging, which complements the Adult Rehab and Disability immersion perfectly. I am lucky to be learning about this area of occupational therapy at such a critical moment in time. I also attended my first elective course this fall, which covers occupational therapy in primary care. I am very excited about this “new frontier” in OT, and I cannot wait to learn more. This elective offers a plethora of volunteering opportunities where we as students learn through experiencing a primary care setting first-hand. I know that this fall will be busy, but I am looking forward to it all!

To cap it all off, I have begun this journey as an ambassador for the USC Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy. I am so excited to share my love for OT and my love for USC all at the same time. I’ve attached a picture of my fellow ambassador, Ryan Thomas, and I in the office before we had lunch with two visiting international students. I have learned this past week, that when you’re doing what you love with such great people, it is pretty hard to have a bad day! Until next time . . .

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Looking back ⟩
May 3, 2013, by Kendra

Community Getting Involved

I cannot believe nearly two years ago, I was walking the halls of USC for the very first time. Then I was nervous, will they like me? I hoped I’d made the right decision with USC. And I hoped above all else that Occupational Therapy was the career path for me.

Fast forward two years and I could not feel more confident I chose the right school and right profession, and I also made some friends along the way!

Last week at AOTA Conference, it was like prom. It was the final weekend with peers I’ve grown to love and professionals I respect. I felt empowered and excited, exactly what I need as I transition to the real world.

USC has been such a blessing. The program, the faculty, the students, everything has come together to create an ideal learning experience for me. This is my final post as an OSOT Ambassador. One of the highlights of my time at USC has been this job. It has been as fundamental to my OT education as quantitative research and clinical reasoning. Working for the Division, I’ve been able to get to know the professors better and grow confident talking about OT to all people. I see OT in everything and do not hesitate promoting our profession to any one who will listen. I will treasure this experience for the rest of my life.

I’ve talked a lot about being from Texas, and naturally I’m full of Texas pride. When I chose to attend USC, you can imagine I got a little pushback from Texans, and I too was hesitant to embrace the notion of being ‘a part of the Trojan family.’

Not anymore. I’m so proud to be a Texan AND a Trojan. Go USCOT! and Fight on!

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Conference and pageant ⟩
May 1, 2013, by Alisa

Classes Community Getting Involved School/Life Balance

Yes, I made it to my last class as a Master’s student! In Lifestyle Redesign class today, I facilitated my healthy eating group on the topic of superfoods. I hope to work in health and wellness in the future, perhaps owning my own business and implementing Lifestyle Redesign concepts into my practice. I learned a lot from the group members and added to my OT toolbox. I few more hurdles to jump before I graduate. I can’t believe it.

I’ve never felt more tired and sleep deprived until this week. Grad school isn’t easy, but it’s manageable. This past weekend I attended the American Occupational Therapy Association Conference in San Diego. This was my second conference I attended. One perk about attending USC OT Program is that the division sponsors a number of students to attend these conferences, and I was fortunate enough to be one of the students chosen to attend! I realize how small and big the OT community is. I ran into my past supervisor and met my future supervisors there. I also ran into a student from Samuel Merritt University who presented a poster on oncology there as well. I remember hanging out with her last year at the conference in Indianapolis. I also saw a student from CAL State Domiguez Hills who did fieldwork at the same place as me last summer. That’s not it. I also ran into a prospective OT student whom I had given a tour to earlier in the semester. The conference is open to everyone!

I also met new people as well . . . in the jacuzzi. I met three wonderful USC PhD graduates, who now hold faculty positions at universities across the US. One of them in particular, Dr. Pollie Price from Utah, co-authored one of my favorite articles that I’ve read! I remember reading the article Mother Becoming: Learning to Read Mikala’s Signs by Pollie Price and Stephanie Miner in my clinical reasoning class last year and how I really enjoyed it. A lot of the articles and books that we read in class also come from our very own USC faculty, so I feel that I’m very fortunate to have picked the best school to go to.

I was sad that I had to miss the Alumni Reception at the Conference because I had to come back early and prepare for Miss Thai New Year Pageant. I volunteered to help out the temple by participating in the pageant. This was my second pageant (the first one I had done last year just for the heck of it). I ended up helping the temple raise close to $1,000 by selling balloons at the event. The total amount raised by all of the participants were close to $2,000. It was amazing to know that there was so much support and joy at the event. There was also a talent show portion that I was very surprised to have gotten second place for singing Tian Mi Mi, a classic Chinese song. The last portion of the pageant was to dress in a Thai traditional dress and pose. How hard could that be right? It was actually a pain to figure out how to best wear the traditional dress, but without the support from family, friends and strangers, I wouldn’t have survived the event. I ended up getting dehydration and a headache that lasted two days afterwards, but to know that I’ve helped a great cause in raising money for the temple, I am grateful.

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