Student Blog
Getting Involved

The Program is Flying By! ⟩
January 3, 2011, by Helen

Classes Getting Involved What are OS/OT?

It feels like just yesterday I was in the application process for the master’s program, anxious to learn Occupational Therapy and to one day become a therapist!

As 2010 just came to an end, I cannot believe that I only have six months left of the master’s program. In the last year and a half, it is amazing how much information we have covered. The first year flew by, providing us with a foundation of knowledge about pediatric OT, OT in the field of physical disabilities, geriatric OT, and OT in the fields of psychosocial/mental health. This second year, we have focused on learning how to build a therapeutic relationship with our clients, improving our listening skills, and understanding the theory behind our practice. By focusing on learning the history of where our profession has been, what the current state of our profession is, and where our profession is going, we are able to more creatively think about our own areas of interest. By better understanding what there is a need for in our profession, ideas of advocacy, research, and leadership are emphasized.

As a result of having learned so much about health care access, the history of our profession within the medical model, and the progression of current research, I have an increased interest in political advocacy and occupational therapy. Last year, I chose to get involved with an organization called CAHPSA (the California Health Professional Student Alliance). Currently, we are a week away from hosting Lobby Day in Sacramento. On January 9th and 10th, 200-500 health professional students will be traveling to Sacramento to meet with assembly members and senators to discuss how Health Care Reform will impact our personal professions.

One of my favorite aspects of our program has been the emphasis on understanding the theory behind our practice and the value for being aware of our professional past, present, and future. This value for the history of our profession is what has inspired me most to impact the future of occupational therapy practice.

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Interdisciplinary Communication ⟩
December 6, 2010, by Yao

Community Getting Involved What are OS/OT?

The importance of interdisciplinary communcation and engagement.

This past weekend Amanda and I were a part of an interdisciplinary health fair put on by Keck Medical School at one of the local high schools. It was a great opportunity to learn about the other members of a potential medical team and interact with the community.

One fact that I found fascinating was that although a lot of the participants were medical school students, pharmacy students, physician’s assistant students and physical therapy students, many weren’t really sure of what occupational therapists did and to what extent. On the same side we weren’t aware of the full breadth at which these groups also participated in patient care, so it turned out to be an amazing learning experience on both ends. It’s important to have more events that include the different members of a potential team.

I have to admit that Amanda and I had a hard time thinking of what to say when the other disciplines asked what exactly it was that we did as occupational therapists. It wasn’t because we weren’t sure, it was the fact that there were so many ways that occupational therapists went about treatments depending on the situation and patient. We weren’t sure how to give an in-depth understanding including all the different capacities at which and occupational therapist could work.  Finally, we decided to use the sensory integration station that we had set up to help open up discussion about the role of occupational therapists. The station consisted of two large Tupperware containers, one full of black beans and the other with lentils. Buried inside each container were little miniature animals (Polly Pocket sized) and the goal was for the participant to find as many animals as possible with their eyes closed. Skills such as touch discrimination, stereognosis, maintaining attention, and standing balance were all used in this one activity. It helped the other professions understand that occupational therapists used meaningful activities and in this example of a pediatric client, play would be their meaningful occupation as a way to work on developing skills to help them engage more successfully with the environment. It was the most popular activity at the fair and gave us an opportunity to talk about occupational therapy and for the participants to understand through hands-on experience what occupational therapy can do. I’m so glad we had the opportunity to participate and get to know about all members of a potential interdisciplinary team and I’m looking forward to future mixer events.

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What makes USC’s program unique? ⟩
November 8, 2010, by Helen

Community Fieldwork Getting Involved International What are OS/OT?

The professors at USC support your learning in every way possible.

In the past couple weeks, I have held information sessions at UC San Diego, UC Davis, Sacramento State, and UC Berkeley. I am constantly being asked why I chose USC’s program and what makes USC’s program unique. From holding these information sessions and meeting so many ambitious and passionate future applicants I have had the opportunity to reflect more on the profession of Occupational Therapy. I have also had time to reflect on how attending USC’s program has influenced my professional future and outlook about the profession. The faculty at USC has such immense confidence in their students and provide the support for their students to not only be great clinicians, but to be leaders in their profession. This investment in the students is what has made my learning experience as a graduate student so unique.

In the last year, I have been provided with the opportunity to attend Lobby Day in Sacramento, advocating for Universal Health Care. Additionally, I was given the opportunity to do an international fieldwork in Ghana. I have also had the opportunity to attend OTAC conference in Pasadena, AOTA conference in Florida, as well as the student conclave in Kentucky. Attending these events, networking with current practitioners and leaders in the field, and learning what direction research is moving towards, have intertwined to inspire me about my profession. I am so proud to be an Occupational Therapy student at USC and am so grateful for being able to attend a university where the faculty truly supports your learning. The professors and faculty hold a holistic view of their students, emphasizing that it is not only valuable to be an excellent student doing well academically, but it is equally valuable to gain practice experience, leadership experience, research experience, and to be knowledgeable about the theory behind practice. By valuing all these learning components, I have a strong sense of the history of my profession, where we stand currently in our health care system, and what needs to be done in the future. The field of Occupational Science was founded at USC, Jane Ayres was a professor at USC researching Sensory Integration techniques, Lifestyle Redesign was established at USC, and our dean Florence Clark is the president of the AOTA. So to answer the question of why I chose USC and why I feel USC is ranked so highly for our OT program, I feel that it is because all these elements combine to create passionate practitioners who think broadly about the field of Occupational Therapy.

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OTAC Conference this year ⟩
October 18, 2010, by Pierre

Getting Involved

This year was a great year to go! I was able to last Friday and attend 2 interesting seminars. 1 — Constraint induced therapy (facilitating use of a persons affected side and limiting the opportunities of the unaffected side) and 2 — Zones of regulation (assisting children/adolescents in recognizing the patterns of their behaviors, the triggers, and how to respond with the expected social behavior).

Lots of free goodies, lots of vendors, and a lot of members! It’s great to hear that our state association membership is growing and that our profession is slowly becoming more recognized within the public arena. With so much opportunity in every area of our society and workplace, I can’t wait to graduate and start working. Where am I interested in working? Pediatrics. I will post some blogs to give updates on my part-time fieldwork!

Until then, fight on USC OT!

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Why did you choose to study OT? ⟩
September 30, 2010, by Helen

Getting Involved What are OS/OT?

Everyone asks, “What made you choose Occupational Therapy?”

Throughout my academic career, I always knew I wanted to work in a helping, health profession. In high school, I did room visits at the local rehabilitation hospital listening to patients, asking about their day, and opening myself up to the patients’ histories, family circumstances, and their concerns for the future. I organized a group called the Musical Bridge to bring a source of music and energy to those rehabilitating. For six years, I organized monthly recitals in the rehabilitation hospital. By adding a source of entertainment to the daily lives of the patients, I felt that I could, in an acute sense, promote their emotional and mental health.

Later in high school, I watched my grandfather slowly lose all independence to his dementia. While watching the persistence of my grandfather’s character despite experiencing such a devastating neurological disorder, I realized the value of resiliency. As a fourteen year old, I knew that I wanted to dedicate my professional future to the field of rehabilitation in some way. I am fascinated by people, their perspectives, and how no two individuals internalize and experience the same circumstance identically. My passion is studying developmental processes and the genetic, social, and socioeconomic factors that intertwine to influence one’s process of growth and attaining independence. Everything I have done up to now has been part of my efforts to help individuals rehabilitate and retain independence in their daily lives.

During my undergraduate studies, I took it upon myself to volunteer at as many rehabilitation settings as possible to determine where my strengths would best be utilized. I volunteered at pediatric clinics, geriatric gyms, rehabilitation hospitals, at an adult day health center, in addition to shadowing therapists in the school district. Through volunteering at these different sites, I realized that Occupational Therapy was a field that truly intertwined everything I loved about the rehabilitation process. Occupational Therapists were able to take the time in learning the client’s past, understanding how their condition affects the present, and set goals that would maximize function for the future. By utilizing the client’s interests to drive therapy, the Occupational Therapists I observed were able to provide motivation when patients were at their weakest points.

My most influential internship was at an adult day center working closely with clients who had been affected by various unpredictable circumstances. There is one gentleman, whom I will call John, who tremendously influenced my drive to pursue Occupational Therapy as a profession. His short term memory and motor skills have been significantly impaired due to anoxia after Cardiac Arrest. I worked with him on the piano, actively watching his progression from not recognizing notes to once again being able to sight-read very simple sheet music. While John may not have recognized me when he saw me every week, and despite him staring at me blankly as I made eye contact with him and asked him if he would “like to play piano today,” he would excitedly follow my lead into the therapy room. As I adjusted his chair, making sure that he could comfortably reach the keys, he sat patiently waiting to be presented with sheet music to play. As our piano session would end and I walked John back to his familiar seat, at his familiar table, I would say “It was nice playing piano with you today” and he would nod his head yes. After ten months of playing the piano with the therapist and me on a weekly basis, John was able to retain significant amounts of motor control, develop his postural balance, his distal control, and increase his visual motor skills. All these developments were possible because the therapist had best understood John’s therapeutic currency — his occupation.

It is an understatement to argue the power of a positive mentality and the outcome of hard work. Every patient I have seen has influenced my own perspective and the way I approach personal issues in my life. Through USC, I have had opportunities working in pediatric occupational therapy, acute inpatient occupational therapy, in the school districts, as well as an international fieldwork experience in Ghana. Additionally, I have been exposed to the value of professional advocacy and health care politics. By having a strong sense of the theory behind practice, intertwined with hands on experience, I become increasingly passionate about the field of Occupational Therapy the more I learn. I do not hope to merely attain a graduate degree, but rather lead an energetic practice and continue personal research in the fields of development and rehabilitation. Occupational Therapy allows me to take a holistic view of each client to assess every client’s strengths and limitations and develop a plan of care which addresses their goals and maximizes function. I have gained that this trust and respect of the client as a person provides the foundation of therapy. Being a vital component of an individual’s process of rehabilitation energizes my pursuit of Occupational Therapy. Whether it is my grandfather or John, as a future Occupational Therapist, I hope to always project the same humility and motivation that I have learned from the clients I have worked with.

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