Student Blog
What are OS/OT?

Choosing Your Area of Practice ⟩
February 10, 2017, by Erwin

Classes What are OS/OT?

Many students come into the program expecting to practice in a specific area. And if you’re like 90% of most prospective occupational therapy students, it’d be a safe guess that you want to work in pediatrics. That was definitely me when I was applying to occupational therapy schools. I was so gung-ho about working with children; I did all my volunteer hours in a pediatric clinic and also worked with children with special needs. I was all-in on working with pediatrics . . . that is until I went to USC.

A misconception that some students have is that the program will train you to be an occupational therapists in a specific area of interest. However, that is not the case. USC, and all other occupational therapy programs, train you as a generalist. Thus, when you graduate, you are qualified to work in any area of occupational therapy. Here at USC, we have 3 practice immersions to assist students in developing mastery over the various domains of OT. Those immersions are adult rehabilitation, mental health, and pediatrics. It’s awesome because you get exposed to other areas of occupational therapy that you would have never thought you’d be interested in. In fact, the majority of students actually come into the program wanting to practice in one area, and end up loving something else by graduation!

While I thought I wanted to work in pediatrics when I started the program, today, I’m torn between adult rehabilitation and working in adolescent mental health. I enjoy the pace and the work that is done in physical rehabilitation, but I also enjoy the connections I made with clients during my fieldwork in adolescent mental health. It’s funny because I was so intimidated of both areas before entering the program, but now I can’t see myself doing anything else! Occupational therapy is such a wonderful and diverse profession that sometimes it’s hard to choose one area to work in. But on the flip-side, if you ever feel tired of working in one area, you can always mix it up and enter another area of practice!

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A visit to a OS minor course! ⟩
January 25, 2017, by Alyssa

Classes What are OS/OT?

Last week, I had the chance to visit Dr. Olga Solomon’s Occupational Science (OS) minor course: Occupational Foundations of Human-Animal Interaction! During my visit, I was able to learn how interacting with an animal can benefit your overall health and wellness. I mean . . . who would have thought that some quality time with a cute creature can boost your social-emotional, physiological, and physical well-being?! In addition to learning more about animal-assisted therapy, I also had the opportunity to meet Dr. Catherine Dorr, the executive director of Assistance Dogs International and an occupational therapist OTD, OTR/L who facilitates canine interventions within her clinical practice. During this classroom visit, I met Ford, who is pictured below with me.  Dr. Dorr shared her experiences with working with Ford and her passion for training other canines to serve as facility dogs.

In addition, the Office for Wellness and Health Promotion (OWHP) at USC has introduced its newest member, Professor Beau. Professor Beau is unlike other canines; he is the first, full-time wellness dog that USC has ever had! Fight on!

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Pre-OT Me ⟩
January 23, 2017, by Kimmy

Admissions What are OS/OT?

Before deciding to enter a graduate program, you may have asked yourself, “Can I be an OT?” I may not know you too well yet, but I have a feeling the answer is yes! While a Master’s degree in occupational therapy is required to practice, many professionals arrive at this destination from vastly different origins.

My path was a bit more direct as I entered USC directly in the Bachelor’s to Master’s program. However, in the effort to gain a well-rounded undergraduate education, I also pursued a major in psychology and a minor in nutrition & health promotion. By studying these diverse fields, I feel enabled to blend multiple perspectives to inform my future practice as an occupational therapist.

Occupational therapy stresses the importance of client-centered practice and treating the whole person. Because each OT exudes a unique therapeutic style, one’s practice can be informed by his or her background. An OT with a background in business might differ from one who studied sociology, but they can both provide valuable treatment for their clients. Further, these varied perspectives allow therapists to share knowledge and exchange ideas with each other, which improves therapists’ clinical reasoning and the profession as a whole!

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Smell the Roses ⟩
January 17, 2017, by Erwin

Community Living in LA What are OS/OT?

Exciting things were happening in the world of OT during the holidays. On January 2nd, occupational therapy had the honor of having a float at the 128th Tournament of Roses Parade.

If you didn’t know, 2017 marks 100 years of occupational therapy. That’s an awesome achievement for our profession and a testament to OT’s contributions to society. The float is a celebration of our wonderful profession and provided exposure about what OT is to the millions of people that watch the Rose Parade.

In anticipation for our 100 years as a profession, the American Occupational Therapy Association decided on a centennial vision:

“We envision that occupational therapy is a powerful, widely recognized, science-driven, evidence-based profession with a globally connected and diverse workforce meeting society’s occupational needs.”

This float was an excellent opportunity to support our profession in meeting its centennial vision of being “widely recognized” and “globally connected”!

This float could not been done without the support of the Occupational Therapy Association of California, which sponsored the float, and its volunteers. Many USC faculty members and students dedicated their time to help with this awesome project, and being one of those volunteers, I can proudly say it was worth the time and effort! Read more about the float.

Here are some photos of the float and the volunteers that helped to make this float possible.

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Hello 2017 and Hello Spring Semester! ⟩
January 13, 2017, by Raisa

Classes What are OS/OT?

Happy New Year everyone! I hope everybody had a wonderful end to 2016 and a positive start to 2017. The start of the New Year also marks the start of the spring semester, which means new courses and my last semester in the Post-Professional Master’s program.

I am stoked for the spring semester as I will be diving right into my practice area of interest, which is Adult Rehabilitation! Find out more about the USC OSOT courses.

Let me give you a breakdown of the electives I will be taking this semester:

• OT574 Enhancing Motor Control: This class provides an in-depth understanding of the role of OT, the domain of practice and occupation-based approach to adult rehabilitation in upper motor neuron syndromes. In this hands-on laboratory class, students will be able to interact with clients and clinicians for an integrated learning experience of both theory and application in the different approaches relating to Neurorehabilitation.
• OT573 Hand Rehabilitation: Students will be able to build a good foundation of the anatomy and physiology of the forearm, wrist, and hand; incorporating the science and the art of occupation into developing your clinical reasoning skills for occupation-based evaluation and treatment for common hand disorders.
• OT575 Dysphagia across the Lifespan, Pediatricts to Geriatrics: This course will give students a better understanding of the role of OT in the management of dysphagia cases from pediatric to geriatric populations. The class will focus on the OTs domain of practice, which will equip students with a firm foundation in the comprehension and treatment of swallowing disorders.
• OT577 Seminar in Occupational Therapy: This class provides students with an overview of the role and domain of practice of occupational therapy in different clinical settings and contexts. Seminar and class discussions will be done in order to integrate both theory and clinical practice in various healthcare settings.

USC offers a variety of electives which will equip you with the skills you need to become a well-rounded practitioner. Evidence-based practice (EBP) is also a common foundation that all these courses are built on, your future self will thank you for keeping up to date with the latest EBP trends. Some of these courses even go towards a completion of specialization or certification in your future practice.

I hope to grow as an Occupational Therapist with the help of the esteemed USC OSOT faculty and my Trojan Family. I look forward to this semester, and I wish everyone the best of luck in their endeavors! What electives would you want to take in the USC OSOT division? Shoot me an email, I’d love to hear from you!

Fight on!
Raisa

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