Student Blog
What are OS/OT?

Can you feel it? ⟩
September 26, 2016, by JRoe

Classes What are OS/OT?

Hard to believe we are already entering week six and almost at the halfway mark! This semester has gone by so quickly! During this first half of the course, Adult Physical Rehabilitation, we have been learning about different assessments we may administer when we meet our clients. This past week, our focus was on sensation testing on the upper body. Sensation tests look to see if clients can feel things like touch, temperature, or pain on their skin. Without sensation, a person may be at an increased risk for injury, among other thing, and is very important to address. Clients who often have decreased sensation are ones who are recovering from a stroke or a spinal cord injury.

Our professors brought in all sorts of tools that could be used to test our clients’ sensation! One of the coolest tools was called a “pinwheel” and was used to test for pain. This test is commonly administered along the arm.

Another fun assessment to try out was the one used for stereognosis, which is what allows us to find objects with touch alone; the classic example being finding your car keys in your pocket or purse.

We also tested on each other for two-point discrimination, which measures how close two points can be to each other and still recognize them as separate points. 

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All fun and games ⟩
September 26, 2016, by Jessica

Classes What are OS/OT?

What I love most about pediatrics is that we often use play, a child’s main occupation, as a means and ends to help a child meet their developmental milestones. And really, who doesn’t love to play?

This past week in pediatrics lab we focus on fine motor coordination assessments and fine motor activities, which included getting to play with a ton of games that can be used to address fine motor coordination skills. Here are some photos of a couple games we played in lab and what they could be used for in practice.

Mr. Mouth is a game where the goal is to catapult as many flies into the frog’s mouth as possible, while the frog’s mouth is rotating in a circle. There was actually a pretty steep learning curve to this game — it took many missed attempts to figure out that you needed to use less force to get the fly into the frog’s mouth. It can be used to help a child work on isolated finger movement or grading force, which are both important pre-writing skills!

Burger Mania is a game where you compete against another person to create a mini burger on the mini conveyor belt before it falls off. You pick a card, and it tells you the type of burger you need to make. The conveyor belt continuously moves, and you have to use these tiny tongs to grab each burger component one at a time to place on the burger in the correct order. This game can be used to work on a child’s ability to use tools, which is also another important pre-writing skill. This game was actually pretty challenging, given the time and speed components. It would be important to keep in mind a child’s frustration tolerance when planning to use this game in therapy.

Overall, pediatrics has definitely helped me with my activity analysis skills. Now whenever I see board games and toys for kids, I can’t help but think about how it can be incorporated into OT practice. Stay tuned for more fine motor goodness in next week’s post!

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Did you know?!? ⟩
September 14, 2016, by JRoe

What are OS/OT?

A unique aspect of the Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy is that we offer a minor in Occupational Science. I had the pleasure of speaking to undergraduate students this past week about our minor and master’s program and felt nostalgic about my days as an undergrad being back on the University Park Campus, or as it is commonly called, Main Campus.

I know what you might be wondering, “What is the difference between Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy?” A common question. OS is the science that informs the practice of OTs. What the undergraduate students learn in their classes is applied when OTs treat their clients. Fun fact of the day, USC is the birthplace of OS and one of the founders, Florence Clark, currently sits as our division chair.

Students who take the undergraduate classes come from all backgrounds and majors, and many of them have never heard of occupational therapy prior to enrolling in the class. I met students majoring in accounting, biochemistry, engineering, architecture; you name it, and I met them! I think the minor’s classes are an excellent introduction to what it means to be an OT and they are fun to be a part of thanks to their engaging professors and interesting topics, like exploring one’s own creativity and understanding how animal companions contribute to one’s health. I wish I took more advantage of these classes.

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The Need for BrOTs ⟩
September 9, 2016, by Erwin

Diversity What are OS/OT?

It’s no secret that occupational therapy is a female-dominated profession. But while the majority of occupational therapists are women, there is a growing need for men in the profession.

In order to best serve our diverse populations, it is important that we also have a diverse workforce. In this case, increasing gender diversity provides opportunities to better serve our clients and propel the profession forward.

For example, in an adult rehabilitation setting, male clients sometimes feel more comfortable having another male assist them in developing/regaining self-care skills such as dressing, bathing, and using the restroom.

The same could be said in other settings. For my Level II fieldwork, I worked in pediatric mental health. At this site, the majority of my clients were adolescent boys labeled with a mental health diagnosis. Working with these boys made me realize how important it was for them to have a male figure in their lives. While some boys were content working with female practitioners, other boys were more comfortable working with me because they found a male more relatable. This in turn created a therapeutic relationship where my clients felt more comfortable sharing their feelings and experiences. After all, for many boys that age, sharing delicate information to women isn’t exactly the easiest thing to do.

Although we love the companionship of our female classmates, I feel that the male students in the USC Chan Division of Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy have developed a special bond. While about 10% of our student body is male, those numbers are growing every year. We “BrOTs” have to represent! After all, occupational therapy is about helping others, and helping others is not exclusive to a single gender.

Here are a few photos of USC’s BrOTs.

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Where can Occupational Therapists practice?! ⟩
September 1, 2016, by Alyssa

Fieldwork What are OS/OT?

One of the greatest perks about becoming an occupational therapist is that you have a variety of options to choose from when deciding where to work! Occupational therapists can practice in a variety of settings, which include but are not limited to hospitals, rehabilitation centers, home health, nursing homes, outpatient clinics, private practice, school systems, private organizations, industry, and community organizations! Occupational Therapy is a health profession that focuses on engaging individuals in meaningful occupations or activities. So . . . who are these “individuals”? And what makes an occupation “meaningful”?

During this past summer, I completed my level II fieldwork in the practice area of pediatrics at the non-profit, outpatient clinic Leaps and Bounds Pediatric Therapy in Norco, California. If you read Jessica’s prior post, she gives you plenty of detail of what a level II fieldwork is all about! During this fieldwork experience, I was able to apply the knowledge I learned from the classroom, develop my clinical reasoning skills, and get hands-on experience in treating children who are at risk for, or experience challenges, in participating in their everyday activities, such as playing with their favorite toys, that are typical and appropriate.

One unique opportunity I received during my fieldwork experience was learning and implementing the treatment strategy of Hippotherapy on a ranch! I know what you’re thinking . . . she did therapy with hippos!? Well, not exactly! Hippotherapy is a treatment strategy that can be used by occupational therapists, as well as other health care providers, such as physical and speech therapists, to use the movement of the horse to improve their participation in everyday activities, whether this means to improve their posture to sit upright at a desk when writing or strengthen their core to bend and tie their shoes!

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